active management, investing, passive management, securities, wall street
With many situations in life where there are two directly opposing opinions, each side believes their way to be the best, and this is certainly true of passive and active management in stock market investing. Proponents of passive management, also referred to as index investing, generally believe that the market can’t be beaten and therefore portfolio managers don’t make the decision as to which securities to buy or sell. Instead they copy an index by buying the same securities that are included in a particular bond or stock market...
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crude oil, global economy, new york, opec, speculators, us economy
As temperatures plummet with the winter months in many parts of the US, some speculators appear to be expecting increased crude demand to result. Benchmark crude oil prices were up $1.22 to $73.87 in early Friday (December 18) morning trade on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
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federal reserve, inflation, market sectors, oil prices, us economy
The US dollar fell back a bit Wednesday (December 16) morning as analysts believe the Fed is likely to leave its key interest rate at zero. New data on consumer prices show little change after 10 months of increases, suggesting inflation is not a big enough concern at this point to warrant an immediate rise in rates.
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analysts, commerce department, consumers, retail sales, us economy
Despite initial reports from many retailers that the start to the holiday season has been relatively sluggish, the Commerce Department reported Friday (December 11) morning that retail sales climbed by 1.3 percent in November. This follows a 1.1 percent boost in retail performance during October.
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analysts, crude oil, economists, energy, new york, oil prices, speculation
After failing to cruise past the $80 level in recent weeks, crude oil has drifted lower toward the $70 mark. A report Wednesday (December 9) that indicated an unexpected drop in US crude supplies helped push the price of a barrel of crude oil back above $73 a barrel in early morning trade Wednesday. Still, oil remains relatively low in the near-term.
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ethical consumerism, investing, shareholders, social responsibility, tbl, triple bottom line
With more than 100 heads of state currently gathered in Copenhagen to discuss the global ramifications of climate change, the focus is on individual, governmental and corporate accountability for environment damaging practices and encouraging commitment to make the necessary changes. The world of finance and investing has also been impacted by environmental concerns, giving rise to ethical consumerism, green brands and socially responsible investing, with corporate companies paying more attention to what has become known as the Triple Bottom Line.
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analysts, gold, investment, speculators, us economy
The price of an ounce of gold continues to remain above $1,200 after reaching a new all-time high at $1,218.25 to start the final month of 2009. In early Friday (December 4) morning trade, the spot rate for gold was $1,205.40.
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analysts, consumers, double dip, economic recovery, oil prices, recession, retail sales, us economy
With the majority of economic analysts in agreement that the US economy is moving out of the recession and is in a recovery phase, many are still dubious, biding their time to see if the recovery will be sustained, or go into decline again in what is being termed as a 'double dip'. The view that the US economy is in recovery is being based primarily on the 3.5 percent growth experienced in the third quarter, but the surge of optimism has not touched everyone, and some economists are calling for authorities to be...
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