MARKETS / FINANCE

Consumers stepped up their spending in November and grew more optimistic this month, unexpectedly strong data showed on Friday, raising hopes a self-sustaining economic recovery was starting to unfold.

The Dow and S&P 500 closed up for a third straight session on Friday after several solid consumer-related reports reinforced investors' confidence in a steady recovery by the economy.

Two companies' shares fell in their debuts on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday, capping a week of poor performance for initial public offerings as investors grow choosier at year-end.

A jailed New York hedge fund manager whose fraud was revealed in the wake of the Madoff scandal, pleaded guilty in court on Friday to charges of bilking investors of an estimated $150 million.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved the biggest changes in financial regulation since the Great Depression on Friday, marking a win for the Obama administration and congressional Democrats.

The Dow and S&P 500 rose on Friday as a stronger-than-expected retail sales for November reinforced investors' confidence in a steady recovery of the economy.

U.S. consumers stepped up their spending in November and grew more optimistic this month, unexpectedly strong data showed on Friday, raising hopes a self-sustaining economic recovery was starting to unfold.

The House of Representatives approved the biggest changes in financial regulation since the Great Depression on Friday, marking a win for the Obama administration and congressional Democrats.

The U.S. pay czar on Friday expanded a crackdown on pay packages at four companies rescued with taxpayer money, limiting most cash salaries at $500,000 for a second tier of top earners.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp resisted pressure from the administration of President George W. Bush to extend assistance to Bank of America to complete its purchase of Merrill Lynch but was ultimately convinced of the need, FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair said on Friday.

The U.S. pay czar on Friday issued his latest crackdown on bailout recipients, ruling that cash salaries will be mostly limited to $500,000 for the next tier of top earners.

The Federal Reserve, meeting next week to set monetary policy, faces the tricky task of acknowledging a pick up in economic activity without spooking fragile markets into believing interest rate hikes are imminent.

Ellen came to me wanting to make a career move. She had most recently spent three years in sales and wanted to return to her customer service and administrative roots. She was concerned about being boxed into staying in the publishing world having worked most recently for a prominent newspaper.

Democrats hope to pack a must-pass U.S. defense spending bill with measures to help victims of the ailing economy, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin said on Friday.

Mobistar (MSTAR.BR), Belgium's second-biggest mobile phone operator, has no current plans for a merger, its chief executive reportedly told De Tijd newspaper.

The Dow and S&P cut early gains on Friday on strength in the U.S. dollar, while the Nasdaq turned negative after disappointing quarterly results from a semiconductor company pressured tech stocks.

U.S. consumers felt better in December, as the job market shows signs of improvement and retailers dangle steep discounts to goose up holiday sales, a survey released on Friday showed.

The U.S. pay czar on Friday expanded a crackdown on pay packages at bailout recipients, ruling that cash salaries will be mostly limited to $500,000 for a second-tier of top earners.

The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to approve the biggest changes in financial regulation since the Great Depression on Friday, marking a win for the Obama administration.

Most of candlestick patterns are considered reversal. There are some patterns that usually imply continuation of the trend. Falling and Rising Window formations are among them. We could also consider three white soldiers, falling three methods, rising three methods, and separating lines as other candlestick continuation patterns.

U.S. consumer sentiment improved in early December on signs of stabilization in the labor market and widespread discounts to entice holiday shoppers, a survey released on Friday showed.

Morning Star is a three candle reversal pattern. This pattern usually appears at the bottom of a downtrend and signals for a reversal. The reversal could actually be a correction in the trend or a complete reversal to a new trend (see image).

The Dow cut early gains on Friday, pressured by strength in the U.S. dollar, while declines in shares of large cap technology companies dragged the Nasdaq into the red.

One of the reversal candle patterns which you rarely see in Forex charts is dark-cloud cover. This formation consists of two candles which usually appear on top of a rally - or rather an uptrend - and is a significant sign of reversal. It especially becomes more reliable if you spot it around aresistance area. The following image shows a typical dark-cloud cover pattern.

Stocks cut early gains on Friday, pressured by strength in the U.S. dollar, while declines in shares of large cap technology companies dragged the Nasdaq into negative territory.

Spinning top candles appear on a candlestick chart frequently. You may easily locate them on any time frame from one minute to monthly. The specifications defined for spinning top candles are very subjective. Thus a candle that you call it spinning top could be something else from another trader's perspective. In general we say that a candle is a spinning top if therange of the candle is relatively small, the size of the real body is small comparing to the range of the candle, and the upper shad...

Craigslist founder Craig Newmark said he had never visited eBay Inc's rival classified ad site, which is the center of a bitter legal fight between the two companies.

GoldGrams are unique because they are the only commodity currency in circulation today.

Apple Inc said on Friday that it filed a countersuit against Nokia, claiming that the Finnish cellphone maker is infringing 13 Apple technology patents.