Wealthy treated themselves during the holidays

Wealthy Treated Themselves During The Holidays
NEW YORK — The rich treated themselves like royalty this Holiday Season. That spun the holidays into gold for Tiffany & Co. and other high-end Retailers. Wealthier shoppers traded up to more expensive gold and diamond jewelry from silver charms at Tiffany. At Saks and Neiman Marcus, designer clothing and handbags were the hot holiday items. The strong reports are a big improvement from six months ago, when wealthy Americans got spooked by a Stock Market slide and cut back spending. It shows ...

Stocks Set To Rise On Easing European Debt Worries
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are headed higher as investors shake off worries about the European Debt crisis. Portugal had a relatively successful bond auction Wednesday, and that eased concerns that the country will soon need a financial Bailout. European stocks rose broadly. Traders were relieved that the country ended up paying a lower Interest Rate for its long-term Debt than previously expected. But analysts cautioned that Portugal could still need a financial rescue if it slips back into a...

Asian shares up after Wall Street finishes higher
Asian shares advanced in early trading Wednesday, pushed higher by an overnight rise Wall Street. But gains were limited amid caution ahead of a series of crucial European Debt sales this week. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock average added 0.5 percent to 10,563.33. Exporters climbed modestly as The Dollar strengthened against the yen. Elsewhere, Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.6 percent to 23,898.94, South Korea's Kospi added 0.1 percent to 2,089.84, and the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.3 percent...

Economy continues to recover slowly, Fed says
Cautious optimism was again the theme heard by officials with the 12 Federal Reserve Banks from November through December, according to the latest "beige book" release by the Fed. After receiving anecdotal takes from business contacts, officials reported that The Economy continues to "expand modestly," but that the Housing Market continues to lag and act as a drag on the overall comeback. Hiring and employment has been a big question recently, as Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently told lawmak...

Bank Executives as Geraldine
Yves Smith put up a delightful post at Naked Capitalism casting bank executives as Flip Wilson's immortal Geraldine. It's too good not to share. The reality is that banks can no longer meaningfully be called private enterprises, yet no one in the media will challenge this fiction. And pointing out in a more direct manner that banks should not be considered capitalist ventures would also penetrate the dubious defenses of their need for lavish pay. Why should government-backed businesses...

Fed says U.S. economy, jobs outlook improving
By Pedro Nicolaci da Costa WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 12, 2011 2:08pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. economy strengthened as the year drew to a close, according to a report from the Federal Reserve on Wednesday that cited rising employment levels across the country. The Fed's Beige Book report, based on anecdotal reports collected from the business contacts of the Central Bank's regional branches, painted an increasingly bright, if cautious, picture. While Real Estate markets, at the heart of ...

When flash mobs go bad
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual act for a brief time and then disperse. Flash mobs are usually organized via Social Media or e-mails. Flash mob folklore says the first successful flash mob occurred in June 2003 in Manhattan and was staged by Bill Wasik, then senior editor of Harper's Magazine. At Wasik's behest, more than 100 people converged upon the ninth-floor rug department of Macy's Department Store, gathering around an expensiv...

Holiday retail sales up 4 percent: ShopperTrak
NEW YORK | Mon Jan 10, 2011 12:21pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Retail Sales rose 4 percent during the 2010 Holiday Season, and should rise 2.2 percent in the First Quarter of 2011, research firm ShopperTrak said on Monday. Foot traffic for November and December, the most important part of the year for Retailers, was flat, ShopperTrak said on Monday at the National Retail Federation conference in New York. ShopperTrak expects foot traffic -- customers in stores -- to be up 2.8 percent in th...

Tiffany raises outlook on 11 percent holiday sales gain
NEW YORK | Tue Jan 11, 2011 8:13am EST NEW YORK (Reuters) -Tiffany & Co's (TIF.N) sales over the Holiday Season rose in every region of the world where it operates jewelry stores, prompting the retailer to raise its full-year profit forecast. For November and December, net worldwide sales at Tiffany rose 11 percent to $888.5 million. Sales rose most sharply in Asia, excluding Japan, soaring 23 percent to $138.9 million. In North and South America, they were up 9 percent at $484.8 million,...

