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What Investors Should Look for In Today’s Fed Statement

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:04:24 GMT

In its continuing efforts to nurture the fragile economic recovery, the U.S. Federal Reserve is widely expected to leave interest rates at record lows when it concludes its meeting today (Wednesday).[More...]

Continued Corruption On Wall Street Is Sapping Investor Confidence on Main Street

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:58:05 GMT

A couple of days ago, I caught an episode of the American Experience on my local PBS station that covered 1929 stock market crash. The episode in question had premiered in 1990, and featured first-hand accounts – as well as interviews – with historian Robert Sobel and economist John Kenneth Galbraith.[More...]

October 31, 2009: Fixed Rate Capital Securities: An Interesting Alternative For Income Oriented Investors

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:13:55 GMT

In the early 1990s, a product called fixed rate capital securities was introduced to meet the needs of income-oriented investors and provide a cost efficient source of capital for issuers.[More...]

An Overview Of The Fed's Intervention In Equity Markets Via The Primary Dealer Credit Facility

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 01:01:51 GMT

Although the main interests of the Federal Reserve are macroeconomic in nature, well-functioning financial markets are ancillary to good economic performance. Conversely, financial instability can compromise economic growth and price stability. Because of this intimate connection with economic performance, the Federal Reserve has a clear interest in promoting the stability of financial markets."[More...]

Who’s Benefiting From The Dollar's Demise?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:06:27 GMT

The dollar is out as the world’s predominant reserve currency. Central banks around the world increased their foreign currency holdings by $413 billion in the second quarter, the most since at least 2003, according to data compiled by Bloomberg News. But 63% of that new cash was put into currencies other than the dollar. That’s a record-high percentage for any quarter with more than an $80 billion increase in holdings.[More...]

Barclays (BCS) Could Sell 4B In Assets

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:42:14 GMT

Barclays Plc (BCS) is contemplating to spin off a ?4 billion portfolio of complex credit assets as part of the initiative to clean up its balance sheet and alleviate shareholder concerns over its risky investments.[More...]

Rio 2016: Guide To Investing In Brazil

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:48:11 GMT

There was a lot of talk about potential host cities for the Olympics lately and the politics associated. That talk died down after Brazil was awarded the honor of hosting. You may be asking “how does that relate to trading”…well my friend Raul of the Shocked Investor is about to make that connection. He has been researching the Brazilian stocks and options recently and more importantly ones traded on American exchanges. Enjoy the article and be sure to leave a comment with your thoughts.[More...]

September's Hottest ETFs (non-leveraged)

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:57:59 GMT

Each week, I normally publish the past week's hottest ETFs to share some new trends and niche ETFs out there and give investors some new investing/diversification ideas. However, I wanted to provide a monthly update instead to demonstrate that over a monthly period, many non-leveraged ETFs make the list as top performers whereas on a weekly basis it's often the daily rebalancing leveraged ETFs.[More...]

State Of The Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) Market

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:20:28 GMT

Many of my clients and readers understand my general preference for exchange-traded funds (ETFs) over mutual funds.* It isn’t that I doubt the ability of any active mutual fund managers to outperform their benchmarks—plenty of them do.[More...]

Market Closing : Lower Finish But Markets Record 2%-3% September Gains, 15% Surge in Quarter

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:25:00 GMT

Stocks end in the red, but finish well off session lows. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 2.3% for the month of September and up around 15% for the third quarter. The S&P 500 is up 3.6% for the month, up 15% for the quarter. The Nasdaq ends September up 5.6% for the month and gains 15.7% for the quarter.[More...]

Evening Standard, London, market report column

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:45:00 GMT

Nov. 6--Stock market investors were doing their best to look on the bright side today after the combined losses from Royal Bank of Scotland and British Airways reached £1.79 billion during the first six months of the year.
BA responded with a rise of 9p at 195 1/2p -- making it the best blue chip performer -- while Royal Bank of Scotland, which this week was promised a further £33.5 billion of taxpayers' money, put on 0.4p at 35.6p.
Citigroup sees a brighter future for Lloyds Banking Group, 1/2p better at 83 1/2p, now that the Government has given the UK's biggest mortgage lender the go-ahead to raise £21 billion of new capital.

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UPI NewsTrack Business

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:43:00 GMT

UPI NewsTrack Business[More...]

Kraft remains focused on Cadbury

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:39:00 GMT

Kraft remains focused on Cadbury[More...]

PGA announces 2010 tour schedule

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:56:00 GMT

PGA announces 2010 tour schedule[More...]

Bank of New York CEO Not Interested in BofA Job

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:47:00 GMT

Nov. 2--Add Bank of Bob Kelly to the list of financial services executives who aren't clamoring for the top job at Bank of America Corp.
The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. CEO was approached in the past couple of weeks about becoming the Charlotte bank's leader but he said he had no interest, a person familiar with the situation said today.
Kelly wasn't approached directly by the bank but through an acquaintance, the person said.

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Roddick, Verdasco up in ATP rankings

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:39:00 GMT

Roddick, Verdasco up in ATP rankings[More...]

Massive Selloff of British Bank Branches Being Planned

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:46:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) -- The Royal Bank of Scotland, Northern Rock, and Lloyds Banking Group are to sell off as many as 700 branches in the next few years in exchange for the public aid they received during the economic meltdown, a government official told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The official said that the banks were in negotiations with Britain's treasury and European regulators over how many assets they would have to give up in return for the tax money they received.
As many as 700 branches could be sold off, the official said.

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Miami money manager arrested in K1 probe

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:50:00 GMT

Miami money manager arrested in K1 probe[More...]

Frenchmen dominant at Lyon tennis event

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:33:00 GMT

Frenchmen dominant at Lyon tennis event[More...]

