Category: United States

U.S. stocks are struggling to advance in early 2024, as investors digest the start of company earnings reports kicked off by Wall Street banks and eye inflation ahead of a closely-watched retail sales report. “The stock and bond markets are marking time,” said Yardeni Research in a Jan. 11 note. “They might continue to do […]

I don’t consider myself a deeply religious person. But lately I’ve been thinking of an 11th Commandment I’d like to inscribe in stone. Namely, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s $ 45 water bottle.  In case you’ve missed the news, pricey water bottles are a thing. Specifically, pricey water bottles from Stanley, a brand that […]

Dear Quentin, My dad cosigned for my private Sallie Mae student loan in September 2018.  I thought it was a federal loan because I believe they did both types of loans. I started paying back the $ 153,000 interest-only loan in September 2022, while my dad paid towards the principal and the balance increased. They […]

Dear Quentin, My sister owns several properties in Hawaii. She is not married and has no children. She is not interested in setting up a will or trust because she does not think that they are worth paying for. In the event that she should pass, she believes that everything she owns will go to […]

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. HTZ, -6.82% said Thursday it is selling about 20,000 electric vehicles from its fleet, including many Tesla Model S sedans. The move is aimed at better balancing supply and expected demand for EVs, allowing Hertz to scrap a disproportionate number of lower-margin rentals and reduce damage expenses associated with EVs. It […]

“A severe recession, leading to a credit and debt crisis, seems to have been avoided. ” Around this time a year ago, about 85% of economists and market analysts — including me — expected that the U.S. and global economy would suffer a recession. Falling but still-sticky inflation suggested that monetary policy would grow tighter […]

Dear Quentin, I appreciate and learn from your column, and read it religiously. Several of your recent readers have asked you questions about wills or what happens when someone dies without a will. I would like to add my experience to the scenarios you have already addressed in recent months, as it adds to your […]

Dear Quentin, Recently, my parents sold their condo to fulfill their long-standing desire to live in my downtown condo, offering them greater convenience for shopping, socializing with friends, and fostering a stronger connection to the community. My parents propose to use the proceeds from their condo sale to pay off my mortgage, an amount that […]

Dear MarketWatch,  My spouse and I are in our 50s and live in very nice housing provided by his job. We were late to saving as we both worked for nonprofits and teaching jobs for many years, and have two special-needs children. We have no debt. We are now both making relatively decent money and […]

At every stage of life, self-discipline breeds success. Disciplined students excel in school. Disciplined workers boost their productivity. Disciplined savers retire with more money. But once you retire, does discipline even matter anymore? You might figure you’ve earned the right to indulge yourself in retirement. Eat more. Sleep later. Procrastinate at will. Ditching your discipline, […]

On Wednesday, Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Dominick Gabriele upgraded Mastercard Inc. to an “outperform” rating with a 12-18 month price target of $ 510, which was 19% higher than the stock’s closing price of $ 428.27 that day. In a note to clients, Gabriele wrote that there was some concern over his estimated annual earnings-per-share […]

Gold has historically been an investor’s best friend when it comes to a store of value, but a certain digital currency is looking to elbow its way into the haven-asset mix with this week’s launch of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds. “The relevance of gold GC00, +1.70% GCG24, +1.70% and gold ETFs has already been threatened […]

A tech employee’s recording of the meeting firing her from a sales role at Cloudflare NET, -1.79% has spurred criticism of the company — and a broader conversation about the right way to let employees go. Viewers have called the roughly 10-minute TikTok video, which went viral this week, “sad” and a “disaster.” Even Cloudflare […]

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday said that a social-media post on X falsely stating that it had approved spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds was created after an “unauthorized party” obtained control over the phone number connected with the agency’s account on the platform. The markets regulator said its staff would “continue to assess whether […]

Shares of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. ended Friday’s session down 3%, continuing the stock’s run of record lows and extending its losing streak to four days.  The slide is AMC’s AMC, -2.98% longest since a five-day losing streak that ended Jan. 5. AMC’s stock, which ended the session at $ 4.56, has hit a series […]

San Francisco’s biggest mall saw its value slashed by about 75% in December, to $ 290 million — marking a loss of nearly $ 1 billion since the property was last financed by Wall Street lenders, according to Morningstar Credit. Owners Westfield URW, +1.34% and Brookfield Properties BN, -0.08% in June surrendered the shopping center […]

The SEC’s approval of bitcoin ETFs arguably is the occasion to sell, not buy. This is especially important for retirement investors to consider, since this week’s SEC decision will make bitcoin ETFs eligible for inclusion in 401(k)s and self-directed IRAs. Perhaps the most compelling reason to be skeptical of bitcoin in the wake of the […]

Gold futures rallied Friday, prompting prices to turn higher for the week, as U.S. and U.K. airstrikes in Yemen, in response to Houthi rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea, raised the precious metal’s appeal as a safe-haven investment. The U.S.-U.K. strikes on Yemen “clearly raise the threat of wider tensions, if not [a] […]

Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban abruptly retired on Wednesday, with six years and $ 71.8 million remaining on his contract. Saban, 72, is walking away from a Crimson Tide program with which he has won the most national titles in college football history and that is perennially among the top four teams in the […]

Quick facts about auto insurance discounts Policy discounts can cut your car insurance bill by 40%. Coupling your cars on the same policy gets you easy savings. Review your car insurance policy and rates annually. Are you looking to save money on your car insurance? We’ll tell you about the best automobile insurance discounts so you can maximize all […]