OPINION
March 7, 2014 | By The Times editorial board
For more than a quarter of a century, investors have been able to bring class-action lawsuits against companies that have fraudulently inflated their stock prices without having to prove that each buyer of the stock had been individually duped. Now, industrial giant Halliburton Co. is trying to persuade the Supreme Court to make such lawsuits significantly harder, if not impossible, to bring. That would be a fantastic result for publicly traded companies, but a terrible one for the average investor.
BUSINESS
January 15, 2014 | By Stuart Pfeifer
California solar panel installer SolarCity is turning to small investors to raise cash to expand its network of rooftop solar systems. The company, which installs solar panels on homes and businesses and government buildings, will allow individual investors and institutions to invest in solar panels that can generate income for years to come. Solar City Chief Executive Lyndon Rive told the Associated Press that the company would sell securities directly to individuals. These securities could be held for varying lengths of time, or even traded.
BUSINESS
December 27, 2013 | By Tom Petruno
Wall Street had plenty of reasons to think 2013 would go miserably for the stock market - what with a lackluster global economy, the U.S. government shutdown, Syria's civil war, the Obamacare fiasco and Miley Cyrus. Instead, we're on track for a 29% gain in the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which would be its best annual showing since 1997. So the highlight of the year for many Americans will be the repair job on their retirement savings accounts. But taking a broader view, here are six 2013 market memories that should endure: • Ma and Pa come back to stocks.
BUSINESS
November 25, 2013 | By Walter Hamilton
The stock market rally rolled on Monday, with the Nasdaq composite index crossing 4,000 for the first time since 2000. Though it remains far below its all-time high, the technology-laden Nasdaq is up more than 32% this year, making it one of the best-performing market indexes of 2013. Nasdaq rallied strongly Monday morning, topping 4,007 before sagging to just below 4,000. Nasdaq has been propelled by many of the same forces that drove the Dow Jones industrial average above 16,000 last week: solid corporate profits, low interest rates and the Federal Reserve's economic-stimulus campaign.
BUSINESS
November 23, 2013 | By Andrew Tangel and Walter Hamilton
NEW YORK - Month after month, Stan Wright watched impatiently as the stock market climbed higher while his money sat on the sidelines earning next to nothing. Like many Americans, Wright, 51, yanked his savings out stocks during the 2008 financial crisis and pinned his hopes on historically safer investments in bonds. Now he wants back in on the stock market, which is in the midst of its strongest rally in a decade. "There is really, truly almost no place else to put money right now," said Wright, a Bay Area business owner who has sunk $10,000 into stocks in the last six weeks.
BUSINESS
November 21, 2013 | By Walter Hamilton and Andrew Tangel
The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 16,000 for the first time, a testament to investors' hope that the plodding economy can gain momentum in the coming year. The index, a gauge of 30 of the largest American companies, jumped more than 109 points to close at 16,009.99. Thursday's advance was propelled by a better-than-expected drop in jobless claims and a Senate panel's vote supporting Janet Yellen's bid to lead the Federal Reserve. The stock market is caught up in its most furious rally in a decade.