In short-term, investor confidence drives the market more than fundamentals, even if fundamentals generally win in the long-term. Unfortunately, that means that the stock market can be heavily influenced by just about anything, including social media. Though the White House had previously said that the talks between the U.S. and China had been constructive, they … Continue reading “This Tweet Sent the Dow Sliding 600 Points”

Capital One has reported that there’s been a leak of its customers’ information, a significant leak that includes social security numbers and financial information. This comes on the heels of the big Equifax controversy, under which Equifax was required to pay out $700 million. Capital One customers should be aware of this threat. The hack … Continue reading “Capital One Reports Leak of Social Security Info and Financial Accounts”

A.O. Smith Corp (AOS) currently trades at $43.82 per share. This “growth stock” is down for the year, yet it has quite the impressive 5-year chart. The company’s earnings increased at a 25% compound yearly rate across the past nine years. However, earnings for this year are likely to increase by a mere 4% as … Continue reading “Don’t Count On A.O. Smith Corp Being a Growth Stock for Long”

Retirement is a hot topic right now, namely because most Americans aren’t saving enough for their twilight years or aren’t saving anything at all. Yes, as we’ve covered extensively in this space before — only about 10 percent of all Americans are confident that they’ll have enough sacked away to live out their retirement years … Continue reading “Experts Agree: You Should Max Out Your 401K (or IRA) Early”

In 2017, Equifax experienced a data breach that impacted nearly half of the United States. 147 million individuals had their personal information compromised, including their social security numbers. With identity theft now as common as it is, this data breach exposed millions of individuals to personal financial risk. Equifax has now been ordered to pay … Continue reading “Equifax to Pay $700 Million to Impacted Consumers”

Burdened by extraordinary amounts of debt — and engaged in a battle against craft beers — Budweiser is currently taking aggressive action to deleverage itself. Following the acquisition of SABMiller, Budweiser is over $100 billion in debt, and it hasn’t been able to cut that debt as quickly as expected. Beer profits, in general, are … Continue reading “How is Budweiser Planning on Recovering from a $100 Billion Debt?”

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement that will formally allow a merger between the nation’s third and fourth largest cell phone service carriers. The agreement takes the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint out of “regulatory limbo,” however challenges remain for the planned union. While the DOJ is giving the green light, … Continue reading “DOJ to Allow $26 Billion Merger Between T-Mobile and Sprint”

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) has climbed to around $116 per share after dropping to $84 this past February. TTWO has fared quite well in the ever-changing video game landscape, especially when compared to fellow gaming companies such as Electronic Arts and Activision blizzard. TTWO is responsible for video game franchise successes ranging from NBA 2K to … Continue reading “Take-Two Interactive — A Gaming Stock All Investors Should Consider”

In the old days of “just a decade ago,” the mall was a major focal point for shopping. Today, more people are shopping online rather than heading to the shops — and that’s a major problem. Malls have seen a significant decline in their foot traffic and operations, but they are evolving. With the explosion … Continue reading “How the Mall is Remaining Relevant in the eCommerce Era”

From Robinhood to Acorns, many Americans are turning away from traditional financial advisors and instead using “robo advisers,” or automated investment platforms. With low fees and additional control, these new platforms are compelling. But there’s a catch, too: investing without any type of guidance can be dangerous for new investors. Let’s take a closer look … Continue reading “Why Many Americans Are Turning to Investment Apps and Robo Advisers”

Dollar General (DG) has been on a roll for quite some time now. Though plenty of community leaders are turning against the bargain-basement store as it is supposedly a disruptive force in the context of local economies, it appears as though this American stalwart is here to stay. The question is whether the company can … Continue reading “Are Dollar General’s Prices Going to Kill its Business?”

A $10 billion “war cloud” contract will be awarded to the company that is able to produce the best pitch at the end of August. Both Amazon and Microsoft are expected to be bidding for this contract, also known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI). The JEDI plan is intended as a way to … Continue reading “Amazon and Microsoft Compete Over US Military “War Cloud” Contract”

Prime Day is Amazon’s yearly answer to “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday.” Since 2015, Prime Day has been a highly-publicized assortment of sales and promotions. These promotions are targeted solely towards Amazon Prime subscribers. But while Amazon Prime Day certainly seems successful every year, it’s also led to widespread criticism. Amazon Prime Day Now Tied … Continue reading “There Were Some Serious Problems with Amazon Prime Day 2019”

Jerome Powell, chairman of The Federal Reserve, seemed to suggest in testimony on Capitol Hill that a reduction in the interest rate is on the way, perhaps even as early as the end of July. This comes after four increases to the interest rate in 2018, despite President Donald Trump regularly bemoaning such increases, fearing … Continue reading “The Fed is Now MORE Likely to Lower Interest Rates — Here’s Why”

When most people hear the term “identity theft,” what comes to mind is likely an adult’s credit card getting hacked or their social security information being compromised. You wouldn’t think that identity theft would as common with a much, much younger generation of Americans — like kids. Unfortunately, kids are becoming a favorite target for … Continue reading “Identity Theft Scammers Have a New Target: Children”

Though domestic stocks have been going strong all year, Morgan Stanley has downgraded its view on global stocks. Lower GDP and slowed economies around the world have inspired general skepticism regarding the market’s future performance. This combines with other indicators that the world as a whole may experience slowed growth in 2020. Investors Should Be … Continue reading “Morgan Stanley Downgrades View on Global Stocks”

Netflix recently said “goodbye” to the hit show Friends, but this is only the beginning. The world’s most popular video streaming service is going to be losing a significant amount of its licensed content, which makes up about 63% of its catalogue . And while it may have a lot of original content on its … Continue reading “End of an Era? Netflix Seeing a Decline as It Loses Quality Content”