Stock markets traded cautiously on Wednesday ahead of a U.S. vote on raising the nation's borrowing limit temporarily. The House is set to vote on a motion to increase the nation's $16.4 trillion borrowing ceiling for three months.
If you're keeping your savings in low-return but "safe" investments, this is the year you need to get your money off the sidelines and into some solid stocks. No stock is risk-free, but these 13 picks are the best we can find for novice investors looking to get their feet wet in the market.
Jaded investors are starting to realize why IBM is often referred to as Big Blue. The tech giant posted mixed financial results after Tuesday's market close, missing Wall Street's revenue targets for the fifth consecutive quarter.
Sometimes, companies that were once leaders fall hopelessly behind. They may struggle on for years, but their chances to engineer turnarounds have passed. 24/7 Wall St. has found nine of these companies -- names you know well, but that will never be great again.
Impressed by the speed and accuracy with which Watson churned out answers (or rather, "questions") in its winning performance in the Jeopardy! Challenge last year? Citigroup was, too -- so much so that it has hired the supercomputer to assist its human financial professionals.
For investors who open a brokerage account and buy stocks, there's more to be had than just the promise of better investment returns. Some of America's best-known firms also offer perks to their shareholders -- and not just big-money shareholders, either.
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...






