Wall Street Year in Review: A Surprisingly Good Vintage as Market Logs Gains
If you'd told investors what was going to happen in 2012 and asked how the stock market would perform, few would have predicted a good year. But that's just what they got.
fiscal cliff negotiations
Stocks Shoot Up as Investors Bet on 'Cliff' Deal
The stock market shot higher on Monday even as the "fiscal cliff" neared. By the time trading ended, Republicans and Democrats still hadn't reached a budget compromise %u2014- but investors were betting that they would.
Details of 'Fiscal Cliff' Deal Said to Emerge
Working against a midnight deadline, negotiators for the White House and congressional Republicans in Congress narrowed their differences Monday on legislation to avert across-the-board tax increases.
Fiscal Cliff Deal Likely to Tell a Tale of Trimmed Ambitions
Whether negotiated in a rush before the new year or left for early January, the fiscal deal President Barack Obama and Congress cobble together will be far smaller than what they initially envisioned as an alternative to purposefully distasteful tax increases and spending cuts.
Stocks Fall for Fifth Straight Day; Worst Losing Streak Since July
Stocks fell for a fifth day on concern that Washington lawmakers will fail to reach a budget deal before a self-imposed year-end deadline.
Last-Ditch Efforts to Avoid the Fiscal Cliff Under Way
The end game at hand, the White House and Senate leaders made a final stab at compromise Friday night to prevent middle-class tax increases from taking effect at the turn of the new year and possibly block sweeping spending cuts as well.
Fiscal Cliff Deadline Nears With No Deal in Sight
President Barack Obama returns from Hawaii Thursday to the increasingly familiar fiscal cliff deadline showdown in the nation's capital, with even a stopgap solution now in doubt.
Starbucks Cups to Come with a Political Message
The world's biggest coffee chain is asking employees at cafes in the Washington, D.C., area to scribble the words "Come Together" on cups for drink orders on Thursday and Friday. CEO Howard Schultz says it's intended as a message to lawmakers about the ongoing "fiscal cliff" negotiations.
Politics Gone Sour: Why the Price of Milk Might Soon Double
As fiscal cliff negotiations turn sour, the Farm Bill is caught in legislative limbo. Normally this wouldn't be a huge problem, except for one minor thing: When the current bill expires, the price of milk could double.
Stocks Open Sharply Lower After GOP Cancels Vote
Stocks opened sharply lower Friday on Wall Street after House Republicans called off a vote on tax rates and left federal budget talks in disarray 10 days before sweeping tax increases and government spending cuts take effect.
House GOP Scraps Vote on Fiscal Cliff 'Plan B'
House Republicans abruptly scrapped a vote Thursday night on legislation allowing tax rates to rise for households earning $1 million and up, complicating attempts to avoid a year-end "fiscal cliff" that threatens to send the economy into recession.
Obama Social Security Offer at Odds with Top Democrats
President Obama's offer to limit the growth of Social Security benefits would cost the average retiree less than $50 in the first year. But the cuts would grow over time, and that has advocates for seniors worried that Democrats in Congress will break their promise to shield the program from cuts in deficit reduction talks.
Stock Market a Wild Card in Fiscal Cliff Talks
In the political showdown over the fiscal cliff, the stock market's unpredictability is perhaps the biggest wild card.