‘Mortgage rates are likely to push toward 5% before the end of the year’: Rates soar to highest level in over 3 years, putting pressure on home buyers

Mortgage rates are racing toward 5% as the Federal Reserve’s expected trajectory for future rate hikes becomes clearer. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.42% as of the week endin...

It’s the beginning of the end of globalization, say BlackRock’s Larry Fink and Oaktree’s Howard Marks

“The magnitude of Russia’s actions will play out for decades to come and mark a turning point in the world order of geopolitics, macroeconomic trends, and capital markets.” That was Larry Fink, CEO of...

I’m 65 and have $220K in student loan debt. I have a lot of health issues and am only working part-time. Can I somehow erase this debt?

Remember, if you’re having difficulty making payments due to low or no income, you may be eligible for a low or $0 payment by enrolling in an income-driven repayment plan Getty Images/iStockphoto Ques...

The stock market hit its COVID low 2 years ago today. Here’s how its performance since then stacks up.

It’s the second anniversary Wednesday of the lows set in the U.S. stock-market plunge triggered by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020. Stocks have stumbled thus far in 2022, but the S&am...

Why The Experts Are Banking On Financial Institution M&A

Interest Rates and other conditions are setting the stage for more bank acquisitions this year. By Calvin Trice and Jeff Sheban Business and technology concept. getty Bank deals should return to a ste...

Opinion: The Trust Act is not the way to fix Social Security

Last month, I was invited to a forum on “Trust Fund Solutions,” which means Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) is still pushing his TRUST Act. One of the bill’s co-sponsors — Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) — also a...

Fertilizer Stocks Soar on Putin’s War. Proceed With Caution.

Text size Nutrien’s potash mine in Saskatoon, Canada. Potash fertilizer prices have soared by three-quarters this year. James MacDonald/Bloomberg Haven’t earned enough on your oil stocks since R...

Opinion: How ‘washed up…old man’ Warren Buffett is getting the last laugh

Poor old Warren Buffett. Poor, old, “washed up” Warren Buffett! It’s almost two years since the Berkshire Hathaway chairman, then 89, was publicly mocked by 40-something self-proclaimed stock market “...

Bitcoin Is Bouncing but Ether Is Soaring. This Is Why.

Text size Cryptocurrencies are gaining as investors return to high-growth “risk assets.” Dreamstime Bitcoin has perked up, gaining 8% to roughly $42,600 in the past week. But Ether, the se...

My son failed out of school and has $126K in student loan debt. What can we do?

How to get out of student loan debt Getty Images/iStockphoto Question: My son was studying in a pharmacy program and at the end of the last semester, the college kicked him out due to his non-performa...

Why the stock market isn’t ‘getting smoked’ even as Federal Reserve signals it’s ready to supersize interest rate hikes

A brief wobble aside, the U.S. stock market is taking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell’s decision to fully unleash the inflation-fighting side of his monetary policy persona in stride. That may ...

Cathie Wood Watch: Ark Buys E-Commerce, Sells Payments

Investment manager Cathie Wood, chief executive of Ark Investment Management, was active buying and selling big-name technology stocks on Monday.  She also continued her foray into the biotechnology s...

Stock market investors are in the danger zone. This all-weather investing strategy offers protection

We’re in a period of high inflation, with a war disrupting energy markets and the Federal Reserve raising interest rates. The murky outlook calls for a multiyear cycle of central-bank policy moves tha...

Opinion: This stock market rally has more upside, but expect any relief to be brief

The U.S. stock market’s impressive rally last week is more likely a reflex bounce than the beginning of a new leg of the bull market. I say that not because the rally ran out of steam on Monday, with ...

I now owe 3x what I originally borrowed in student loans. What can I do?

Borrowers with less-than-perfect credit records face challenges while climbing out of debt, and they can get steeper when you’re older because income tends to plateau. Getty Images/iStockphoto Questio...

Many companies are enriching their retirement benefits

Workers may be in for a treat – some companies plan to boost their retirement benefits in the next few years, as they look to hire and retain talent, according to a new survey.  U.S. employers are imp...

