Day: January 24, 2017

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The S&P 500 and the Dow were set for their best day in three weeks on Tuesday, powered by technology and bank stocks. “We are now in a phase where the policies need to come to fruition to justify the move we have seen in the post-election period,” said Bill Northey, chief investment officer at Private Client Group of U.S. Bank.

Enhance, Diversify a Portfolio with Smart-Beta ETFs

Traditional market capitalization-weighted index funds dominate the investment landscape, but they overweight the largest names, potentially exposing investors to greater risks. Investors, though, can look to alternative or smart beta index-based exchange traded strategies to diversify a portfolio and potentially generate improved risk-adjusted returns.

Gwyneth Paltrow a Modern Day P.T. Barnum Showman, As Goop Thrives

Is Gwyneth Paltrow crazy or crazy like a fox? Despite dolling out another dose of controversial health advice, which has been met with a monster backlash, her lifestyle brand Goop is thriving, giving her big kudos as a savvy business leader. Following a recent blog post urging women to put “jade eggs” in their vagina for “better sex” and “over well-being,” the $66 eggs are sold out, according to Goop’s website.

Aleynikov’s Conviction Is Reinstated by State Appeals Court

Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. programmer Sergey Aleynikov is once again guilty of stealing the firm’s high-frequency trading code after a state appeals court reinstated his conviction. “Whether the legislature envisioned the specific type of technology that exists today is not dispositive of this appeal,” the appeals court said.

Trump Pins Keystone and Dakota Pipeline Fate on Renegotiation

President Donald Trump took steps to advance construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines while foreshadowing a “renegotiation” of terms and insisting that developers use U.S. steel. Trump stopped short of green lighting construction on either project, and reiterated an earlier campaign pledge to seek a “better deal” on TransCanada Corp.’s proposed Keystone XL to transport Alberta oil sands crude into the U.S. On Tuesday, Trump called that “something that’s been in dispute and subject to a renegotiation of terms by us.”

Trump Tells Auto CEOs Easier Rules Will Bring Back U.S. – Bigly’

President Donald Trump told the chief executives of the three biggest automakers in the U.S. that he’ll cut taxes and reduce environmental regulations to restore the nation’s manufacturing sector. “We’re bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. bigly, we’re reducing taxes, very substantially, and we’re reducing unnecessary regulations,” Trump told reporters Tuesday, seated between the CEOs of General Motors Co.

Jefferies Banks on Permian Oil Rush

The investment bank has come in as the 10th ranked adviser on The Deal’s 2016 League Tables, and its bustling energy practice appears to have played a key role. All things considered, 2016 was a good year for Jefferies energy M&A practice.

Marriott Sees Record Growth Due to Industry Boom

Riding on the boom in the lodging industry, Marriott Int’l saw record growth in the amount of rooms it opened in 2016. Marriott opened 55,000 rooms this past year, excluding the 381,000 gained through its September $13 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide , the Bethesda, Md.-based company said in a statement on Monday.

Who Will Win and Who Will Lose From Trump Rescinding the TPP?

Yesterday President Donald Trump signed an executive order withdrawing America’s intent to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership . This trade deal, involving a dozen countries in Asia as well as North and South America, was intended to create a broader Pacific Rim marketplace; however, it has also become a political flashpoint.

Budget nominee Mulvaney to face questions about Trumpa s plan for tax cuts and spending

Republican Rep. Mick Mulvaney of South Carolina is slated to testify on Capitol Hill on Tuesday in his confirmation hearing to become the nation’s budget director, likely facing questions about how President Trump’s promise of big tax cuts and public works projects fits with his own hand-line stance on government spending. Mulvaney, who will appear before the Senate budget committee, would bring a stridently hawkish voice to the Office of Management and Budget in an administration that is disproportionately made up of business executives with little to no experience in government.

