Consumer Confidence

U.S. stocks finished higher as the Dow approached its all time high of 16,631.60. The index trading on Tuesday as high as 16,559.39. The S&P 500 index is also not that far away from its all time highs of 1,897.28. The Federal Open Market Committee began its two-day meeting in Washington....

Two major food recalls, both due to labeling issues, were announced over the weekend. On Sunday, Kraft Foods Group (NASDAQ: KRFT) said is recalling about 96,000 pounds of “Oscar Mayer Classic Wieners,” because the products might be incorrectly labeled and may mistakenly contain cheese....

When it comes to mass producing large quantities of reliable automobiles, it should be no surprise that, at times, things can go wrong.  But as costly and embarrassing as it may be, auto manufacturers must respond to potentially hazardous automobile defects by issuing a rapid and complete...

It's been baptism by fire for Mary Barra. Less than three months into her job as CEO, the longtime General Motors (NYSE: GM) executive found herself enduring two days of testimony on Capitol Hill this week – trying to explain to lawmakers why GM only recently announced the recall of some...

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as investors found a decline in consumer confidence as reason enough to keep stocks from moving higher. The S&P 500 retreated from its record all time high set yesterday but took a run above the 1,850 level in the late morning. The all time high for the index is...

As markets completed its final trading day of 2013, investors and traders can look back at what turned out to be a spectacular year for equities. U.S. stocks had its best year in over a decade fueled by an improving economy and the Fed's easy money policies. Commodities on the other hand have...

Investors and traders certainly had their plates full Tuesday with a plethora of data releases sending the Dow to new record highs and the Nasdaq index closing above 4,000 after briefly breaching the mark on Monday. The markets gave back modest gains towards the end of the trading session and...

The upcoming holiday season will be the shortest in over a decade, with just 26 shopping days squeezed between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That's six fewer days than last year. But in spite of a compressed shopping season, there are signs the retail sector is looking forward to a happy ending...

The high-stakes game of political chicken that's been unfolding in Washington may be over for the moment. But its impact is expected to linger with consumers, as the nation heads into the economically important holiday shopping season. The National Retail Federation's most-recent spending...

Weekly Preview: Earnings Season Continues, Fed In Focus, Economic Maelstrom Expected Next week, earnings season continues with hundreds of companies set to report earnings. Also, there is a flood of economic data due out in the next week from around the world. Further, the Federal Reserve, the...

Next week, key economic data points will be the focus of markets as the end of quarter earnings lull comes to an end. However, a few key earnings reports are expected and could also move markets. Key Earnings Earnings from key companies next week including Lennar (NYSE: LEN), General Mills (NYSE:...

Futures Surge as Global Shares Rebound U.S. equity futures rose sharply in early pre-market trade on relaxed fears of Federal Reserve tapering of easing, fears which drove markets lower last week. Eyes will be on key retail earnings and economic data in Tuesday's session for further direction as...

Futures Flat on Mixed Economic Data U.S. equity futures traded little changed in early pre-market trade following mixed global economic data. Mixed data out of Japan was followed by a flood of data out of Europe which continued to point to room for the European Central Bank to ease policy further...

Futures Rise as Investors Look Past Cyprus U.S. equity futures rose in early pre-market trade despite the turmoil in Cyprus as lawmakers failed to pass the bailout agreement in parliament. Blackrock (NYSE: BLK) CEO Larry Fink said that Cyprus was a non-event and said that he sees 20 percent upside...

Futures Rise After Losses, Italian Elections U.S. equity futures gained in the pre-market after massive losses Monday following the turmoil over the Italian elections. It appears as though no majority will be formed and that Italians will need to go back to the polls to try to elect a majority...