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U.S. stocks ended the week higher as investors were encouraged by announcements in Europe and China. The European Central Bank outlined plans to expand its asset purchase programs by "altering the size, pace and composition of our purchases" if inflation shows signs that it could stay...

This weekend in Barron's online: the future of Fidelity, an exclusive interview with Bond King Bill Gross and the Barron's Mutual Fund Quarterly, as well as the prospects for Kroger, Micron Technology, Littelfuse and more. Cover Story "Fidelity's Bright Stars" by Leslie...

In the IntraLinks Deal Flow Indicator Q2 report, IntraLinks VP of strategy & product marketing, Matt Porzio said one of the sectors showing strong levels of early-state M&A activity was consumer, which includes retail. According to Porzio, "Consumer deals … are expected...

U.S. stocks rose, lifting the Dow to new historical all-time highs of 17,153.80 following a better than expected rise in orders of durable goods. Consumer confidence improved in August, helping market sentiments while investors and traders placed less emphasis on a report that home prices are...

U.S. stocks were higher on Monday as the S&P 500 traded above the 2,000 mark for the first time ever, creating a new historical intra-day high of 2001.94. The S&P 500's milestone came on a relatively quiet day for stocks. A light news-load isn't necessarily a bad thing for the...

U.S. stocks were mostly lower as the tense situation in Ukraine was brought back in the spotlight following a report from NATO who observed an alarming rise in Russian forces near the Ukraine border. Speaking at Jackson Hole, Fed Chair Janet Yellen stated that 19 labor market indicators the Fed...

U.S. stocks were mostly higher on the final trading day of May, as both the S&P 500 and Dow indices close at record highs, despite disappointing consumer spending data reported on Friday morning. Loretta Mester, the soon to be Cleveland Fed President argued in a speech the importance of...

U.S. stocks ended the week on a sour note as investors continue to sell many momentum names. Not helping the bull case was the much anticipated Jobs report number which failed to "wow" the market, coming in relatively in-line with expectations. The Dow suffered a triple digit point loss and...

U.S. stocks declined as concerns escalated over Ukraine, two days before its citizens will vote in a referendum to split from Ukraine and become part of Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin is gearing up to “invade eastern Ukraine” as a six hour talk between U.S. Secretary of State John...

The focus is on retail as the as the crucial holiday shopping season is set to get underway. Last week, Walmart (NYSE: WMT) and Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) offered weak third-quarter results, while Macy's (NYSE: M) and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) turned in earnings beats. Plenty more retailers are on deck this...

The earnings season for the big retailers is underway. Last week's second-quarter reports from Walmart (NYSE: WMT), Macy's (NYSE: M), Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) and Kohl's (NYSE: KSS) may have been solid, but weak outlooks for the rest of the year disappointed investors. Many more retailers are on...

A new report by analysts at UBS (NYSE: UBS) suggests there may be little upside ahead for department stores, due to such things as high inventories and unfavorable weather in the first quarter. However, they feel the prospects for some specialty retailers look more appealing. Four of the stocks...

While the holiday season is in full swing now, the earnings season is winding down. Perhaps the most prominent quarterly reports on this week's schedule those from Kroger, the country's largest grocery store chain, and Tiffany, the iconic purveyor of luxury goods. The consensus forecasts of...

Retail earnings season got off to a start last week when drug store chain CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS) and department store operators Kohl's (NYSE: KSS), Macy's (NYSE: M) and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) bested second-quarter earnings estimates, while JCPenney (NYSE: JCP) reported a net loss. Many more...