Articles filed under Finance

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  Coal India may have to revive imports
  Feb 23, 2012 12:00 AM Coal India Ltd., the world’s biggest producer of the commodity, may revive plans to import the fuel to comply with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s order to increase supplies to utilities and avoid paying penalties.
  

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  Toronto building bubble may strain mortgages
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM With more skyscrapers and high-rises under construction than any North American city, Toronto may be headed for a U.S.-style correction as prices rise and household borrowing hits a record.
  

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  Manufacturers providing outsize boost to economy
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM American factories are humming — and driving the economy forward. Manufacturers have been hiring more consistently than other employers, for jobs with better-than-average pay. They just had their best month of growth in five years. And more factory output has raised demand in some other industries, such as shipping, leading to further hiring.
  

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  3 stock picks from top small-cap fund managers
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM What are small-cap mutual fund managers investing in, now that stocks of smaller companies are outperforming those of larger ones? The Associated Press recently asked two top fund managers for their current favorite stocks.
  

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  Ill-timed fight erupts over money-market funds
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM A fight is breaking out between the money-market mutual fund industry and federal regulators. Whatever the outcome, investors will question whether they can continue to rely on money funds as a safe place to keep cash readily accessible.
  

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  Experts predict drop in food-stamp spending
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM Spending on food-stamp benefits would fall 0.6 percent to $69.9 billion in the year starting 2013 as employment improves, according to projections contained in the budget President Barack Obama submitted to Congress.
  

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  How-tos of offshore accounts: First, get a million
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM Movie super spies James Bond and Jason Bourne use them. So do multimillionaire presidential candidates like Mitt Romney. Swiss banks and their secretive counterparts around the globe may sound like the exclusive province of the wealthy, the mysterious or the shady, but anybody can legally open an offshore account.
  

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  Businesses upset with cutting Saturday mail delivery
  Feb 19, 2012 12:00 AM President Barack Obama’s call for the U.S. Postal Service to end Saturday mail delivery and raise rates will drive away customers while not addressing needed cost reductions, some business users and lawmakers said.
  

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  Review: 3 online services that track your spending
  Feb 18, 2012 12:00 AM My approach to tracking my spending has traditionally been to wait for credit card bills to come, then (hopefully) pay them off. Three new online services promise to help you do a better job of tracking as you buy. All three services scan electronic receipts you get by email for details such as products, merchant and price. Two of them even handle paper receipts sent in by camera phone.
  

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  Fans’ rite of spring: Sun-seeking baseball trips
  Feb 18, 2012 12:00 AM Most die-hard fans dream of making at least one late-winter pilgrimage to Florida or Arizona to watch their favorite players and top prospects. Spring training is much more popular than it used to be, and that has its drawbacks. Crowds are the norm, it’s harder to approach players and the beer is overpriced, just like in the regular season. You might even have to buy tickets from scalpers for exhibition games, for Pete (Rose’s) sake.
  

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  Billionaire investing in Google, Comverse
  Feb 18, 2012 12:00 AM Billionaire George Soros’s firm added shares in Google and Comverse Technology in the fourth quarter, leading purchases of technology stocks by asset managers in the quarter.
  

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  Payroll tax cut bill meets Senate resistance
  Feb 16, 2012 12:00 AM Capitol Hill negotiators Thursday officially unveiled hard-fought compromise legislation to prevent 160 million workers from getting slapped with a payroll tax hike, but it ran into turbulence in the Senate, where Republicans withheld support and several Democrats attacked it.
  

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  Naperville native brought calm as World Bank president
  Feb 16, 2012 12:00 AM World Bank President Robert Zoellick, a Naperville native who was nominated by President George W. Bush in 2007, said he will leave the institution when his five-year term ends June 30. “Together we have focused on supporting developing countries to navigate crises and adjust to global economic shifts,” Zoellick, 58, said.
  

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  China’s stocks drop on investment slump
  Feb 16, 2012 12:00 AM China’s stocks fell from a two-month high as a slump in foreign direct investment and delays in a European aid package for Greece overshadowed speculation the government will introduce measures to bolster economic growth.
  

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  Who’s hiring? Think tech
  Feb 12, 2012 12:00 AM Employers across a range of industries have stepped up hiring. The economy gained 243,000 jobs in January. The reasons why businesses are hiring vary across industries, but tech is one area showing steady growth.
  

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  Romance & Finance: 5 financial tips for couples
  Feb 12, 2012 12:00 AM This may sound like a heartless thought, but Valentine’s Day is tough on the wallet. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $126 on gifts and treats for loved ones, up from $116 a year ago, according to the National Retail Federation. As a couple, should you risk wrecking the mood by talking about spending and money, on or just before a day dedicated to lovers?
  

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  Fidelity: 401(k) balances little changed over 2011
  Feb 12, 2012 12:00 AM Workers stashed money away in their 401(k) retirement plans at a faster clip last year but didn’t get an immediate reward for their savings strategy. Fidelity Investments, the nation’s biggest 401(k) administrator, says the average account balance was essentially unchanged in 2011, compared with 2010.
  

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  How to best use info from the exit interview
  Feb 12, 2012 12:00 AM Many firms have relied on exit interviews to learn why their employees decide to leave and to gain candid information about the company that can be used to address the reasons why some leave. But to do this, employers need to ask the right questions.
  

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  For college bound, a look at financial aid changes
  Feb 12, 2012 12:00 AM The mad dash to cobble together college funding will soon be under way. In the weeks ahead, colleges will begin mailing out their much-anticipated acceptance letters and financial aid packages. The notices will alleviate pent up anxiety and finally give high school seniors a clearer idea of what their futures will hold.
  

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  Bernanke-led economy proves critics flawed
  Feb 11, 2012 12:00 AM The numbers are proving Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s critics wrong. More than a year after Republicans warned that the Fed’s second round of asset purchases risked a sharp acceleration in prices, the surge has failed to materialize.