Liz Mandarano: Is Your New Year's Resolution A Divorce? You're Not Alone
Divorce lawyers around the country are preparing for the annual January surge in divorce filings. Although no formal study has ever been conducted confirming it, anecdotal evidence among lawyers claim that divorce is a seasonal phenomena, with January the most popular month to file for one. Why is this? Mark Sichel is a New York City-based licensed clinical social worker and the author of Healing from Family Rifts. In his book, he describes in great detail the concept of the "Family Myth," whi...

US economy growing 'moderately'
In its latest Beige Book report, the US Central Bank said the Manufacturing sector continued to enjoy the biggest upturn, while Retailers saw a rise in sales over Christmas. The Fed said the housing sector remained subdued across the US. The data showed the US economy grew by 2.6% between July and September. However, this annualised level is too low to tackle the country's continuing high level of Unemployment. The most recent figures showed that the US jobless rate totalled 9.4% in Decembe...

Rosy outlook by Alcoa points to stock gains
A rosy outlook by aluminum giant Alcoa is pointing to early gains in the Stock Market. The company beat Wall Street earnings estimates when it reported its Fourth Quarter results after the market closed Monday. Alcoa Inc. said that it expects a 12 percent jump in demand this year, with sales up as much as 11 percent in the automotive sector. Sears Holdings and Tiffany's separately announced that they expect their earnings to top Wall Street expectations. In economic news, investors will receive ...

Stocks head higher as worries about Europe ease
(01-12) 08:46 PST NEW YORK, (AP) -- Stocks are climbing in midday trading after a successful bond auction in Portugal eased worries about Europe's Debt crisis. Portugal borrowed $1.6 billion at a lower Interest Rate than many expected. That helped reassure investors concerned that Portugal may become the third European country to require a Bailout after Greece and Ireland. JPMorgan Chase & Co. rose 2.4 percent after the company's CEO, Jamie Dimon, told CNBC late Tuesday that the bank hopes to ...

Stocks gain at the open
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks opened higher for the second day in a row Wednesday, as Eurozone jitters continued to ease and investors awaited the Federal Reserve's latest snapshot of economic conditions. The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) added 57 points, or 0.5%, the S&P 500 (SPX) rose 7 points, or 0.6%, and the NASDAQ (COMP) gained 12 points, or 0.4%. Email Print Comment A rally in overseas markets helped give U.S. markets an early lift.Europe continues to be a Wild Card as 20...

Oil rises above $92 as supplies drop
Oil prices rose Wednesday after the government reported a larger-than-expected drop in Crude Oil supplies and Stock Markets climbed on Europe's improving financial picture. Benchmark oil for February delivery rose $1.05 to $92.16 a barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil Prices have hovered between $88 a barrel and just above $92 a barrel since the new year began on expectations that the U.S. economy was getting stronger. Demand for oil has remained robust in emerging m...

High Probability ETF Trading: 7 ETFs You Need to Know for Wednesday (SPY, XLY, IYZ, IYR, URE, EPI, QID)
ETF markets rallied on Tuesday, setting up potentially overbought conditions when trading begins on Wednesday. PowerShares QQQ (QQQQ PowerRating), for example, has closed in overbought territory for the past seven consecutive trading days. PowerRating) rallying more than 2% after a pullback of four days. Here are 7 ETFs You Need to Know for Wednesday. PowerRating) rallied to close above their 5-day moving average on Tuesday after a three-day pullback that took the ETF into oversold territory...

Bailout police are circling
The Bailout police are circling to once and for all try to stem the spread of busted countries. European Debt and stocks are rallying after Japan’s interest announced yesterday and today’s story that the EU are discussing putting together a package for Portugal and will possibly buy Greek Debt in the secondary market in order to lower their financing costs. Portugal successfully sold 3 yr and 10 yr paper with yields higher than the previous one’s but not as bad as feared with...

