Alcoa

How to Pick the Best Stocks: CEO Candor Predicts Performance

When smart investors consider a stock, they look at profit margins, revenue growth, and a raft of ratios to decide if it's a good buy. But beyond those measurements, here's a subtle and simple guideline that can give you real insight about a company's prospects: How honest is its management?

Markets Rise as Alcoa Sees Stronger Demand

World stock markets rose Wednesday after the fourth-quarter earnings season got off to a positive start in the U.S. with aluminum giant Alcoa forecasting higher demand for 2013. Demand for aluminum has been hurt by the weak global economy, but Alcoa predicted a 7 percent increase in demand this year, slightly better than the 6 percent increase in 2012.

U.S. Stock Prices Dip Ahead of Earnings Season Kickoff

U.S. stocks fell Tuesday as traders awaited the start of the corporate earnings season. Market-watchers expect the quarter's results could include many surprises because of events like Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, and the narrowly avoided "fiscal cliff."

Dow Posts Largest Percentage Drop Since July

Chevron shares dropped 4.2 percent to $112.45 after it said third-quarter profits would be "substantially lower" than the previous quarter, while Alcoa fell 4.6 percent to $8.71 after it posted a quarterly loss. The company cut its outlook for global aluminum demand, citing a slowdown in China.

Dow Has Its Best Close in Nearly 5 Years

Investors, encouraged by a drop in the unemployment rate, sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average to highest level in almost 5 years on Friday. And though the jobs report-inspired rally did not last, the Dow still closed up 34.79 points, at 13610.15, for its best finish since December 2007.

Dow Loses 251, Its Second-Biggest Drop of the Year

Investors yanked money out of stocks Thursday after new reports from the U.S. and China pointed to a sharp slowdown in manufacturing. Losses in energy and materials companies led a widespread rout on the stock market.

The Big Picture This Week: Earnings Season, Inflation

As the market breathes a sigh of relief on hopes that Europe isn't going to fall apart and the unemployment picture isn't getting worse, the focus shifts to China and earnings season. But earnings may be overshadowed if inflation data out of China is worse than expected, now that the country has the world's second largest economy.

This Week's Leaders and Laggards

After a wild third quarter, the market seems to have stabilized a bit this week, in spite of a late Friday drop. With little macro-data news, investors turned their focus to Europe's debt crisis and third-quarter earnings season. Company-specific news drove stocks; here's a closer look at some of the S&P 500's most notable movers.

Dow Logs Worst One-Day Drop Since 2008

A bruising session on Wall Street Thursday wiped more than 500 points off the Dow - its worst drop since October 2008. Driving the fear is growing concern about the possibility of another recession. Will the selloff continue Friday? It all depends on the Labor Department's employment report.

A Look Ahead: This Week's Earnings Reports

Earnings season has officially kicked into high gear: 39 companies have reported so far, with the S&P reporting an earnings per share surprise of 6.8%. The best results include increases in financials, consumer discretionary, and materials. Here are some highlights.

Earnings Report Shows All's Not Well With Alcoa

When is a 27% increase in sales, and a doubling of profits, bad news? It certainly sounds like an exceptional circumstance, but that's where Alcoa finds itself today, having missed earnings estimates and facing a discouraging free cash flow.

Earnings Season Opens: Early News and Previews

Earnings season unofficially kicks off today, but 26 companies have already reported for the second quarter of this year. According to institutional data provider Capital IQ, here are some of the highlights so far:

Dow Rallies on Tech Stocks. Next Stop 12,000?

Stocks closed sharply higher Monday with the Dow Jones posting a triple-digit gain as technology stocks rallied after Intel raised its dividend and expanded its share buybacks by $10 billion. The index last saw 12,000 in June 2008 -- on the way down.

Technology Companies Lead Stock Market Higher


Tech stocks rose after Intel hiked its dividend and said it would buy back more of its stock. And materials companies jumped after a report showed economists are more positive about growth and the job market than at any time since the Great Recession started.

Why Fourth-Quarter Earnings Are Likely to Look Great

Once again, profit reports are expected to be a tale of strong growth, thanks more to cost cuts than revenue gains. And perhaps even more telling, fourth-quarter 2010 earnings are competing with downright dismal reports for the year-earlier period. [Video]

Week in Preview: First Earnings Reports and Economic Readings

Alcoa, Intel and JPMorgan Chase will kick off a new earnings season this week when they report their results for the fourth quarter of 2010. Here's what analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expect, followed by a glance at what's coming up on the economic calendar.

Making Mortgage Mods Permanent: Case Studies in Frustration

If struggling homeowners can make trial modified mortgage payments, the next logical step, it seems, would be to make the modifications permanent. Sadly, however, this is a rare occurrence. Follow the stories of three families as they wrestle with the foreclosure process.