ExxonMobil

Most people know of the Exxon Valdez disaster. Far fewer are aware of the 1992 kidnapping and killing of Sidney Reso, a top Exxon exec. But those two events ignited a mania for safety and security at ExxonMobil that has shaped the company ever since.

Victoria O'Hara parlayed a relative's gift of one share of stock into a sizable portfolio by investing in a few shares at a time, on a postal worker's salary. Here are her top lessons for any novice investors hoping to emulate her success.

Crude oil futures have taken a hit lately, delivering an 8.6% slide to speculators over the past five trading days. On Tuesday, June crude settled at a three-month low.

Given the sluggish recovery and a strapped consumer, you'd expect to see corporate America trudging along, not racing for glory. In fact, the Fortune 500 are thriving as a group.

On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 13,005, the first time it had crossed the 13,000 line since its plummet as the nation sank into the financial crisis almost five years ago. But what is the Dow, anyway? And what are these "points" it's measured in? Allow us to explain...

Gas prices dropped at a pretty good clip in the latter half of 2011 -- down around 20% to about $3.25. Hope you enjoyed it while it lasted, because gas is back on the rise. It's near $3.50 now, and the key trends all signal that it'll keep going higher.

There's a lot of overlap among the holdings of Morningstar's 26 highly rated funds, and these 10 stocks top the list. So if you want to follow the pros, consider these -- all of them mega-cap stocks and ultra-conservative buys.

Each January, 24/7 Wall St. makes its predictions about which publicly traded U.S. companies it feels will have the highest profits in the year ahead. Read on, and find out which of the Fortune 500 will rake in the biggest fortunes.

Just because the economy is growing does not mean investors should abandon high-paying dividend stocks in favor of growth names, says Oliver Pursche, co-portfolio manager of GMG Defensive Beta Fund. Here are three that he recommends.

There's no such thing as a summertime lull when earnings season is upon us. Even if you don't feel like alerting the "sell in May and go away" camp of investors, there are plenty of headlines to be written about. Here are five things that will shape the way the market acts in the week ahead.