The markets recovered from early morning losses to close modestly lower with the Dow losing 12 points to 15,294 despite a sharp drop in the Nikkei as upbeat earnings and rising new home sales lifted investor sentiment. Nasdaq slipped 3 points to 3459.

The markets pared earlier losses with the Dow slipping 15 points to 15,292 as rising new home sales blunted the impact of the Nikkei's sharp drop. Nasdaq lost 8 points to 3454.

A drop in Chinese factory activity weighed the markets down to a lower open with the Dow falling 50 points to 15,256. Nasdaq lost 10 points to 3453.

by Geoff Considine The yield of an asset is a key component of predicting future returns.  This is true for the yield on Treasury bonds as well as the dividend yield for stock indexes.  The yield on aggregate bond indexes is considered a good proxy for future expected returns.  The dividend yield of broad stock indexes has been [...]

Financial Times author, Ruchir Sharma, says that money flows into the emerging markets are more discriminate this decade. As the printing presses continue to hum, however, the question remains: where will the money go? 

Disappointing earnings weighed the markets down to a sharply lower close with the Dow tumbling 80 points to 15,307. Nasdaq plunged 38 points to 3463.

The markets retreated from an early morning rally with the Dow rising 22 points to 15,409 as investors await the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's policy meeting. Nasdaq lost 14 points to 3487.

The markets opened sharply higher with the Dow soaring 112 points to 15,499 after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said that continued stimulus measures were necessary to sustain the fragile economy. Nasdaq climbed 24 points to 3526.

REITs have been the best performing major asset class since the market bottom in 2009, up over 200%.   What are the current drivers of REITs saying now across trend, yield curve, and valuation? 

By John Wasik (Reuters) – In a frantic search for yields, investors often turn toward relatively unknown products. Business Development Companies (BDCs) are one of latest vehicles to grab investor attention – and money. BDCs are companies that lend to young, thinly traded and often distressed companies that have credit ratings in the “junk” status. They are [...]

The markets advanced with the Dow closing at another record as investors await comments from Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke tomorrow. The blue chip index climbed 52 points to 15,387 while Nasdaq gained 5 points to 3502.

The markets traded higher during the midday with the Dow gaining 50 points to 15,386 ahead of Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony before Congress tomorrow. Nasdaq rose 6 points to 3502.

The markets opened mixed with the Dow adding 7 points to 15,342 while Nasdaq slipped 6 points to 3490 ahead of Apple chief executive Tim Cook's testimony before the Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

By John Wasik (Reuters) – Is the Dow’s movement above 15,000 or the record close of the S&P 500 Index last week a buy signal? They may not mean anything, but most market watchers believe the rise is talismanic. Despite the lure of recent market gains, there’s often no pattern to investment results. To avoid [...]

We introduce several new features including email attachment for FolioInvesting portfolio allocations, portfolio dividend data and dynamically changing a static portfolio while maintaining historical performance data. 

After setting new records last week, the markets closed modestly lower with the Dow losing 19 points to 15,335 on profit taking. Nasdaq slipped 2 points to 3496.

The markets traded lower during the midday with the Dow slipping 12 points to 15,341 as investors locked in profits from last week. Nasdaq lost 6 points to 3492.

The markets opened mixed with the Dow slipping 11 points to 15,342 while Nasdaq added 3 points to 3501 as investors took a breather after another record close last week.

BY MATTHEW ILLIAN A good deal of misinformation is published about a so-called Social Security earnings penalty. Many are led to believe that if they earn money while collecting Social Security, they’ll lose some of this benefit forever. Retirees should ignore all talk about a “penalty,” which only discourages prudent cost-benefit analysis. The Social Security retirement [...]

Where is the ETF industry headed?  Tom Dorsey answers in this Q&A with IndexUniverse. IU.com:In the first four months of 2013, asset gathering for U.S. ETFs was in the neighborhood of $64 billion, and on pace to beat 2012’s record of $188 billion.