Donald Trump names Republican Ajit Pai to head FCC

President Trump is naming Republican Ajit Pai, a foe of the Obama administration’s “net neutrality” rules, to become chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. “I am deeply grateful to the president of the United States for designating me the 34th Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission,” Mr. Pai said.

Vanguard to Deutsche AM See Sub-Zero Bond Yields Persisting

Good news for bond bulls: as far as some of the world’s biggest investors are concerned, negative yields will be a feature of Europe for years to come. Vanguard Group says the euro zone’s sluggish economy, where policy makers are barely halfway to reaching their inflation target, means monetary easing will persist, and sub-zero bond yields with it.

Travelers Profit Climbs 8.9% as Private Equity Bets Thrive

Travelers Cos., the only property-casualty insurer in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, said fourth-quarter profit jumped 8.9 percent as investment income improved and the company recorded a gain tied to the settlement of a risk-sharing dispute. Net income rose to $943 million, or $3.28 a share, from $866 million, or $2.83, a year earlier, the New York-based company said Tuesday in a statement.

Dubai Airport Sees Toughest Year in a Decade as Demand Slows

Dubai International Airport predicted passenger growth this year will be the slowest in a decade, underscoring the challenges facing the aviation industry in the region after years of aggressive expansion. The Persian Gulf hub expects to lure 89 million travelers, 6.4 percent fewer than in 2016, it said in a statement Tuesday.

Philips Falls Under FDA Scrutiny Over Heart Defibrillators

Royal Philips NV’s health-equipment business in the U.S. has come under renewed scrutiny after the Dutch company disclosed a conflict with authorities over its heart defibrillators more than three years after the Food and Drug Administration warned about their reliability. Philips is in talks with the Department of Justice, representing the FDA, on a civil matter related to inspections of the devices leading up to 2015, the Amsterdam-based company said in a statement Tuesday.

Billionaire Seeks Solace in Bonds After Share Sale Stumbles

Yes Bank Ltd.’s billionaire chief Rana Kapoor says he will consider bond sales every year to bolster capital, signaling a new-found appreciation of the debt market after a $1 billion share sale faltered in September. Strong investor interest in a 30-billion rupee perpetual bond sale last month has now given Kapoor confidence in similar transactions to raise his Mumbai-based bank’s buffers against potential losses, he told reporters last week.

What a Border Adjustment Tax Is and Why You Should Care

Corporate tax reform has been a hot-button issue for Washington lawmakers for years, and now that President Trump has taken office, fixing what many perceive as a broken system will be one of the new administration’s top priorities. Yet there has been some discord among Republican leaders, as House Speaker Paul Ryan’s call for a border adjustment tax earned the president’s criticism as being “too complicated.”

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Given how challenging things have been for banks over the past decade, it’s easy to forget just how much money they earn. But while all four of the nation’s biggest banks rank among the most profitable companies in the country based on their bottom lines, there’s one bank that earns more than the others: JPMorgan Chase In 2016, JPMorgan Chase earned an astounding $22.6 billion in net income applicable to common stockholders.

TD Ameritrade Earnings Enjoy a Trump Bump

The company reported that earnings rose 2% in the fiscal first quarter of 2017, helped by an increase in client assets and trading volume following the 2016 election results. Don’t let single-digit earnings growth take away from all the moving parts that flow into TD Ameritrade’s financial statements.

Our Investing Resolutions for 2017

In this clip from Industry Focus podcast, two Motley Fool analysts share their financial New Year’s resolutions for 2017. Listen in to find out one possible and practical way to combat emotional stock buying, how to quantify the value of the time you put into researching the companies you buy, and when it might be time to make a hard decision on a small position.

Oil Steady on OPEC Cuts

Oil prices were steady on Tuesday as news of lower production by OPEC and other key exporters was balanced by reports of more drilling and higher output in the United States. Benchmark Brent crude was down 5 cents at $55.18 a barrel by 1150 GMT, while U.S. light crude rose 5 cents to $52.80.