Stock market volatility is becoming the new normal. The last few days have experienced some wild market swings, with global markets in panic mode. In the past, these types of fluctuations have led to crashes. Yet instead of a full scale crash, the market instead seems to have entered into a sustained period of volatility. … Continue reading “Reasons Why Many Investors are PANICKING Right Now”

There’s been a trade war brewing with China for quite some time, but the Asian nation made some significant news earlier this month when it punched back — and punched back forcefully — on new tariffs that the United States began imposing. Like we said, trade tensions between the U.S. and China have been building … Continue reading “Trade Wars: China RETALIATES Against U.S. Tariffs — What This Means”

On the heels of the Fed cutting interest rates, mortgage interest rates dipped to a three-year low recently. In fact, the average rate as of August 2 on a 30-year fixed mortgage loan is 3.75 percent — the lowest the rate has been since November 2016. Noting this, many homeowners might be tempted to explore … Continue reading “With Interest Rates at a Three-Year Low, Is Now the Time to Refinance?”

A single share of Yeti Holdings Inc (YETI) is currently selling for $36 and change. It is quite remarkable that the stock was selling for a mere $16 back in January of 2019. A substantial portion of the stock’s increase occurred in the past month. YETI was trading around $29 per share back in early … Continue reading “After Months of Growth, Yeti’s Stock is Still A Buy”

In short-term, investor confidence drives the market more than fundamentals, even if fundamentals generally win in the long-term. Unfortunately, that means that the stock market can be heavily influenced by just about anything, including social media. Though the White House had previously said that the talks between the U.S. and China had been constructive, they … Continue reading “This Tweet Sent the Dow Sliding 600 Points”

Capital One has reported that there’s been a leak of its customers’ information, a significant leak that includes social security numbers and financial information. This comes on the heels of the big Equifax controversy, under which Equifax was required to pay out $700 million. Capital One customers should be aware of this threat. The hack … Continue reading “Capital One Reports Leak of Social Security Info and Financial Accounts”

A.O. Smith Corp (AOS) currently trades at $43.82 per share. This “growth stock” is down for the year, yet it has quite the impressive 5-year chart. The company’s earnings increased at a 25% compound yearly rate across the past nine years. However, earnings for this year are likely to increase by a mere 4% as … Continue reading “Don’t Count On A.O. Smith Corp Being a Growth Stock for Long”

Retirement is a hot topic right now, namely because most Americans aren’t saving enough for their twilight years or aren’t saving anything at all. Yes, as we’ve covered extensively in this space before — only about 10 percent of all Americans are confident that they’ll have enough sacked away to live out their retirement years … Continue reading “Experts Agree: You Should Max Out Your 401K (or IRA) Early”

In 2017, Equifax experienced a data breach that impacted nearly half of the United States. 147 million individuals had their personal information compromised, including their social security numbers. With identity theft now as common as it is, this data breach exposed millions of individuals to personal financial risk. Equifax has now been ordered to pay … Continue reading “Equifax to Pay $700 Million to Impacted Consumers”

Burdened by extraordinary amounts of debt — and engaged in a battle against craft beers — Budweiser is currently taking aggressive action to deleverage itself. Following the acquisition of SABMiller, Budweiser is over $100 billion in debt, and it hasn’t been able to cut that debt as quickly as expected. Beer profits, in general, are … Continue reading “How is Budweiser Planning on Recovering from a $100 Billion Debt?”

The U.S. Department of Justice has reached an agreement that will formally allow a merger between the nation’s third and fourth largest cell phone service carriers. The agreement takes the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint out of “regulatory limbo,” however challenges remain for the planned union. While the DOJ is giving the green light, … Continue reading “DOJ to Allow $26 Billion Merger Between T-Mobile and Sprint”

Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) has climbed to around $116 per share after dropping to $84 this past February. TTWO has fared quite well in the ever-changing video game landscape, especially when compared to fellow gaming companies such as Electronic Arts and Activision blizzard. TTWO is responsible for video game franchise successes ranging from NBA 2K to … Continue reading “Take-Two Interactive — A Gaming Stock All Investors Should Consider”

In the old days of “just a decade ago,” the mall was a major focal point for shopping. Today, more people are shopping online rather than heading to the shops — and that’s a major problem. Malls have seen a significant decline in their foot traffic and operations, but they are evolving. With the explosion … Continue reading “How the Mall is Remaining Relevant in the eCommerce Era”

From Robinhood to Acorns, many Americans are turning away from traditional financial advisors and instead using “robo advisers,” or automated investment platforms. With low fees and additional control, these new platforms are compelling. But there’s a catch, too: investing without any type of guidance can be dangerous for new investors. Let’s take a closer look … Continue reading “Why Many Americans Are Turning to Investment Apps and Robo Advisers”

Dollar General (DG) has been on a roll for quite some time now. Though plenty of community leaders are turning against the bargain-basement store as it is supposedly a disruptive force in the context of local economies, it appears as though this American stalwart is here to stay. The question is whether the company can … Continue reading “Are Dollar General’s Prices Going to Kill its Business?”

A $10 billion “war cloud” contract will be awarded to the company that is able to produce the best pitch at the end of August. Both Amazon and Microsoft are expected to be bidding for this contract, also known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI). The JEDI plan is intended as a way to … Continue reading “Amazon and Microsoft Compete Over US Military “War Cloud” Contract”

Prime Day is Amazon’s yearly answer to “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday.” Since 2015, Prime Day has been a highly-publicized assortment of sales and promotions. These promotions are targeted solely towards Amazon Prime subscribers. But while Amazon Prime Day certainly seems successful every year, it’s also led to widespread criticism. Amazon Prime Day Now Tied … Continue reading “There Were Some Serious Problems with Amazon Prime Day 2019”