DailyFinance Wire
Bonds Are a 'Safe' Investment: A Big Lie Gets Even Bigger
4:55PM 2/09/12
About a month ago, the Germany government sold $5 billion worth of Eurobonds that paid an average interest rate of -- get this -- negative 0.0122%. That's right: These bonds are guaranteed to lose value. So why did they sell? In a word, it's all about risk.
On the surface, it appears daily deals purveyor Groupon is more popular than ever. It ended 2011 with 33 million active customers in 47 countries, and it's growing fast. But look closer, and there are signs that "Groupon fatigue" is kicking in.
Thinking about buying a used car? You might want to do it sooner rather than later. Prices are on track to rise an average of 1.8% in 2012, and used compact cars will go up even more -- nearly 3%. What's going on? And what does it mean for car shoppers?
5 Reasons Facebook Stock May Be a Better Buy Than You Think
2:50PM 2/09/12
What if Facebook's IPO offering isn't actually outlandishly priced? What if $100 billion is actually a reasonable price? Let's go over a few of the reasons Facebook stock may be cheaper than worrywarts are leading you to believe.
Department Stores Reveal Top Selling Valentine's Gifts
2:00PM 2/09/12
If you've been dilly-dallying on buying something for your sweetheart this Valentine's Day, don't worry: Now that retailers know what the best-selling items this are for the lovers' holiday this year, we can pass that information on to you.
The idea that you can't reach financial security without a job is a no-brainer, but in this economy, there's nothing simple about finding work. So even though it's a bit outside the usual "boost your finances" motif, we're passing on some reader suggestions on this topic, too.
Tax Time for Single Parents Can Be Doubly Aggravating
11:00AM 2/09/12
At tax time, being a parent comes with certain perks: the Child Tax Credit, the Child and Dependent Care Credit, a bigger Earned Income Tax Credit, among others. But while single parents have many of the same breaks as married parents, there are some they miss out on.
States, Feds to Announce Mortgage Settlement
10:51AM 2/09/12
JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co, Real Estate
U.S. states have reached a $25 billion deal with the nation's biggest mortgage lenders over foreclosure abuses that occurred after the housing bubble burst. Federal and state officials announced the deal Thursday. It is the biggest settlement involving a single industry since a 1998 multistate tobacco deal.
The number of people seeking unemployment aid neared a four-year low last week, a positive sign that strong hiring could continue in the coming months. The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications for unemployment benefits fell 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 358,000. That's the second-lowest level since April 2008.
BlackBerry Loses to Apple Again
9:40AM 2/09/12
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool
Technology, Google , Microsoft, Nokia, Research In Motion, Apple, Stocks in the News
You know things are going from bad to worse for BlackBerry farmer Research In Motion when some of the stodgiest companies on the planet start trading in their BlackBerry smartphones for shiny new iPhones. The most recent defector from RIM: Halliburton, the fuddy-duddy oil-field services giant that critics associate with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, Dick Cheney, and no-bid contracts in Iraq.
DVDs Are Dying, and There's Worse News Ahead for Hollywood
7:30AM 2/09/12
DVDs -- and even their more modern Blu-ray siblings -- are gradually fading to black, as VHS and LaserDisc did before them. Movie studios have seen this coming for some time. Problem is, it's part of a bigger trend they may not be able to overcome.
To run for president in this election cycle, it seems, you must have the backing of a super PAC, often heavily supported by a single super-wealthy benefactor. We've all learned lately about Newt Gingrich's billionaire sugar daddy Sheldon Adelson. Now it's time to meet Rick Santorum's No. 1 fan, Foster S. Friess.
Visa 1Q Profit Rises 16% as Card Use Rises
5:16PM 2/08/12
Visa said Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter profit rose 16 percent, as card use rose both in the U.S. and overseas. The San Francisco-based payments processor posted a notable 10 percent increase in U.S. credit card use. But debit card use rose just 6 percent. That's the slowest debit card growth rate in more than a year, and comes during the first three-month period that new rules were in place to limit the fees retailers pay to accept the cards.
In search of gifts that say more about the heart than the wallet, we asked our readers for inexpensive but meaningful ideas for Valentine's Day. They came through with a number of fine ways to demonstrate your love without busting your budget.
Is an Amazon Store in the Real World a Good Idea?
2:35PM 2/08/12
Soon, you might be able to buy a new Kindle at an actual, brick-and-mortar Amazon Store. The e-commerce giant is reportedly opening its first pilot store in Seattle. It's an intriguing idea, but the real question is: Why would Amazon want to?
College costs are rising, student loan debt is nearing $1 trillion, and money is still tight everywhere. So if you're a parents or a soon-to-matriculate student, you'll want to hear what the Princeton Review's Rob Franek has to say about the best value colleges of 2012.
McDonald's Key Revenue Figure Up 6.7% in Jan.
10:40AM 2/08/12
McDonald's said Wednesday that a key revenue figure climbed 6.7 percent in January as U.S. customers spent more on breakfast items, beverages and its new Chicken McBites. The world's biggest hamburger chain's strongest January results were in the U.S., as revenue in restaurants open at least 13 months rose 7.8 percent there. The metric increased 7.3 percent in the region made up of Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and 4 percent in Europe.
Which Credit Card Rewards Does the IRS Care About?
10:10AM 2/08/12
Citibank recently sent recipients of a special frequent flier mile promotion an unwelcome surprise: a 1099 tax form indicating those miles are taxable income. Wondering if your other credit card rewards might be taxable too? Well, stop worrying.
5 Signs You're Getting Robbed at the Hospital
9:25AM 2/08/12
High hospital costs seem to be a fact of life that most Americans have reluctantly come to accept. What most people don't realize, however, is that not all of those charges are legit: Many medical bills contain fraudulent charges.
Walgreen's Helps Make Fertility a Men's Issue, Too
5:25PM 2/07/12
Walgreen's drugstores already sell more than two dozen kinds of female fertility tests. But for men -- not a one. That's about to change. Walgreen's plans to start selling sperm count tests for men at all of its 7,800 locations.
Ford Can't Seem to Take a Joke, but It's Not the End of the World
4:30PM 2/07/12
Chevy's Super Bowl ad poking fun at Ford's pickups has turned into an all-out brawl in Detroit. Has Ford just lost its sense of humor, or is there more at stake here than meets the eye? Actually, there's a lot more -- and some of it's great news.
Would You Pay $1,499 for an Apple Television?
4:00PM 2/07/12
A Best Buy online survey is asking participants how they would feel about a 42-inch HDTV from Apple. The specs it describes are impressive. But at $1,499, Apple's plan to revolutionize the way we watch TV could be priced out of the market.
Micron CEO's Sudden Death Raises Wider Questions on Corporate Successions
3:15PM 2/07/12
Every investor should be asking their portfolio companies what succession plans they have to replace their CEOs in the event of a tragedy like that which befell Micron Technology CEO Steve Appleton last week. Because unfortunately, many companies don't have any plan at all.
Top 4 Staffing Stocks for an Improving Economy
1:45PM 2/07/12
The U.S. economy has suddenly shifted into a higher gear, and "help wanted" signs are popping up at many more companies. That's great news for the whole staffing industry, but these four firms could benefit more than most.
Switching banks is a hassle, but outrage over the big financial institutions' efforts to pile on new steep fees pushed more than 2 million people to close their accounts over the past 3 months. Is Bank Transfer Day becoming Bank Transfer Year?
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