What’s stopping small businesses from hiring? One popular story line of the recession is that small businesses, which employ about half the workforce, are afraid to hire because they don’t know what health-care reform and tax changes will mean. Based on that narrative, some stock market observers predict that the November [ Read More → ]

WASHINGTON - The Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday approved changes that make it easier for shareholders to nominate directors of public companies. The 3-2 vote allows groups that own at least 3 percent of a company’s stock to put their nominees for board seats on the annual proxy ballot sent [ Read More → ]

The New Zealand economy feels a lot like a ‘Zombie Nation’ that wants to keep extending the loans and pretending that eventually everything will eventually go back to normal. Parts of our financial system and many property owners have been in a zombie-like state for much of the last two years, [ Read More → ]

While Ottawa makes noises about boosting financial literacy, it’s curious that this country’s 289,000 financial advisors seldom talk about debt. The industry thinks it’s OK that 40% of Canadians now retire with some debt, with many going deeper into hock once they stop working. Little wonder that a thousand or [ Read More → ]

Testimony began this week in the politically charged, insider stock trading trial of Fort Lauderdale heart doctor and top Republican fundraiser Dr. Zachariah P. Zachariah. Zachariah, who has raised millions of dollars for the GOP, has been accused by the Securities and [ Read More → ]

It’s nearly four months since stocks reached their 2010 highs and began falling on investors’ doubts about the economic recovery. Some analysts say it could be another year before investors get up enough confidence to restart the rally. The economy isn’t helping them. Last week, the Federal Reserve and two mass-market [ Read More → ]

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 → ]

AMSTERDAM — , the Dutch bank and insurance company, Wednesday reported a sharp rise in second quarter earnings, mostly because it avoided some of the losses it made a year ago on stocks, bonds, and real estate-related investments. Net profit was euro1.09 billion ($1.44 billion), up from euro79 million in the [ Read More → ]

The markets are signaling that a bout of deflation may be coming. Many economists still dismiss the threat. But if they are wrong, and deflation does set in, what would it mean for stocks, bonds, gold and other investments? The last time deflation fears gripped the markets was in 2003, when [ Read More → ]