Stocks Struggle for Momentum, But Weekly Gains in Sight

U.S. stocks were little-changed in their final trading day before the holidays on Friday, and while indexes remained on track for a positive week, the “Santa rally” that has taken indexes to repeated records appeared to stall with few catalysts to spur buying. While the Dow once again appeared unlikely to pierce through the closely watched milestone of 20,000, the blue-chip index is set to log its seventh weekly gain in a row.

ProShares to Split 13 ETFs

ProShares, the largest provider of inverse and leveraged exchange traded funds, will split 13 of its ETFs. Seven of the ETFs will go undergo traditional, forward splits while the other six will be reverse split.

“Maintain, Don’t Gain” Tip No. 5: Give Back

In this video from Motley Fool Answers , Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp welcome Motley Fool Chief Wellness Officer Sam Whiteside to the show, as she offers her best advice on how to make it through the holiday season with a focus on your health. Her final piece of advice: Get out and give back.

Does China Offer Plug Power a Path to Profitability?

Operating primarily in material handling equipment, Plug Power’s interest in the EV market represents a change in direction; however, management recognizes a significant opportunity. According to Andy Marsh, Plug Power’s CEO,”China has made hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles a key component of the country’s Energy Revolution Program, which includes over $100 billion in investment and runs through 2030.”

Best Fashion Stocks of 2017

Clothing brands and the apparel industry can be a fickle place, with many of the most iconic apparel brands actually suffering among a changing consumer landscape. This list of clothing retail stocks breaks down the sector to try to find the best publicly traded fashion stocks.

The 10 Best Business Books Of 2016

Whether you wanted new ways to think about your business, insightful advice to manage your career, or analysis of the changing business landscape, 2016 offered up just the books you needed. Within that playing field, there were definitely some standouts.

MegaFon to Buy Mail.ru Stake for $740 Million From Usmanov

Alisher Usmanov and his partners are set to pocket $740 million from moving a stake in internet company Mail.ru Group Ltd. to MegaFon PJSC, as the Russian billionaire consolidates his technology holdings into the wireless carrier. MegaFon plans to buy 33.4 million shares, equal to an almost 64 percent voting stake in the web company, from Usmanov’s USM Holdings, according to a statement Friday.

“Maintain, Don’t Gain” Tip No. 1: Watch the Alcohol

In this video from Motley Fool Answers , Alison Southwick and Robert Brokamp welcome Motley Fool Chief Wellness Officer Sam Whiteside to the show, as she offers her best advice on how to make it through the holiday season without adding to your waistline. 10 stocks we like better thanWal-Mart When investing geniuses David and TomGardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen.

Better Buy: Ambarella Inc vs. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.

Investors looking for a semiconductor play might look to Ambarella’s beat-down stock as a turnaround play, or they might be tempted into hitching a ride with AMD in hopes of more gains. But which is really the better buy? AMD’s stock price gains have come as the company made solid improvements to its revenue, expanded its position in the graphics processing unit market, and looks to opportunities in new markets like virtual reality .

Berlin Terror Suspect Reported Killed by Police in Milan

The prime suspect in the Berlin terrorist attack has reportedly been shot and killed in Milan, according to Italian police. A 24-year old Tunisian man, said by German police to be Anis Amri, was reportedly confronted by police in Sesto San Giovanni, a small suburb of the northern Italian city early Friday morning and killed after a brief exchange of gunfire, according to a Reuters report.

Porsche Holding Wins Hedge Fund Lawsuit at German Top Court

Porsche Automobil Holding SE won a key legal victory in its effort to end years of litigation stemming from a failed attempt to take full control of Volkswagen AG in 2008. Germany’s highest civil court dismissed an appeal by 19 hedge funds including Viking Global Equities LP, Glenhill Capital LP and David Einhorn’s Greenlight Capital Inc., Porsche Holding said Friday in a statement.

Monte Paschi’s Fatal Sin Brings Nationalization for Oldest Bank

On the afternoon of Dec. 9, Marco Morelli, chief executive officer of Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA, was preparing for a board meeting in the lender’s Belle Epoque-era offices in Milan when the news hit: the European Central Bank had rejected his bid for more time to raise the 5 billion euros needed to stay afloat. The gathered executives and their advisers from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Tiny Stocks Find a Friend in Trump

U.S. equities have been hitting new record highs, with small-cap value stocks and related exchange traded funds leading the broad market rally, after Donald Trump won the presidential elections and bolstered the economic outlook. The benchmark Russell 2000 Index, a widely observed measure of U.S. small-cap stocks, gained about 14% and the Russell 2000 Value Index advanced over 17% since the U.S. presidential elections.

A Sudden Burst of Activity on Mortgage Litigation

In the span of just 12 hours, three U.S. enforcement matters left over from the financial crisis made significant progress: Deutsche Bank AG and Credit Suisse Group AG separately announced that they would pay a combined $12.5 billion to resolve U.S. investigations into their sales of toxic mortgage debt, whereas Barclays Plc chose to roll the dice and let the Justice Department file a fraud lawsuit over its debt sales. Before these latest two deals, the U.S. investigations had already yielded more than $46 billion from six U.S. financial institutions.

Twitter Says It Inflated Video Ad Views, Refunded Clients

Twitter Inc. discovered a software bug that overstated how often video ads were viewed on Android phones, the latest snafu to shake faith in the measurement of digital advertising. The company issued refunds to some clients who ran video ads on the Twitter Android app from Nov. 7 to Dec. 12. The bug caused views to be overstated by as much as 35 percent, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Barclays to Face Off Against U.S. Over – Craptacular’ Loans

The U.S. Justice Department sued Barclays Plc for fraud over its sale of mortgage bonds after the bank balked at paying the amount the government sought in settlement negotiations. The lawsuit announced on Thursday is rare for big banks, which typically negotiate a settlement with the government rather than risk drawn-out litigation and a possible trial.

Deutsche Bank to Settle U.S. Mortgage Probe for $7.2 Billion

Deutsche Bank AG said it reached a $7.2 billion agreement to resolve a years-long U.S. investigation into its dealings in mortgage-backed securities, removing a legal hurdle that fueled investor angst. Deutsche Bank will pay a $3.1 billion civil penalty and provide $4.1 billion in relief to consumers under a settlement in principle with U.S. authorities, according to a statement early Friday.