Author: The INO.com Team

Markets solid after drop in U.S. jobless claims

Posted on by The INO.com Team

The mood in financial markets remained fairly buoyant Thursday after an improvement in weekly jobless claims figures in the U.S. and as the main Wall Street stock indexes eyed new highs.

On Wednesday, both the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones hit all-time closing highs, giving a positive tone to trading in Asia and Europe.

A 42,000 drop in weekly U.S. jobless claims to 346,000 maintained the mood as U.S. trading got underway again. The surprisingly big fall came after a run of disappointing jobs figures that had raised concerns over the pace of the U.S. economic recovery. Continue reading "Markets solid after drop in U.S. jobless claims" →

Obama budget: Spending cuts, higher smokers' taxes

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Mixing modest curbs on spending with tax increases reviled by Republicans, President Barack Obama proposed a $3.8 trillion budget on Wednesday that would raise taxes on smokers and wealthy Americans and trim Social Security benefits for millions.

Obama's 2014 blueprint combines a $242 billion infusion of new spending for road and rail projects, early education and jobs initiatives  all favored by Democrats  with longer-term savings from programs including Medicare and the military. It promises at least a start in cutting huge annual federal deficits.

The president pitched his plan as a good-faith offer to his GOP rivals since it incorporates a proposal he made to Republicans in December that wasn't radically different from a GOP plan drafted by House Speaker John Boehner. But it follows January's bitterly fought 10-year, $600 billion-plus tax increase that has stiffened GOP resolve against further tax hikes. Continue reading "Obama budget: Spending cuts, higher smokers' taxes" →

Minutes show Fed backs stimulus through midyear

Posted on by The INO.com Team

A majority of Federal Reserve policymakers want to continue extraordinary bond purchases to help boost the economy at least through the middle of the year, according to minutes from the Fed's last meeting released Wednesday.

But many members indicated they want to slow and eventually end the program soon after that, as long as the the job market and economy show sustained improvement. The Fed's purchases of about $85 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bonds are intended to lower long-term interest rates and support more borrowing and spending.

The minutes of the Fed's March 19-20 meeting were released at 9 a.m. EDT  five hours earlier than planned after the Fed inadvertently sent them a day earlier to congressional staffers and lobbyists. Continue reading "Minutes show Fed backs stimulus through midyear" →

Does the Fed Think Old People Are Really that Stupid?

Posted on by The INO.com Team

By Dennis Miller

The Federal Reserve is, of course, a bank. So after it has a meeting, it issues a statement outlining the discussion – a "bank statement." Hmm... Now that I think about it, that must be where the acronym "BS" comes from.

Notwithstanding what we read and hear, when Congress established the Federal Reserve as a central bank 100 years ago, its primary purpose was to protect the banking system. The Federal Reverse shifted risk from the private sector to the public, and through the slow devaluation of the dollar, the cost of this shift fell on the average Joe rather than on banking tycoons. Today, an entire generation is paying for this system with a good portion of their life's savings.

I pride myself on explaining complex financial situations in everyday language. However, when it comes to the Federal Reserve, I readily admit that I am sometimes befuddled. I used to watch Alan Greenspan testify before Congress when he was Chairman of the Fed, and I often ended up asking myself, "What did he just say?" The Fed's code and doublespeak is Greek to me, as it is to most folks. Continue reading "Does the Fed Think Old People Are Really that Stupid?" →

KPMG resigns as auditor for Herbalife, Skechers

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Accounting firm KPMG has resigned as the auditor for Herbalife (NYSE_HLF), a dietary supplements maker, and the shoe retailer Skechers (NYSE_SKX) after a rogue partner allegedly leaked information about the companies to someone who used it for insider trading.

KPMG said it has fired the partner and had no reason to believe there were any problems with the financial reports of the two companies. KPMG did withdraw its recent audit reports on both companies because it felt its independence had been compromised.

KPMG didn't reveal the partner's identity. It announced the dismissal in a statement late Monday in which it also said it was resigning as auditor for two companies that it didn't identify.

Herbalife and Skechers made their own announcements on Tuesday confirming that they were they companies involved. Skechers said KPMG told it that the ex-partner provided the inside information in exchange for money and is under federal investigation. Continue reading "KPMG resigns as auditor for Herbalife, Skechers" →