Richard Drew/The Associated PressPeter Tuchman, right, watches the numbers as he works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Financial markets tumbled today as investors appeared to grow concerned about the health of the U.S. economy following Tuesday’s actions by the Federal Reserve. NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks and [ Read More → ]

Vietnam is ‘one of the most promising countries in the world’, according to one analyst. Investors who are fed up with dismal returns from traditional markets are making steps to invest in more adventurous areas. Popular funds include those that invest in Latin America, Russia, India, gold and commodities. Rebecca O’Keeffe, at Interactive Investor, [ Read More → ]

NEW YORK - Lots of homeowners are frustrated these days that they can’t seem to get a mortgage refinance even though interest rates are at historic lows. It turns out they’re not alone. Plenty of people on Wall Street would also love to see a boom in refinancing activity, saying it [ Read More → ]

Whomever President Barack Obama taps to head the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection could find it difficult to keep ahead of the credit-card industry. The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, known as the Card Act, was intended to reshape the contours of consumer finance. Among other [ Read More → ]

The housing crash has left at least 11 million people in the unenviable position of owing more on their homes than they are worth—and many more millions with properties worth far less than they paid for them. But some might not be as trapped as they think. Record-low mortgage rates and a [ Read More → ]

NEW YORK—The battle over financial regulation is finally over. Now comes the harder part: kicking Americans’ love of credit. The financial crisis didn’t happen just because banks, credit-card companies and mortgage lenders forced consumers to take on massive debt. We willingly gobbled up the easy credit they offered and used it [ Read More → ]

SITUATION Affluent couple wants cash for big spending plans STRATEGY Structure investments for less future risk SOLUTION Reduced income volatility, smoother cash flow — In Toronto, a couple we’ll call Jonas, 44, and Anna, 41, have achieved material success. Jonas, a real estate broker, and Anna, a corporate manager, have combined take home pay [ Read More → ]

Median proces rose fastert than incomes in June, making homes less affordable. Photo / Herald on Sunday New Zealand home loan affordability worsened slightly in June from May as the median house price nudged up faster than incomes, according to the latest “Roost Home Loan Affordability” report. However, affordability is set to [ Read More → ]

Listen to top investment strategists, and you’d think it’s almost certain that investors have set themselves up for a fall by flocking into bonds. Although traditionally considered a safe haven, bonds aren’t without risk. Yet any fixed-income fizzle won’t be as painful as the late 2008 crash for stocks, the thinking [ Read More → ]

For countless Americans struggling to make their mortgage payments, the problems have just begun. Although a loan modification or foreclosure might let them put their housing problems behind them, millions will be dogged for years by a credit score so tarnished by the housing debacle that lenders will want to avoid [ Read More → ]