How to Move Back Into Stocks While Keeping Risk to a Minimum
For investors, fear of losing money in the Stock Market is finally giving way to the reality that they may actually be losing money in low-yielding investments. With Energy Prices spiking, food prices creeping up and higher Inflation looming, the "safe" near-zero yields of U.S. Treasury Bonds and money-market funds are no longer acceptable to investors trying to build their Retirement accounts. Market watchers say a shift out of those safe-haven investments and into more risky alternatives has...

Daily Blogwatch: Which Stocks Are Already Up 20% in 2011?
Some of the best stories for investors from around the Web: Thirty-four stocks that are already up 20% in 2011. __________ The CEO of Chinese car maker BYD finally confesses why Warren Buffett invested in the company. __________ I worked with Jim Cramer for six or seven years. Here are 10 things I learned while working with Jim Cramer. __________ Mark Zuckerberg's dad writes an article about dentistry and computers. An interesting read. __________ Great post by Crossing Wall Street on ...

Bulls beat the bears down on the farm
Joe Donohue was on Wall Street for over 20 years. He ran a successful Hedge Fund and now manages private accounts with a long/short strategy. He is also the author of the UpsideTrader blog. Some still argue (mostly the perma bears) that the entire move for the S&P 500 from 666 in March 2009 to about 1,275 now is merely a cyclical rally within a Secular Bear Market. Email Print Comment Joe Donohue, author of the UpsideTrader blog, is Bullish on agricultural stocks. The bulls have taken the o...

Bulls beat the bears down on the farm
Joe Donohue was on Wall Street for over 20 years. He ran a successful Hedge Fund and now manages private accounts with a long/short strategy. He is also the author of the UpsideTrader blog. Some still argue (mostly the perma bears) that the entire move for the S&P 500 from 666 in March 2009 to about 1,275 now is merely a cyclical rally within a Secular Bear Market. Email Print Comment Joe Donohue, author of the UpsideTrader blog, is Bullish on agricultural stocks. The bulls have taken the o...

JCPenney Ranks Tops in Customer Service for Third Consecutive Year
PLANO, Texas, Jan. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, J. C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) was recognized for its industry-leading Customer Service by ranking No. 1 among Department Store Retailers in the Customers' Choice survey released by the NRF Foundation and American Express. The positive results signify the impact JCPenney associates have made with customers as a result of the Company's CustomerFIRST initiative.  Launched in 2008, CustomerFIRST is a comprehens...

Holiday surprises help Sears and Tiffany
By Brad Dorfman Chicago | Tue Jan 11, 2011 10:51am EST Chicago (Reuters) - The holiday shopping season still delivered a few surprises on Tuesday, both naughty and nice, showing that the U.S. economic recovery is not strong enough to lift all Retailers. Talbots Inc (TLB.N) said its loss in its fiscal Fourth Quarter would be deeper than its previous worst-case forecast, as it had to slash prices in the last two weeks of December into January because women were avoiding its clothes. Sears Holdi...

November inventories see decline but sales rise
Businesses had $455.6 billion worth of inventories in August 2008 when sales began to plunge. They responded by cutting back to control costs. The latest drop in inventories came as a surprise to Economists. They had expected another increase. It will likely be viewed as a temporary setback and not the start of a trend in cutting back on stockpiles. Strong gains in both inventories and sales have been good news for many industries, which have been able to boost production and hire more workers o...

Holiday surprises help Sears and Tiffany
By Brad Dorfman Chicago (Reuters) - The holiday shopping season still delivered a few surprises on Tuesday, both naughty and nice, showing that the U.S. Economic Recovery is not strong enough to lift all Retailers. Talbots Inc (TLB.N) said its loss... Is Wal-Mart pulling a Circuit City on Best Buy? A shopper walks down Fifth Avenue holding Tiffany & Co shopping bags in New York October 8, 2009. Chicago (Reuters) - The holiday shopping season still delivered a few surprises on Tuesday, bot...