Evening Standard, London, Market Report Column

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:50:00 GMT

Oct. 28--There was no let-up for the banks this morning as they came under fresh selling pressure in the wake of the EU's insistence that the Dutch state-aided bank ING must be split in two.
Both have received billions of pounds in government aid with the taxpayer now owning 43 percent of Lloyds and 70 percent of RBS. Investors fear the EU may force Lloyds to divest itself of mortgage lender Halifax, which it bought earlier this year as part of HBOS.
The share prices of both banks remain underwater with the taxpayer only starting to break even on its investment when the Lloyds price hits 122.6p and RBS 50.5p.

[More...]

BlackRock Reports Third Quarter Diluted EPS of $2.27 ($2.10 As Adjusted)

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:48:00 GMT

BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK) today reported third quarter 2009 net income1 of $317 million, a 46% improvement compared to a year ago.
The operating margin was 31.3%.
Net income, as adjusted2, was $2.10 per diluted common share or $293 million, including operating income of $1.86 per diluted share and non-operating income of $0.24 per diluted share.

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BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. Announces Repurchase Offer

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:46:00 GMT

The offer by BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. (the "Fund") (NYSE: EGF, CUSIP: 09255K108) to repurchase up to 5% of its outstanding shares of common stock (the "Shares") from its stockholders (the "Repurchase Offer") will commence on October 23, 2009.
The Repurchase Offer is scheduled to expire on November 27, 2009, unless extended, with payment for the Shares repurchased to be made on or before December 18, 2009.
The Fund is a diversified, closed-end management investment company.

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BlackRock Broad Investment Grade 2009 Term Trust Announces Additional Liquidation Details

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:05:00 GMT

BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the Board of Directors of BlackRock Broad Investment Grade 2009 Term Trust, Inc. (NYSE Amex:BCT) (the "Trust") today announced that, in connection with the Trust's liquidation, the Trust's common shares will continue to trade the "regular way" on the NYSE Amex through October 12, 2009 and will be suspended from trading before the opening of trading on October 13, 2009.
In connection with its liquidation, the Trust has previously declared a liquidating distribution on June 3, 2009 that is payable to shareholders on October 29, 2009.
Once the Trust's common shares have been suspended from trading on the NYSE Amex, any subsequent information pertaining to the Trust's liquidation will be available in the "Closed-End Funds" section of www.blackrock.com.

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Certain BlackRock Closed-End Funds Announce Estimated Sources of Distributions

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:47:00 GMT

Today, BlackRock Real Asset Equity Trust (NYSE: BCF), BlackRock Enhanced
Dividend AchieversTM Trust (NYSE: BDJ), BlackRock Strategic
Dividend AchieversTM Trust (NYSE: BDT), BlackRock Dividend

[More...]

Barclays Capital Announces Senior Appointments in Canada

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:47:00 GMT

Barclays Capital (LSE: BARC) today announces the senior appointments of Ian Montgomery as Chief Operating Officer of Canada and John Kennedy as Chief Compliance Officer of Canada.
In their new roles, Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Kennedy will support the execution of the firm's strategy in Canada.
"The appointments of Ian and John underscore the continued importance of our Canadian franchise as a strategic priority for the firm," said Sandra Godard, Managing Director of Barclays Canada Limited.

[More...]

BlackRock Announces Changes to Investment Policies for Certain Closed-End Funds

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 21:48:00 GMT

BlackRock, Inc. today announced that its Closed-End Fund Board of
PSY Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the Fund's total assets will be invested in preferred securities.
PSW Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the Fund's total assets will be invested in a portfolio of preferred securities and corporate debt securities.

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Certain BlackRock Closed-End Funds Announce Estimated Sources of Distributions

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:55:00 GMT

BlackRock S&P Quality Rankings Global Equity Managed Trust (NYSE
BlackRock Preferred & Equity Advantage Trust (NYSE:BTZ) and BlackRock
Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. (NYSE:EGF) paid the following dividends

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ParagonReport.Com Complimentary Market Update on BCS, TM, CIT and DOW

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Paragon is pleased to announce that its latest Market Update analyzing major events involving Barclays plc. (NYSE:BCS), Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM), CIT Group Inc. (NYSE:CIT) and Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) has been released.
www.ParagonReport.com is a leading online financial newsletter for subscribers seeking industry leading free independent and unbiased research.
All Analyst Reports will be posted under the "Quarterly Analyst Reports" page that you land on once logged into the site.

[More...]

Certain BlackRock Closed-End Funds Announce Estimated Sources of Distributions

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 21:47:00 GMT

BlackRock Preferred & Equity Advantage Trust (NYSE: BTZ) and BlackRock Enhanced Government Fund, Inc. (NYSE: EGF) paid the following dividends per share:
Each of the Funds has adopted a level distribution plan (the "Plan") and employs either a managed distribution or an option over-write policy to support a level distribution of income, capital gains and/or return of capital.
Under its Plan, each Fund will distribute all available investment income to its shareholders, consistent with its primary investment objectives and as required by the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code").

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BlackRock Announces Closing of Closed-End Fund Reorganizations

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:55:00 GMT

BlackRock, Inc. today announced that the reorganizations of BlackRock Global Equity Income Trust (NYSE:BFD) and BlackRock World Investment Trust (NYSE:BWC) into BlackRock Global Opportunities Equity Trust (NYSE:BOE) are effective as of the opening for business of the New York Stock Exchange on July 27, 2009.
BFD and BWC distributed the common shares of BOE to their respective common shareholders in an amount equal to the aggregate net asset value of BFD and BWC common shares, as applicable, as determined at the close of business on July 24, 2009, less the costs of the applicable reorganization (though some BFD and BWC common shareholders received cash for their fractional common shares).
Relevant details pertaining to the reorganizations are as follows:

[More...]