Gold prices fall back to a more than 15-month low

Gold futures declined on Wednesday as the U.S. dollar found its footing following a brief pullback, dragging prices for the metal back down to their lowest settlement in more than 15 months. Price act...

Chip stocks rally despite an ominous forecast, as U.S. semiconductor funding bill advances in Senate

Chip stocks rallied to finish higher Wednesday after the Senate moved closer to greenlighting more than $50 billion in funds for U.S.-based chip manufacturing, even as one chip-equipment maker gave an...

‘Squeezable’ AMC, GameStop stocks break out to multi-month highs

Shares of both AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and GameStop Corp. surged to multi-month highs Wednesday, as they extended breakouts above previous chart resistance levels. The rallies come after Ihor ...

Buying stocks now could bring you pain over the next few weeks. But you’ll be thanking yourself a year from now, these analysts say.

How bad is the mood out there right now? Try max bearish. So said Bank of America’s latest fund manager survey on Tuesday that showed expectations for profits and growth at recessionary levels. Yet Wa...

AMC stock gains after repurchasing of 10% second lien debt at a 31% discount

Shares of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. AMC, +7.18% gained 0.9% in premarket trading Wednesday, after the movie theater operator and “meme” stock said it paid about $50 million to repurc...

Adjustable-rate mortgage vs. fixed-rate mortgage: Which one is better for you?

Hello and welcome to Financial Face-off, a MarketWatch column where we help you weigh financial decisions. Our columnist will give her verdict. Tell us whether you think she’s right in the comments. A...

Is my financial advisor just putting up with me because my mother is rich?

The advisor has invested my money in funds I don’t understand, but I don’t feel like I have the power to question her. Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I have roughly $500,000 in assets, including m...

What a Netflix crackdown on password sharing could look like

Netflix Inc. has vowed to clamp down on password sharing as it looks to improve its financial fortunes, and the company just shared more details about how it will do that. The company plans to make cu...

The Fed’s next interest rate hike ‘might be the biggest in decades.’ So we asked 6 real estate pros: What might that do to mortgage rates?

What might happen to mortgage rates soon? Getty Images/iStockphoto Word on the street is that the Federal Reserve may raise rates by 1% at their July 26 meeting — as they try to quell inflation that n...

‘Hot inflation is over.’ Here’s where what that means for investors, says this portfolio manager.

A firmer start is ahead for stocks. Investors seem to be perking up after Apple spoiled the mood some on Monday via a report it plans to slow its hiring roll. If true, Apple AAPL, +2.39% has good comp...

We have $1.5 million we don’t intend to ever use in retirement – how do we invest it if we plan on giving it to our kids one day?

I’m 59 years old, and my wife is older (retired early). I will be retiring next year after 40 years of Naval service and government contracting.  After the recent market crash in 2022, we still have a...

‘I feel like I’m investing just to afford taxes and broker fees.’ I’m 72, have a cushy amount of money invested and was withdrawing 4% a year, but once I pay fees and California taxes that won’t be enough. Should I ditch my financial adviser?

How to figure out if your adviser is worth what they’re charging you. Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: I have a comfortable balance in my investment account but have a question about only taking out...

Nancy Pelosi’s husband buys millions in Nvidia stock before semiconductor vote

The husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just bought as much $5 million worth of stock in software and computer-chip company Nvidia, publicly available financial disclosures show. According to the di...

Dow books biggest drop in more than two weeks after report about Apple’s plans to slow hiring, spending

U.S. stocks gave up early gains to finish lower on Monday, after Bloomberg reported that Apple Inc. plans to slow hiring and spending growth in some divisions next year in anticipation of a potential ...

This bear market in stocks remains historically shallow and short: Jefferies

The current bear market may be painful, but history indicates it may need to fall further to clear the way for a meaningful recovery, said analysts at Jefferies.  Stocks have bounced modestly in July,...

Google’s stock split won’t matter in a recession, analyst says

Shares of Alphabet Inc. slumped Monday, with MKM Partners analyst Rohit Kulkarni saying the impact of an economic slowdown could offset the benefits from the long-waited stock split taking effect. The...

