What Makes a Perfect Stock?
Yet while few stocks have everything one might want in an investment, knowing the most desirable traits of great stocks can guide you in making choices for your own portfolio.
Corporate profits
U.S. Bancorp's Q1 Earnings Miss Wall Street Forecasts
U.S. Bancorp's first-quarter net income rose 7 percent as lower costs offset falling revenue, shy of most Wall Street predictions.
Family Dollar Says Earnings Hurt by Delay in Tax Refunds
Family Dollar reports weaker-than-expected quarterly profits, saying a delay in tax refunds hurt sales at the end of January and early February.
Alcoa's First-Quarter Profit Rises, Beats Wall Street Expectations
Alcoa kicked off earnings season Monday by reporting a larger first-quarter profit than expected, helped by strong demand for aluminum used to make airplanes and automobiles.
ConAgra Reports Lower Profit on Acquisition Charges
ConAgra says its third-quarter profit fell shy of expectations on charges related to its acquisition of Ralcorp and lackluster growth in sales of its existing brands.
How the IRS Takes the Gold After the Olympics
Team USA's biggest winner of the London Olympic Games may be the IRS. Our Olympic medalists will rake in handsome rewards for representing their country, but they will also have to give a chunk back to Uncle Sam in taxes -- even though they earned the cash overseas.
The Global 500: No Borders, No Boundaries
Despite financial turmoil in Europe and disasters in Japan, the world's largest corporations had record profits and revenue in 2011. Where on Earth will the growth come from next?
Average Joe CEO Made $9.6 Million in 2011
Profits at big U.S. companies broke records last year, and so did pay for CEOs. The head of a typical public company made $9.6 million in 2011, according to an analysis by the AP using data from Equilar, an executive pay research firm.
The Financial Landscape: An Economic Spilt Personality
Is the American recovery fast or slow? Depends on who you ask. The Wall Street Journal sees corporate America merrily rolling along while Main Street suffers. The New York Times warns that Wall Street is about to feel the pinch too. But nobody is all that optimistic about Greece today.
The Sorry State of America's Wage Earners
Everyone knows that the typical American household has been running in place or falling behind financially, thanks to stagnant wages and rising prices. But a new study from the the Economic Policy Institute shows that the problem has been endemic not for years, but for decades.
It's Not Too Late to Buy Into the Bullish Stock Market
The S&P 500 has nearly doubled from its post-crash lows, and small investors are finally getting off the sidelines again. Normally, that would be a danger sign for a correction, but right now, all signs point to the upward stock market trend continuing in 2011. Here's why:
Looking Beyond the Political China-Bashing
The grandstanding is understandable for politicians facing voters battered by the Great Recession. But China's growth is fueling the strong results that companies continue to deliver. And China's global trade surplus has actually been shrinking.
Another Earnings Season, Another Subdued Market?
The S&P 500 gained about 13% last year, but it didn't get much help while companies were releasing results. That index was unchanged or lower for all four of 2010's earnings seasons, and it could repeat this pattern now.
2010's Person and Story of the Year, Plus a Bubble-Bursting Prediction for 2011
It's the season for reviewing the year that's ending and making predictions for the one ahead. On Tuesday, venture capitalist and DailyFinance columnist Peter Cohan was part of a TV panel that was asked: Who was the person of the year? What was the story of the year? And what will happen in 2011? Here are his answers.
America's Low Interest Rates Have a High Hidden Price
Interest rates are the price of money, and though that price is near zero right now, the cost of low interest rates to our nation may be too high. Low rates are squeezing savers, seniors, banks and pension funds, and the benefits we're supposed to see from them don't appear to have arrived.