Warren Buffett Does Deal Making Differently. Alleghany Acquisition Shows How.

Text size Warren Buffett Drew Angerer/Getty Images When it comes to acquisitions, Warren Buffett does things differently, and Berkshire Hathaway ’s deal on Monday for Alleghany illustrates his unique ...

Treasuries Are Selling Off. Blame Powell’s Comments on Half-Point Rate Hikes.

Fed chief Jerome Powell, shown Monday at a conference in Washington, D.C., said ‘nothing’ would prevent the central bank from raising rates by a half-point at a coming meeting if needed. S...

Warren Buffett Puts Some of His $144 Billion to Work With Alleghany Deal

Warren Buffett Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Fortune/Time Inc Text size It was only three weeks ago that Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett wrote of the unpleasantness associated with h...

Here’s what it will take to make stocks a ‘great’ buying opportunity, says this strategist

It was an interesting time for the best weekly gain for Wall Street since late 2020 as the devastating war in Ukraine grinds toward the one-month mark. “Stabilizing stock markets point to less cautiou...

Warren Buffett’s Deal for Alleghany Is Great for Berkshire, So-So for Alleghany

Berkshire Hathaway ’s agreement to buy insurer Alleghany for $11.6 billion looks like an excellent deal for Berkshire, but only a so-so one for Alleghany. Berkshire Hathaway (ticker: BRK. A and BRK. B...

Goldman Sachs Helps Bitcoin Take a Major Step

Goldman Sachs on Monday took a big step toward the possible wide adoption of bitcoin among institutional investors, such as hedge and pension funds.  A step that will undoubtedly reassure some big inv...

‘The housing market is in the early stages of a substantial downshift’: Home sales may drop 25% by the end of summer, according to this analyst. Here’s why.

The popular spring home-buying season is just ramping up. But one analyst is warning that it could be a bust. Ian Shepherdson, chief economist and founder of research consulting firm Pantheon Macroeco...

Equifax, TransUnion and Experian will soon stop counting medical debt in credit reports — now, for the bad news

The nation’s three major credit bureaus say they are overhauling how they include medical debt in a consumer’s credit history. The agencies said the removal will result in nearly 70% of the medical de...

Warren Buffett Extends Buying Run In $11.6 Billion Alleghany Deal

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway  (BRK.A) – Get Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class A Report agreed Monday to buy insurance group Alleghany Corp.  (Y) – Get Alleghany Corporation Report...

Berkshire Hathaway to Acquire Reinsurer Alleghany for $11.6 Billion

Text size Warren Buffett, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy Alleghany shares for $848.02 a share in cash, or a tot...

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway strikes $11.6 billion deal for reinsurer Alleghany Corp.

Warren Buffett picked the industry he arguably knows best, insurance, for his first major deal in two years. Berkshire Hathaway BRK.B, -0.74% BRK.A, -1.05% struck an $11.6 billion, all-cash deal to bu...

Anaplan Stock Surges on Deal to Be Bought by Thoma Bravo for $10.7 Billion

Text size Photograph by Michael Nagle/Bloomberg Anaplan , a provider of business-planning software, agreed to be acquired by private-equity firm Thoma Bravo for $66 a share, or $10.7 billion. The offe...

Older Americans, Flush With Housing and Stock Portfolio Wealth, Poised to Revive Spending This Year

Covid-19 kept many older Americans on the sidelines of the recovery in consumer spending as they held back from in-person services like dining and travel. But their spending is picking up as the Omicr...

These money and investing tips can help you build a proactive ‘all-weather’ portfolio

Don’t miss these top money and investing features: Sign up here to get MarketWatch’s best mutual funds and ETF stories emailed to you weekly! INVESTING NEWS & TRENDS Stock trading during ‘March Ma...

The Aflac CEO Who Ruffled Feathers With His Duck Ads

In Personal Board of Directors, top business leaders talk about the people they turn to for advice, and how those people have shaped their perspective and helped them succeed. Previous installments fr...