Dow Jones Industrial Average futures traded down slightly in pre-market trading on Friday as the blue-chip index fought to hold above 24,000 and extend a five-day winning streak as the US government shutdown hit the three-week mark. READ MORE...

Many on the Street left General Electric (NYSE:GE) and GE stock for dead.But it appears that both are in the midst of a comeback in the short-term and should be very well-positioned over the longer term. READ MORE...

As most retirees and soon-to-retirees already know, Social Security is slated to run out of money in 2034 and, unless changes are made between now and then, beneficiaries beginning in that year will receive only 79% of what they otherwise would be owed. READ MORE...  

AT&T (T) closed the most recent trading day at $30.40, moving +1% from the previous trading session.Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.51%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.42%. READ MORE...

Despite a strong rally in stock prices that has restored some confidence in the market, Goldman Sachs is advising investors to build their levels of cash now."The potential exists for further equity market downside in the near term even if the recent equity market collapse does not lead to a recession,” says Goldman's recent Macroscope report, pointing out that cash positions are at their lowest in 30 years. READ MORE...

I know the company name is Alphabet (Nasdaq: GOOG) now, but I still have to call it Google.Now the stock could be facing resistance from a downward sloped trend line and earnings are right around the corner. If we look at the daily chart for the last few months, the highs from August, October, December, and this week all connect very neatly.

At a time when traditional brick and mortar retailers are finding it extremely difficult to keep their doors open, Amazon-owned Whole Foods has been gearing up to enhance its omni-channel footprint. Now that Sears has closed stores in 123 locations and Kmart in 205 locations over the last three years, Whole Foods is gearing up to occupy these vacant spots and widen its national presence. This move would mark a major phase of expansion for Whole Foods, which currently has a little more than 470 stores spread across the country, centered mainly around coastal cities and affluent neighborhoods.470 may sound like a lot, but is a far cry from competitors like Walmart (WMT) and Kroger (KR) in the grocery space. With the financial backing of Amazon, Whole Foods has the opportunity to make its presence felt in areas that were once out of reach and to scale up the business at a relatively low cost.

Federal Reserve officials acknowledged that the policy path ahead is "less clear" after approving an interest rate hike at their most recent meeting. Minutes released Wednesday from the Federal Open Market Committee gathering in December showed the rate hike came with reluctance from a few members who thought the lack of inflationary pressures argued against another increase. READ MORE...

China plans to set a lower economic growth target of 6-6.5 percent in 2019 compared with last year’s target of “around” 6.5 percent, policy sources told Reuters, as Beijing gears up to cope with higher U.S. tariffs and weakening domestic demand.READ MORE...

Over the past year, Europe's tech sector has been overshadowed by privacy scandals, stricter regulation and the trade war between the U.S. and China. But there's one bright spot where the outlook isn't quite so bleak: cloud computing.READ MORE...

The investment company also lowered its price target on the coffee chain to $68 from $75.  China will cut its GDP growth target for 2019 to 6 percent from 6.5 percent at a government meeting in March, according to a Reuters report citing policy sources. China’s policymakers are also reportedly considering stimulus measures to boost the economy amidst trade tensions with the U.S. and slowing  domestic demand.

After cloud computing, Amazon might be gearing up for yet another battleground: gaming. The e-commerce giant is reportedly in talks with publishers about releasing games on a new service by 2020. is reportedly considering venturing into yet another business the gaming business, according to an article by  The Information.In October 2018, Microsoft expressed its plans to  start testing a cloud gaming Project xCloud, which followed its January 2018 acquisition of PlayFab, a start-up that provides cloud-based technologies for game developers.

Ontario, Canada's largest province, is getting ready to announce the results of its cannabis lottery, possibly today.Companies, and individuals, seeking to open pot shops had earlier this week to express interest and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario will pick the winners at random. Those selected through the lottery will have five business days to turn in their application along with a $6,000 non-refundable fee and a $50,000 letter of credit. The licences are being divided regionally, with five going to the east of the province, seven in the west, two in the north, six in the Greater Toronto Area and five in Toronto itself. Recreational cannabis can currently only be purchased legally in Ontario through a government-run website, with the first private stores set to open April 1.

Besides minor delays, federal employees with mortgages will also face problems as their first payments come due with no paycheck. If you're getting a Federal Housing Administration or Department of Veterans Affairs loan, it's likely you can expect delays in the underwriting process, and it's possible your closing date will be pushed back as well.According to USDA data, the department guaranteed or made about 10,000 single-family loans each month in the most recent fiscal year that ended in September.

Netflix, Hulu and Roku Inc. all recently declared strong subscriber and ad revenue growth in 2018 -- proving that streaming and digital media is not only here to stay, but also remains on a strong growth path. Hulu, a joint venture with Walt Disney Co., Twenty-First Century Fox Inc., and Comcast Corporation, announced its largest annual increase in history in 2018: adding 8 million live TV and on-demand subscribers, putting it over the 25 million subscriber mark for the first time.The company also reported its ad revenue at just under $1.5 billion, up more than 45% over 2017. Hulu’s announcement is followed by Roku’s, which reported that its fourth quarter active accounts went over 27 million -- up about 40% on a y-o-y basis -- and that its streaming hours were over 70% from the same quarter last year. According to analysts, these reports underscore steaming digital viewing on the rise, which is also good news for advertisers.

Yatra Online, a NASDAQ-listed online travel service provider which operates Yatra.com, declared on Wednesday the acquisition of the Chennai, India-based corporate travel services provider PL Worldways Limited (PLW). Although the financial details of this transaction are yet to be disclosed, Yatra is optimistic that this acquisition will help them buttress its foothold in South India and will add over 100 corporate clients to Yatra’s existing portfolio of over 700 companies. Dhruv Shringi, co-founder and CEO Yatra Online, said that this acquisition will add to the existing reputation of PL Worldways in South India that already has a strong customer focus and consumer service.This new development will further enhance Yatra’s position in the corporate travel sector and a strong presence in South India has long been in its priority list. The acquisition will also offer an opportunity to cross sell Yatra’s vast hotels network to PLW’s large client portfolio.

US pharmaceutical giant, Pfizer, has recently confirmed the closure of its two Hospira manufacturing plant sites in India, one at Aurangabad (Maharashtra) and the other at Irungattukottai (Tamil Nadu).This decision has jeopardized those jobs and no compensation has been discussed so far. The decision to close down these two plants was reached after a thorough evaluation that revealed long-term irrevocable losses making manufacturing unfeasible at these sites.  The IKKT plant used to manufacture generic injectable cephalosporin, penems and penicillin for the US, EU and other global markets.

Chinese consumers may have soured on some American products, like iPhones, but they have only sweetened on U.S. residential real estate. READ MORE...

Riyadh (AFP) - OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia said Wednesday that its huge oil reserves, already the second largest in the world behind only Venezuela, are even bigger than previously thought. READ MORE...

(Bloomberg) -- The lights would stay on if California utility giant PG&E Corp. files for bankruptcy.But the company, its customers and investors would be set for years of uncertainty. While utility bankruptcies are rare, they can result in anything from a healthy company to a breakup, with business units sold off like spare parts.