Your marital status should play a big role in when you decide to take Social Security benefits. If you are married, starting benefits earlier will also reduce the potential spousal or survivor benefits your husband or wife will receive. Delaying claiming benefits until age 70 could result in as much as a 40 percent to
There’s a natural fear that the threatened $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods may hurt investment portfolios. But while the stakes seem high, they are much higher if you get rid of mutual funds containing Chinese investments before careful analysis. It’s important to react slowly. Strategies to help portfolios survive a changing trade environment
Huggies and Kleenex producer Kimberly-Clark reported better-than-expected first-quarter profit and sales on Monday, helped by strong growth in tissue sales. Shares of the company rose 2.5 percent at $102.50 in premarket trading on Monday. Revenue jumped 5 percent to $4.73 billion in the quarter ended March 31, beating analysts’ average estimate of $4.60 billion. Sales
Shares of toy maker Hasbro plummeted in premarket trading Monday after the company posted weaker-than-expected earnings following the liquidation of Toys R Us. “As we discussed earlier in the year, our first quarter was expected to be difficult,” CEO Brian Goldner said in a statement Monday. “We are working to put the near-term disruption from
Getty Images Dave Lesar (3rd L), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Halliburton, rings the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on November 18, 2014 in New York City Oilfield services provider Halliburton reported a 34 percent jump in first-quarter revenue on Monday as rising oil prices prompted North American companies to
China, Japan and the EU are defying Trump’s trade policies — and are getting away with it. Last year, on Trump’s watch, they ran a combined $595.4 billion surplus on their American trades — a 5.8 percent increase from 2016. And things are now getting worse. With the U.S. domestic demand revving up a bit,
Ella Tyler found a few surprises in retirement that led her to return to the work force. But like many retirees, the work she’s doing now in no way resembles what she used to do in her professional career. Tyler, 67, had quit practicing law when she moved to Texas after she got married. But
General Electric shares rose as much as 7 percent Friday after the Dow component’s upbeat first-quarter earnings. But few – if any – on Wall Street are calling it a comeback. “There’s absolutely no change to our thesis here,” J.P. Morgan analyst Stephen Tusa told CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.” Tusa said GE’s overall number
These tensions have weighed on financial markets recently as investors fear a trade war between the two largest world economies may be around the corner. “Right now, the discussions over trade are really ones that may be impacting individual businesses,” Brainard said. However, Brainard also said the U.S. economy appears capable of handling tighter monetary
General Electric is in discussions to sell its rail business to Wabtec, according to multiple reports Friday. Shares of Wabtec rose more than 6 percent in trading Friday. The industrial conglomerate’s transportation business is valued at about $7 billion, with GE examining multiple ways to offload the division. CEO John Flannery has been looking to
Companies have been crushing earnings so far this quarter, but a strange trend is developing: Those that beat expectations are seeing their stock prices fall. Since the earnings season kicked off last week, shares have returned, on average, a loss of 0.12 percent on the trading day immediately after companies posted their quarterly results, according
This latest settlement is a reminder to consumers to keep a close eye on the fine print in their loan origination paperwork, whether they’re borrowing for a home or a car. For instance, when you apply for a mortgage, the lender may offer you a “rate lock” for 30 to 45 days, meaning that your
The cannabis industry is growing, which may mean bad news for the beer industry, said Vivien Azer of Cowen, an investment firm. “We view the interaction with alcohol as being the most obvious to us as we think of these products as substitute social lubricants,” Azer, managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, told
He said rates have been held low by three factors: an aging population, declining productivity and a “savings glut” in which cash and equivalents remain in high demand. The conditions will lead to a “gradual raising of the fed funds rate, as we’ve been doing for the last couple years.” The Fed has increased interest
Barclays CEO Jes Staley will likely not pay more than $2 million in total fines to UK regulators for his attempt to discover the identity of a whistleblower, according to people familiar with the situation. The Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority have concluded that Staley’s efforts to find out who wrote an anonymous
