Financial Market News

Municipal bonds continue to provide a reliable refuge from stock market volatility and a steady source of tax-free income.

Asian stock markets staged a mild recovery Friday, a day after being routed by unexpectedly weak Chinese manufacturing and fears the Federal Reserve will start withdrawing its monetary stimulus.

Stocks tumbled hard in early trading on Thursday, but recovered most of their losses by the closing bell.

The run-up in stock prices this year could tempt even the most hands-off investor to wade into their 401 and make some changes.

Yet almost lost in the anxiety that gripped the stock market this week is that whenever the Fed slows its drive to keep interest rates low, it will be cause for celebration: It would mean policymakers think the economy is strong enough to accelerate with less help from the Fed.

The price of oil fell Thursday as weak manufacturing data from China raised questions about the strength of oil demand in the world's No.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 50 points at 15,256 as of 10:28 a.m., a decline of 0.3 percent.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.6% at the opening bell. The S&P 500 fell more than 1%. The Nasdaq sank 0.9% Meanwhile, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note nudged back up near 2%, as investors sought safety in government-backed bonds.

Wall Street may be in for a wild ride Thursday after a sharp retreat for stocks in Japan.

The momentum of a late sell-off on Wall Street carried over into a second day, sending U.S. futures and global stock markets into retreat.

Yields on 10-year Japanese government bonds briefly topped 1 percent for the first time in a year on Thursday, unnerving some investors at a time when Japan's already overburdened government finances are vulnerable to rises in interest rates.

Reassuring comments from a Federal Reserve official and better earnings from two big retailers helped push the stock market higher Tuesday.

U.S. stocks fell, with benchmark indexes retreating from record highs, as concern grew that the Federal Reserve will scale back its stimulus efforts if the labor market continues to improve.

The barrage of hourly tweets sent out by Aly-Khan Satchu - East Africa's version of CNBC's Mad Money host Jim Cramer - cheers on what Satchu says is a growing sentiment among investors: If you're not investing in Africa, you should be.

Target Corp. reported a 29 percent drop in first-quarter profit as unusually cool spring weather and financial pressures chilled customers' appetite for spending.

Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that the U.S. job market remains weak and that it is too soon for the Federal Reserve to slow its extraordinary stimulus programs.

In an effort to slow the pace of climate change, students at more than 200 colleges are asking their schools to stop investing in fossil fuel companies.

The U.S. dollar rallied on Wednesday as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed could begin tapering its bond-buying program in the "next few meetings." , a gauge of the greenback's movement against six other major currencies, rose to 84.251 from 83.877 late Tuesday in North America.

In this Aug. 11, 2010 photo, specialist John Urbanowicz, left, talks with a colleague on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Stocks are moving higher Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said it was too soon for the central bank to pull back on its economic stimulus programs.