MARKETS / FINANCE

Stocks were set to open higher on Friday after data showed retail sales rose more than expected last month, supporting optimism the burgeoning economic recovery would be sustainable.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more than expected in November as consumers spent more on gasoline and a wide range of other goods, data showed on Friday, raising hopes of a self-sustaining economic recovery.

One of the reversal candle patterns which you rarely see in Forex charts is the piercing pattern. This formation consists of two candles which usually appear at the bottom of a downtrend and is a significant sign of reversal. It especially becomes more reliable if you spot it around asupport area. The following image shows a typical piercing pattern.

When listening to the news, you often hear figures about the number of jobless claims. If you happen to be an investor in one of the investment markets like the stock market or the Forex market, that bit of news (often available on most online Forex trading system platforms) can have a direct affect on your trading strategies. The number of jobless claims, just like other economic news such as the number of new housing starts or the current GDP figures, can influence an investor's strategic tra....

Stock index futures rose on Friday as investors awaited data that could provide a look at the health of the consumer, including reports on retail sales and consumer sentiment.

The acronym PIP or rather pip which stands for percentage in point refers to the smallest measure for price movements in the Forex market. Since currency prices in Forex market are quoted in fractions, pip is the smallest decimal place that you could find in the price quotes.

Forex (currency) brokers and traders and all who are engaged with currency trading use special names to refer to currencies. The most common names are those issued under ISO 4217 document. Here are some of the most common currency pairs that we trade.

World stocks extended gains and oil rebounded on Friday as upbeat data from China and the United States underscored an economic recovery, weighing on safe-haven government bonds and the low-yielding yen.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening for Wall Street on Friday ahead of U.S. retail sales data, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq 100 up 0.4 to 0.7 percent at 4:37 a.m. EST.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening for Wall Street on Friday ahead of U.S. retail sales data, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq 100 up 0.4 to 0.7 percent at 0937 GMT.

The top sovereign credit ratings of Britain and the United States are not under threat of a downgrade right now, but a worst case scenario foresees a cut by 2013, analysts from Moody's Investors Service said on Friday.

World stocks extended gains and oil rebounded on Friday as upbeat data from China and the United States underscored an economic recovery, weighing on safe-haven government bonds and the low-yielding yen.

Asian stocks, oil and most metals rose on Friday after a slew of Chinese data showed the world's third-largest economy is on a brisk recovery path, while the yen dipped against the dollar.

The Obama administration plans to channel money from the government financial bailout fund to small businesses in an effort to stem the political and economic fallout of high unemployment, the Washington Post said in its Friday editions.

Asian stocks rose on Friday after a slew of Chinese data showed the world's third-largest economy is on a brisk recovery path, while gold prices rose as the dollar steadied.

Forex traders formulate their trading strategies based upon technical indicators and fundamental or macroeconomic indicators. If a trader favors the fundamental approach, he'll be glued to daily, monthly, and quarterly economic reports to help him determine his next trading strategy. In fact, most online trading systems provide daily business journal news any time, day or night. One of the main areas that are analyzed for strategic planning is the retail sales indicator.

Investment markets around the globe are sensitive to various economic indicators that give traders the first indications where an economy is headed. If an investor can tap into these changes relatively early, then he can hopefully benefit from such crucial news. One of the earliest and most significant economic indicators that are published on a monthly basis is the ISM (Institute for Supply Management) Manufacturing survey or figure.

If you're an Internet search engine, having Twitter content adorning your results has become as fashionable as claiming a Tiger Woods liaison seems to be for a certain group of people.

Sales of video game equipment and software in the United States fell 7.6 percent in November to $2.7 billion, research group NPD said on Thursday, as the struggling industry limped into the crucial holiday sales period.

The latest buzz online is that Dell is planning to unveil a tablet PC, possibly using the gala Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas next month for its debut.

Oracle Corp's (ORCL.O) customers told concerned European Union regulators on Thursday that the U.S. software company's $7 billion deal to buy Sun Microsystems Inc (JAVA.O) would not curtail competition in the database market.

Market analysis is one of the hot issues in Forex trading. Many people surf the internet, refer to the reports generated by their brokers, visit news websites, watch TV channels, or even pay money to professionals for the advice and knowing the direction of the market. The big question though is what kind of market analysis is useful.

BlackRock Inc plans to launch a portfolio that will let wealthy individual investors access hedge funds that have boosted pension funds' and endowments' returns, the company said in a regulatory filing on Thursday.

The Australian Dollar opens higher today at 0.9160 and received a boost on Thursday from better than expected local jobs data.

The Obama administration's pay czar plans to announce on Friday his next wave of rulings as bailout recipients struggle to get out from under his thumb.

Stocks gained on Thursday as signs of improving trends in the job market and a decline in the U.S. October trade deficit reassured investors the economy was on a steady growth path.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to pay top managers their 2009 bonuses in stock, rather than cash, as it seeks to deflect outrage over a near-record pay haul months after it repaid billions of dollars in taxpayer aid.

Stocks gained on Thursday as signs of improving trends in the job market and a decline in the U.S. October trade deficit reassured investors the economy was on a steady growth path.

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc on Thursday announced that top level managers will receive no cash bonuses this year but instead would be given compensation in the form of stock which can't be sold for five years.