Royal Caribbean to buy Endeavor cruise ship at ‘significantly below’ construction cost

Shares of Royal Caribbean Group RCL, +6.71% hiked up 2.7% in premarket trading Monday, after the cruise operator said it received court approval to buy the “ultra-luxury” cruise ship Endea...

Some older workers are being welcomed back to the workforce

Tad Greener’s career and expertise was mostly related to electric and natural gas utilities. Toward the end of 2019 he unexpectedly found himself subject to a “reduction in workplace” at the universit...

Why the 60/40 model suddenly has life again

The good ol’ 60/40 portfolio, designed to produce decent returns in all environments, is having one of its worst years ever. Going by the simplest possible construction — 60% in the S&P 500 SPX, +...

Alphabet stock rallies after 20-for-1 stock split takes effect

Shares of Alphabet Inc. GOOGL, +1.28% GOOG, +1.19% rallied in premarket trading Monday, on the first day after the internet search giant’s 20-for-1 stock split took effect. The more active Class...

Expect gas prices to drop to $4 a gallon soon, Biden energy adviser says

After peaking above a record $5 a gallon in June, U.S. gas prices should continue to fall in the coming weeks, a top White House energy adviser said Sunday, predicting prices around $4 a gallon, on av...

When will inflation peak? Consumers and economists see light at the end of the tunnel (but it’s a long tunnel)

Consumers think inflation still has to boil over before it cools, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s latest read on people’s economic expectations. Inflation hit 9.1% on the year in J...

Why the bond market should be given the benefit of the doubt

The bond market’s rout has gone too far, so look for interest rates to decline in coming months. If that happens, it certainly would be good news to beleaguered retirees and near-retirees who have an ...

Homeowners who locked in low mortgage rates have one reason to ‘celebrate’ right now, economist says

The government’s inflation numbers confirmed that the price of literally everything has gone up. But an economist said that there’s one group who actually may have benefitted from rising costs. Inflat...

7 financial planning steps to take in the decade before retirement

The decade leading up to your retirement is one of the most critical periods for retirement planning. There are a number of financial planning issues to consider during this time period to help ensure...

A ‘who’s who of American business’ — big Wall Street names are marking the end phase of the bear market, says adviser

The good news about this bear market in stocks is that we’re more than halfway through it. The bad news is that we’re getting close to the final stage, when “everything must fall.” That’s according to...

I’ll be 65 soon, have $320,000 in retirement savings and a paid-off home but I’m $46,000 in debt – should I take more money out of my investments?

I’ll be 65 in a couple months. I retired at 63 and am currently receiving survivor Social Security payments (from my late husband). I plan on switching over to my Social Security at 70. I receive abou...

The 15 housing markets in America that are now actually more affordable than they were in 2005

“Worsening affordability appears to be having an impact on demand, which could lead to prices plateauing or even correcting modestly in some markets,” one pro told MarketWatch Picks. Getty Images/iSto...

A psychologist’s 5 steps to stop panicking about your 401(k)

In the fall of 2008, when global stock markets were imploding, I happened to be in New York. I switched on the TV in my hotel room and saw financial commentator Suze Orman on Larry King Live. She took...

75 or 100 basis points? Lost in market debate over Fed’s next rate hike is ‘how long inflation stays at these levels’

Debate has been simmering over whether Federal Reserve policy makers will raise the fed-funds rate by three-quarters of a percentage point later this month, as they did in June, or step up their infla...

Dow jumps 650 points as stocks close sharply higher after stronger-than expected retail sales report, surge in Wall Street bank shares

U.S. stock indexes closed sharply higher Friday, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average each snapping a five-day losing streak, after stronger-than-expected retail sales data and a mode...

Why Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia is unlikely to contribute much to oil’s price decline

President Joe Biden is in the Middle East late this week and the pressure is on for the U.S. to look to Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, for more barrels of oil. Limits to oil productio...