Chart of the Day

Chart of the Day

Most Popular Apps: ‘Candy Crush Saga’ Falls to No. 2

July 8, 2013

Mobile device users may still be sweet on “Candy Crush Saga,” but for the first time in months the game from King.com Limited was not the most downloaded free app in Apple’s store. That title, for June, went to “Despicable Me: Minion Rush” from publisher Gameloft, according to Dutch analytics provider Distimo. The “Despicable Me 2” movie, released last week, was...

Heat Map of the Market: Volatility Up, Stocks Down

June 13, 2013

Big swings are back on Wall Street.

As investors increasingly worry about when and how central banks will pull back on their monetary stimulus programs, what had been a fairly steady climb for U.S. stock indexes has turned bumpy in recent weeks.

The market environment has clearly changed, resulting in more churn than investors had seen in months. The Dow Jones industrial average, for example, started the year by going 112 trading days without suffering three straight losing sessions – the longest such streak in its history. That bullish run...

Just How Bad Has the Jobs Recovery Been?

March 12, 2013

The February jobs report released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics might have been surprisingly strong, offering some hope that the U.S. economy can keep growing at a moderately healthy pace as private- sector employers and consumers try to shrug off the added fiscal austerity from Washington.

Even so, the jobs market is far weaker than it has been at similar points following previous recessions. What’s more, as Jacob Goldstein at Planet...

Just How Bad Has the Jobs Recovery Been?

March 12, 2013

The February jobs report released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics might have been surprisingly strong, offering some hope that the U.S. economy can keep growing at a moderately healthy pace as private- sector employers and consumers try to shrug off the added fiscal austerity from Washington.

Even so, the jobs market is far weaker than it has been at similar points following previous recessions. What’s more, as Jacob Goldstein at Planet...

The Rebound in Americans’ Net Worth: Real or Not?

March 8, 2013

The slow and not-so-steady climb back from the Great Recession is nearing another milestone. The total net worth of U.S. households and non-profits is nearly back to 2007 levels, according to flow of funds data released by the Federal Reserve.

A rebounding housing market and booming stock market helped household net worth climb $1.17 trillion over the fourth quarter of 2012. The increase brought total net worth for households and non-profits up 9 percent from the end...

The Rebound in Americans’ Net Worth: Real or Not?

March 8, 2013

The slow and not-so-steady climb back from the Great Recession is nearing another milestone. The total net worth of U.S. households and non-profits is nearly back to 2007 levels, according to flow of funds data released by the Federal Reserve.

A rebounding housing market and booming stock market helped household net worth climb $1.17 trillion over the fourth quarter of 2012. The increase brought total net worth for households and non-profits up 9 percent from the end...

New Estimate of Sandy’s Toll: $50 Billion and Rising

November 1, 2012

Analysts are ratcheting up their estimates of the economic costs resulting from superstorm Sandy, with the latest estimates climbing to $50 billion.
 
Before Sandy made landfall, Eqecat, a catastrophe-modeling firm that serves insurance companies, had estimated that it would cause between $10 billion and $20 billion in damage, with half of that covered by insurers. Today, the firm released updated estimates, saying that total economic costs will be between $30 billion and $50 billion. Of that, $10 billion to $20 billion will be insured.
 
“The...

New Estimate of Sandy’s Toll: $50 Billion and Rising

November 1, 2012

Analysts are ratcheting up their estimates of the economic costs resulting from superstorm Sandy, with the latest estimates climbing to $50 billion.
 
Before Sandy made landfall, Eqecat, a catastrophe-modeling firm that serves insurance companies, had estimated that it would cause between $10 billion and $20 billion in damage, with half of that covered by insurers. Today, the firm released updated estimates, saying that total economic costs will be between $30 billion and $50 billion. Of that, $10 billion to $20 billion will be insured.
 
“The...

Apple Hits New High: Most Valuable Company Ever

August 20, 2012

Hey, Microsoft, how do you like them Apples?

With its stock ending the day up 2.63 percent to $665.15, Apple on Monday became the most valuable public company in history, breaking a record for market capitalization that Microsoft had set in December 1999.

In the late 1990s, as technology and Internet stocks were flying high, Microsoft catapulted past behemoths like Coca-Cola and General Electric (the previous No. 1) to become the world’s most valuable company, eventually becoming the first to top $500 billion in market cap. On December 27, 1999...

Apple Hits New High: Most Valuable Company Ever

August 20, 2012

Hey, Microsoft, how do you like them Apples?

With its stock ending the day up 2.63 percent to $665.15, Apple on Monday became the most valuable public company in history, breaking a record for market capitalization that Microsoft had set in December 1999.

In the late 1990s, as technology and Internet stocks were flying high, Microsoft catapulted past behemoths like Coca-Cola and General Electric (the previous No. 1) to become the world’s most valuable company, eventually becoming the first to top $500 billion in market cap. On December 27, 1999...