Business
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U.S. stocks struggle for direction with earnings season set to pick up steam
U.S. stocks flipped between small gains and losses Monday, with the S&P 500 near the top end of its recent range ahead of the first full week of first-quarter earnings season. How stocks are trading The Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.00% was up off 45 points, 0.1%, at 33,844. The S&P 500 SPX, -0.21%…
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Treasury yields higher as market prices in 25 basis point hike by Fed in May
Bond yields nudged higher on Monday as calmer conditions across markets softened demand for the perceived safety of government bonds. What’s happening The yield on the 2-year Treasury TMUBMUSD02Y, 4.156% climbed 5.5 basis points to 4.165%. Yields move in the opposite direction to prices. The yield on the 10-year Treasury TMUBMUSD10Y, 3.560% rose 3.7 basis…
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‘Gradually, then suddenly.’ Earnings expectations may be about to drop, says Morgan Stanley strategist.
Will optimism hold as earnings season gets fully under way this week and is banking stress done? Our call of the day, from Morgan Stanley’s chief U.S. equity strategist Mike Wilson, warns of a long shadow cast by March stress, despite a mostly upbeat stock market. “In contrast to what we expected, the S&P 500…
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Your tax refund will probably be smaller this year — unless you have a stock portfolio
April is National Financial Literacy Month. To mark the occasion, MarketWatch will publish a series of “Financial Fitness” articles to help readers improve their fiscal health, and offer advice on how to save, invest and spend their money wisely. Read more here. If you’re feeling underwhelmed by the size of your income-tax refund this year, you’re…
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Are you about to file your taxes? Take the MarketWatch Tax Quiz to see if you are prepared
April is National Financial Literacy Month. To mark the occasion, MarketWatch will publish a series of “Financial Fitness” articles to help readers improve their fiscal health, and offer advice on how to save, invest and spend their money wisely. Read more here. Millions of Americans file taxes every year in a process that might fill…
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Social Security’s expected shortfall sparks debate over tax increases
With the clock ticking to remedy Social Security’s financial ills, many experts are pushing Congress to take urgent action, yet there’s little agreement on which medicine might work best. The points of contention were on display this week at a panel discussion focused on Social Security’s future. Competing proposals involve raising taxes, adjusting benefits, or…
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Tesla, Netflix earnings due: Cheaper cars, cheaper content, more workout videos, as ‘earnings recession’ seems likely
For anyone watching Netflix, the streaming services’ recent moves to cut costs could mean fewer films, lower-budget shows and — depending on your subscription — more ads. For anyone buying a Tesla, its moves to cut prices will make it easier on customers, but harder on profit-seeking investors. With both companies reporting results this week,…
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Good news on inflation: shocks that kept inflation percolating in the 1970s seem absent today, top economist says
Former IMF chief economist Olivier Blanchard, one of the first economists to warn about high inflation in the waning days of the pandemic, now says inflation can come down on its own because the shocks that kept inflation percolation in the 1970s seem absent today. During the 1970s when inflation went higher, it set of…
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Credit-card balances have hit historic highs. Here’s what that says about consumers’ finances.
Credit-card debt climbed to a historic high at the end of last year. That’s according to new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, which adds to earlier reports of record-smashing balances in 2022’s final quarter. Credit-card balances reached nearly $765 billion in the fourth quarter — up by more than $100 billion from about…
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How a conservative boycott of Bud Light could create a backlash to the backlash
After Bud Light’s recent partnership with a transgender influencer, sales of the beer may take a hit as a result of conservative calls for a boycott — or they may get a boost from other consumers buying more of the product in response. Whatever the effect, analysts say, it will likely evaporate quickly. What’s more,…