Reuters: Personal Finance

Grads turn to video to land first job

Reuters — 4 May 2012 23:35:00 +0000

May 4 - The U.S. job market is not getting better, as indicated by weak payroll gains in April, not a good sign for the thousands of graduating college students looking for their first jobs. One company, Readyforce, helps college students get a leg up in the job search with video interviews...and it's had some success. Jill Bennett reports.

Facebook "likes" small investors

Reuters — 4 May 2012 22:39:00 +0000

May 04 - The world's largest social network wants to “friend” individual investors in its roughly $10.6 billion initial public offering, launching a highly-polished video aimed at touting the company's growth prospects. Conway G. Gittens reports.

Hiring slows further in April

Reuters — 4 May 2012 16:30:00 +0000

May 4 - U.S. employers cut back on hiring for a second straight month and the unemployment rate fell as the unemployed stop looking for work. Conway G. Gittens reports.

Long-term unemployed must retrain, add skills: Manpower president

Reuters — 4 May 2012 15:28:00 +0000

May 4 - Jonas Prising, president of ManpowerGroup, says those who've been out of the workforce for a long time need to keep up with skills employers demand so it will be easier to get rehired.

Fun ways to make tax refunds count

Reuters — 13 Apr 2012 23:24:00 +0000

April 14 - The average IRS tax refund check is $3,000 prompting a personal finance expert to ponder some unconventional and fun ways tax payers could use the money the government has been sitting on this year. Jill Bennett reports.

Consumers seek frugal upgrades to their homes

Reuters — 27 Mar 2012 22:27:00 +0000

March 27 - In post-recession America, consumers are turning to not-so-extreme makeovers, opting for low-cost alternatives to freshen up their homes. Jeanne Yurman reports.

The great mortgage debate

Reuters — 21 Mar 2012 21:41:00 +0000

March 21 - Mortgage rates moved to their highest level since December- but whether this is the beginning of a sustained move above historically low rates is the subject of much debate. Bobbi Rebell reports.

More pennies at the pump

Reuters — 16 Feb 2012 23:40:00 +0000

Feb. 16 - Gas prices are on the rise well ahead of the spring driving season- costing drivers and businesses more than a few pennies and a lot of pain at the pump. Bobbi Rebell reports.

Bernanke downplays jobs upturn

Reuters — 7 Feb 2012 19:01:00 +0000

Feb. 7 - Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sticks to the script when testifying before the Senate Finance Committee, despite signs of a strengthening economy, leading to further talk of a Federal Reserve that is behind the curve. Conway G. Gittens reports.

Weaker euro good for exporters, tourists

Reuters — 13 Jan 2012 18:03:00 +0000

Jan. 13 - As turmoil continues in the euro zone, the euro is trading at around a 16-month low against the pound and the dollar, which could be good for European exporters and visiting tourists. Joanna Partridge reports

Trading at Noon: Wall St. tumbles on downgrade talk

Reuters — 13 Jan 2012 17:34:00 +0000

Jan. 13 - Bank shares led a 1 percent drop in U.S. stocks on speculation that Standard & Poor's was set to downgrade several euro zone countries.

U.S. Treasuries will benefit from Euro Zone downgrade: adviser

Reuters — 13 Jan 2012 17:13:00 +0000

Jan. 13 - Tom Bradley, President of TD Ameritrade Institutional, says the impact of S&P's possible downgrade of several Euro Zone countries will drive flight to safety in U.S. Treasuries.

Uptick in foreclosures is coming soon: RealtyTrac's Blomquist

Reuters — 12 Jan 2012 12:53:00 +0000

Jan. 12 - Drop in foreclosures was due to delays in procedures not improvement in the market or economy, says RealtyTrac's Daren Blomquist. The only way out of the housing crisis is to let the market absorb distressed properties, he adds.

Trading at Noon: Wall St. off 5-month high, energy drags

Reuters — 11 Jan 2012 17:21:00 +0000

Jan. 11 - U.S. stocks pulled back from five-month highs in early trading, with pressure on the euro testing the view that U.S. equities were decoupling from the single currency.

Illinois prepaid tuition plan needs transparency: Rep. Durkin

Reuters — 11 Jan 2012 16:54:00 +0000

Jan. 11 - Illinois State Representative Jim Durkin says the prepaid college tuition fund needs more transparency in its investment decisions, but expects to re-open the fund in a short amount of time.

State schools should share prepaid tuition fund risk: Hurley

Reuters — 11 Jan 2012 16:49:00 +0000

Jan. 11 - SavingForCollege.com CEO Joe Hurley says states should share risks of their prepaid tuition programs with colleges, and that Texas's requirement that schools accept lower tuition is the way to go.

Trading at Noon: Commodities lead Wall St. higher

Reuters — 10 Jan 2012 17:23:00 +0000

Jan. 10 - U.S. stocks hit a five-month high after strong import data from major metals consumer China and a bullish forecast by Alcoa.

U.S. Week Ahead: Jobs creation still not enough

Reuters — 30 Dec 2011 20:39:00 +0000

Dec. 30 - Reuters Economics Editor Stella Dawson says expect Friday's non-farm payrolls to rise by 150,000 - still not enough to put a significant dent in unemployment.

U.S. home sales hint at recovery after deeper slump

Reuters — 21 Dec 2011 21:09:00 +0000

Dec. 21 - Though previous years of data on existing home sales in the U.S. were revised down, the latest increase in November suggests the residential housing market is in recovery.

How to play movie-related stocks

Reuters — 21 Dec 2011 18:47:00 +0000

Dec. 21 - Box-office receipts in the United States have slumped in the weeks since Thanksgiving, but this week Hollywood is counting on several big movies hitting the big screen to reinvigorate its business.

U.S. Day Ahead: Home sales drama expected, IFR says

Reuters — 20 Dec 2011 21:54:00 +0000

Dec. 20 - IFR says Existing Home Sales should rise but revisions to past data might show the recession was worse than initially thought.

Wealth Strategies: Use market swings to rebalance portfolio

Reuters — 20 Dec 2011 21:02:00 +0000

Dec. 20 - Charles Schwab Chief Investment Strategist Liz Ann Sonders gives an upbeat outlook for stocks going into 2012, but investors must use market volatility to their advantage.

Payroll tax debate signifies wider crisis: Ferguson

Reuters — 20 Dec 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Dec. 19 - Niall Ferguson, Harvard professor and author of "Civilization: The West and the Rest," says the payroll tax cut debate in the United States signifies a wider crisis in public finance.

Two-month tax break not enough says GOP Deputy Whip

Reuters — 19 Dec 2011 22:18:00 +0000

Dec. 19 - Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger says Monday's House vote to extend the payroll tax cut is unlikely to succeed. He adds House Speaker Boehner was showing strong leadership in the debate.

U.S. Day Ahead: Stabilizing signs in housing, IFR says

Reuters — 19 Dec 2011 21:31:00 +0000

Dec. 19 - IFR says Housing Starts data out on Tuesday at 0830 EST could show the sector has bottomed out after its recent collapse.