Credit Ratings

Abercrombie's decline in sales pummels its stock price

2013-05-25 00:00:00

In a dour end to Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s difficult week, the teen retailer watched its stock slide by the largest margin in months after it reported a double-digit sales decline. The company's same-store sales in the U.S. plunged 17% in the first...

Wall St. bucks global slump

2013-05-24 00:00:00

NEW YORK — After bracing for a steep fall, Wall Street barely shrugged at a sharp sell-off in stock markets around the globe. It all started in Asia. Weak manufacturing data out of China pointed to a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy,...

Fed's mixed messages roil markets

2013-05-23 00:00:00

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve's unprecedented stimulus efforts are starting to box in the nation's central banker. Its bond purchases have helped fuel economic growth since the financial crisis. But Fed policymakers now must figure out how...

As stocks hit new highs, is the market overheating?

2013-05-20 08:44:00

NEW YORK -- Wall Street will be watching Ben Bernanke's testimony before Congress on Wednesday, hoping the Federal Reserve chairman will offer clues as to when the central bank may begin turning off its spigot of easy money. Investors will also be...

Freddie Mac: Mortgage rates rise; average 30-year loan at 3.51%

2013-05-16 08:54:00

Mortgage rates rose this week, with a widely watched survey reporting that lenders were offering 30-year fixed-rate loans at an average of 3.51%, up from a near-record low of 3.35% two weeks ago. The survey, released Thursday by mortgage financier...

Bay Area median home price tops half-million-dollar mark — again

2013-05-15 12:22:00

The median home price in the San Francisco Bay Area moved above the half-million-dollar threshold last month — a sign of just how hot that market is getting. The median price for a home in the nine-county area was $510,000 in April, up 17% from...

California's housing market surges in April

2013-05-15 14:33:00

California’s housing market surged last month as prices jumped from Southern California to the San Francisco Bay Area. The state’s median home price in April ticked up 3.5% from the previous month and soared 22.7% from the same month a...

Morale hits a new low on Egypt stock market

2013-05-15 16:27:00

CAIRO — His phone doesn't ring and his charts are gloomy. But every day Mostafa Ismail, a financial broker with a hangman's demeanor, steps into the Egyptian stock exchange hoping for positive blips. They are rare in a nation where revolution...

J.C. Penney woes may persist as Best Buy rebounds

2013-05-10 17:47:00

For a while, J.C. Penney and Best Buy seemed to be doppelgangers. The two retailers struggled with intensifying competition after years of comfortable stagnation. Beset by Wall Street skepticism and shaky consumer loyalty, each made sweeping attempts at...

Are your mortgage modification terms worth continuing payments?

2013-05-10 21:29:00

Financially strapped homeowners who are close to foreclosure may want to face the music now rather than continuing to struggle with their monthly payments. There's a high probability of losing the house anyway, even with the government's help. According...

Dow continues to sizzle, topping 15,000 for the first time

2013-05-07 19:40:00

� NEW YORK — Another day, another milestone on Wall Street. The red-hot Dow Jones industrial average barreled past 15,000 to close Tuesday at its highest point in history. It marked the 16th record close for the blue-chip index this year and...

Dow closes above 15,000 for first time [video chat]

2013-05-07 13:01:00

NEW YORK -- The Dow Jones industrial average on Tuesday closed above 15,000 points for the first time, clearing a psychological hurdle as stocks continue a strong rally this year. It was only three months ago when the Dow, the iconic blue-chip index for...

According to a study by personal-finance website Bankrate.com, 76% of individual investors are not more inclined to invest in stocks because of rock-bottom rates on bank savings accounts and certificates of deposit. Above, traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange this month.

2013-04-16 00:00:00

The Illinois State Capitol, Springfield. Standard & Poor's Ratings Service downgraded Illinois' credit rating.

2013-01-25 15:49:42

Long also assists clients in many aspects of sales and transaction tax consulting, including refund and credit analysis, audit representation management and transaction planning, and conducting diagnostic reviews of the transaction tax process.

2012-10-25 20:34:00