General Electric met with the Department of Justice last month to discuss the ongoing investigation into its now defunct WMC mortgage business, the company revealed during its earnings report Friday. The industrial conglomerate set aside $1.5 billion of reserves for a potential legal settlement in connection with alleged subprime mortgage violations under GE Capital in
Others feel the trade-off is worth it. This voluntary paid leave system would deliver an important benefit to parents without disrupting businesses or burdening taxpayers, said Carrie Lukas, president of the Independent Women’s Forum. “This approach is about reforming our entitlement system to make it more flexible and modern and responsive to the needs of
The stakes are high for Apple as it fights to keep its place as the most valuable public company in the business world. The iPhone giant reports quarterly earnings on May 1, by which time iPhone X sales should be baked in to its results. Apple doesn’t usually release sales numbers of individual models. The
This can be troublesome if there is a mismatch. “Taking on more risk than you’re comfortable with could cause you to panic and sell at the wrong time,” said Jim Shagawat, a certified financial planner, and president of Windfall Wealth Advisors in Paramus, New Jersey. “Taking on too little risk could lead to lower returns
A Russian oil billionaire has been ordered by the High Court to transfer a £350m (US$491 million) luxury superyacht to his ex-wife in the latest twist in one of Britain’s biggest divorce battles. The 377-foot Luna, docked in Dubai, is the second-largest expedition yacht in the world, and comes with two helipads, nine decks, a
Brazil and Mexico have caught the eye of U.S. executives as investment destinations after a sharp economic turnaround in Latin America. U.S. executives expect their companies to make deals in both Brazil and Mexico over the next 12 months, according to a survey conducted by EY. “As we approach full employment in the U.S., companies
An analysis by The Associated Press shows the nation’s six big Wall Street banks saved at least $3.59 billion in taxes last quarter, thanks to the recently enacted Trump tax law. Banks typically kick off the earnings season, and their reports for the January-March quarter are giving investors and the public their first glimpse into
Bitcoin jumped Friday morning, bringing its post-Tax Day gains to more than 8 percent. The cryptocurrency spiked about $300 to a high of $8,554.97, according to CoinDesk’s bitcoin price index. Bitcoin was trading more than 2.7 percent higher near $8,500 as of 4:10 p.m. ET. That marked an 8.5 percent rise from a low of
Bank of America Merrill Lynch downgraded Procter & Gamble to neutral from buy, based on the view it will be more difficult than expected for the business to grow. The analysts expected the company’s initiatives would help improve profits over time. But after Thursday’s earnings release, “it is clear some challenges could be longer lasting,”
European leaders can build trust and fight populist threats by touting the economic benefits of closer integration, Italian Finance Minister Pier Carlo Padoan said Thursday. In a CNBC Facebook Live interview at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s Spring Meetings 2018 in Washington, Padoan said strengthening euro area reforms would build more trust across
President Donald Trump lied his way onto the Forbes list of richest Americans and used a fake persona to do so, according to a former writer for the magazine. In a piece for The Washington Post, Jonathan Greenberg recounts the difficult task of tallying up the future commander-in-chief’s wealth as he built his New York-area
The second significant change to Alphabet’s balance sheet comes because of a new accounting standard for equity security investments. Under the new rule, called Accounting Standards Update 2016-01, Alphabet has to report the unrealized gains and losses from its investments on its income statement. For example, Alphabet bought a stake in both ride-hailing start-up Uber
Wells Fargo agreed to pay $1 billion to settle allegations from multiple regulators it engaged in lending abuses in its auto insurance and home loan businesses. The settlement, announced Friday with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, has been widely anticipated. Last week, Wells reported a profit
Amazon’s burgeoning cloud computing platform and central retail business should lead to a “steady and iterative” year for the company, according to Credit Suisse. The investment bank increased its 12-month price target on Amazon to $1,800 from $1,750 on Friday, arguing that it should see meaningful revenue growth thanks to its budding media content as
Apple’s iPhone sales in the June quarter will significantly disappoint versus Wall Street expectations, according to Morgan Stanley. But the firm says any drop in the stock from poor results will be a great buying opportunity. Morgan Stanley lowered its June quarter iPhone unit estimate to 34 million from 40.5 million versus the nearly 43