Topic Browser

The expanded energy tax credit gives homeowners a break on green improvements done by the end of 2010. Here are 8 ways to spend your green.

Question: I have a budget of $10,000 for a stock simulation I'm doing for a business and personal-finance class. What stocks should I invest in to make the most money in four months? -- Matt

When Americans debate the impact of fuel emissions on the environment, they usually talk about cars and trucks. But what about smaller vehicles like motorcycles, scooters, lawnmowers and ATVs?

A few weeks ago, Hedgeye, the investment research firm where I'm a managing director, hosted a conference call for our subscribers that posed the question, "Should U.S. Government Debt Be Rated Junk Status?" Given that debt issued by the U.S. government continues to trade at almost all-time lows in yield, this is a contrarian call to say the least.

Take a moment during your end-of-summer holiday to remember the people who built America and to recognize the strengths of our ever-evolving workforce today.

1. Loyalty is overrated

The iPod helped Apple rise from the dead in the last decade. But the iPod Classic, the device that jump-started that resurrection, didn't get so much as a mention from Steve Jobs at Apple's iPod event on Wednesday.

There goes Dan Loeb again, sounding off to great effect. He used to confine himself to criticizing overreaching and overcompensated CEOs, targets we could pretty much all agree on. But the prickly hedge fund manager decided to join the chorus of aggrieved financiers in his latest missive, setting his sights on today's bogeyman of choice: oppressive government.

Facebook, which neither makes nor sells anything physical, takes a big step towards creating a unified online currency by selling gift cards in Target that work for Zynga, PopCap and other 3rd party games.

The economic outlook doesn't have to be entirely rosy to for investors to shy away from the safety of Treasurys. Sometimes, all it takes is a little news that isn't completely terrible.

Shares of Mariner Energy slipped 5% Thursday after an explosion in one of the company's rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

Jim Maguire describes himself as being ahead of his time, and he's hardly bragging. In 2002, Maguire -- who managed software projects for large companies -- was consulting in Germany when he discovered "the next big thing."

American workers are taking yet another blow to their wallets this year -- a whopping 14% jump in costs to insure their families.

Shopping for back-to-school "basics" used to mean T-shirts, jeans, socks and some notebooks. This year, parents added a few other things with one item that really stands out: tattoos.

Burger King said Thursday that it has agreed to be acquired by investment firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $4 billion.

The capital city Pennsylvania is broke and will be skipping this month's multi-million dollar bond payment.

The 3PAR bidding war continued into its third week, as both Dell and HP upped their offers for the high-end storage company.

Stocks held near the breakeven point at the start of trading on Thursday, following a major rally in the previous session, as investors responded to reports on jobless claims and retail sales.

Ferrari is recalling its new 458 Italia model after several vehicles were reported to have burst into flames.

Dear Annie: Your article about why everyone should take a vacation ("5 ways to take a guilt-free vacation," June 2) got a lot of attention in my office, and we all agree that we are exhausted and need some downtime. But how are we supposed to take our vacations when we can't even get away from our desks long enough to go out for lunch? I work for a big company where so many people have been laid off in the past two years that, even with business relatively slow, we are all putting in 10- and 12-hour days (for weeks on end) just to get the work out the door.

Retailers reported surprisingly strong August same-store sales as many consumers braved scorching summer temperatures to bag juicy discounts on school-related products.

The number of first-time filers for unemployment insurance fell for a second straight week last week, according to a weekly government report released Thursday.

Plenty of industries in this economy are slumping, but there are a few big winners in each one that are beating the odds.

A jobless recovery? Hardly.

Americans aren't known for their energy-thrift ways. Maybe that's because they have little idea as to how much energy things use.

Plenty of sectors in this economy are slumping, but there are a few big winners in each one that are beating the odds.

August is usually filled with the dog days of summer, but this year corporate dealmakers skipped their vacations and went shopping instead.

U.S. stocks were set for a flat start Thursday, following 2% gains the previous day, as investors remained cautious ahead of a wave of economic data.