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Even Money Market Funds Are Risky

Even 'safe' money markets show their soft underbellies in today's market

(Newser) - As one safe haven after another disappears—from money market funds to stock investments—financial advisers are telling consumers to take a more active role in their planning, reports the New York Times. But first, do your homework and understand what you’re investing in, experts say.

Harvard's Endowment Shines in Tough Financial Year

$35B fund sees modest 7%-9% growth

(Newser) - Harvard’s endowment did better than most in the down market, reports the Wall Street Journal. The $35 billion fund, which ended its fiscal year in June, earned 7% to 9%. “That would be easily the best performer among the foundations and endowments that we track," says a...

Wall Street May Scoop Up Troubled Pension Plans

Businesses stand to benefit, but opponents worry about big guns' motives

(Newser) - Though still smarting from the subprime debacle, some of the Wall Street’s biggest players are lobbying the government to be allowed to buy up and manage some of the $2.3 trillion in US corporate pension funds, BusinessWeek reports. Many businesses, eager to get the plans off their books,...

Social Responsibility Costs Calif. Pension Funds Billions

Keeping pension money out of tobacco, emerging markets has cost billions

(Newser) - California's plan to put state pension funds in socially responsible investments means those funds are worth billions less than they would be if they'd been allowed to invest in tobacco companies and emerging markets, BusinessWeek reports. The initiative, launched in 2000, also pushed investment in California real estate—where the...

Angel Investors Profit From Slumping Markets

Affluent investors increase investments, despite market downturn

(Newser) - The bearish market hasn't stopped angels from acting like bulls, Portfolio reports. Angel investors, those who fund start-ups and small companies, are profiting from Wall Street's woes: Reduced private equity funding has made angels the go-to source for capital, improving their bargaining position and giving them more chances to invest.

Investors Sink Billions in 'Green Gold'

But some worry what happens when bottom falls out of farming

(Newser) - Billions of investment dollars are pouring into agriculture as the global demand for food explodes, turning crops such as wheat, corn, and soybeans into green gold, reports the New York Times. And while the immediate impact of more money being fed into agriculture will likely result in increased food production,...

Vulture Investors Circle Wall Street

Many hope to cash in on the chaos of the credit crunch

(Newser) - Like shoppers stalking deals at Filene’s Basement, savvy Wall Street vulture investors are swooping in to find deals among the carcasses of companies and investments felled by the subprime contagion, reports the New York Times. They're betting big—Blackstone Group just raised $10.9 billion from investors to buy...

Auction-Rate Troubles Hit Silicon Valley Startups

Private companies hurting for cash

(Newser) - A freeze in the market for a type of securities known as auction-rate securities may cause big cash-flow problems for many Silicon Valley startups. A number of private companies have large chunks of cash tied up in the securities, reports the Wall Street Journal. Now, buyers have dried up and...

Unrest in Financial World Gives Gold a New Luster

Investors looking for safe haven have driven futures up 42% since Aug.

(Newser) - Mainstream investors looking for a hedge against inflation and a volatile stock market have taken a shine to gold, driving prices for the precious metal to historic highs, the Wall Street Journal reports. Gold futures have risen more than 42% since mid-August. The latest Fed interest-rate cut bumped prices in...

Venture Capitalists Predict Rebound After 2008

VCs support Clinton over Giuliani

(Newser) - After gazing into its crystal ball this month, the National Venture Capital Association has come up with a picture of a bullish post-2008, post-election future. In the prediction, the new President Clinton manages a still-reeling economy as the number of VC firms wanes and the size of the funds they...

Debut of New Goldman Hedge Fund May Break Record at $10B

Firm spawns first in-house private fund

(Newser) - Goldman Sachs will launch a new stock hedge fund next month with as much as $10 billion, making it the biggest hedge fund debut in industry history, Bloomberg reports, and Goldman's first in-house fund of its kind. The fund, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, will be run by two Goldman department...

Apple Hoards $15B&mdash;Why?
Apple Hoards $15B—Why?
Dec 7, 2007 5:00 PM CST

Apple Hoards $15B—Why?

Fortune speculates on the tech giant's plans for cash wad

(Newser) - Regulatory filings reveal Apple has $15.4 billion stockpiled, leading to curiosity about its plans for the cash. The company itself hasn't offered much of an answer, but in its Big Tech blog, Fortune speculates Apple could acquire smaller companies, perhaps buying its way into a new area like social...

The 'R-Word' Surfaces on Wall Street
The 'R-Word' Surfaces on Wall Street
Nov 27, 2007 12:38 PM CST

The 'R-Word' Surfaces on Wall Street

'Odds of a recession are pretty damn high,' says analyst

(Newser) - Wall Street has the recession jitters: Markets are down 10% since October, the S&P 500 is down as analysts predict depressed earnings, and T-bills are down on anticipated Fed rate cuts. But there’s a flip side: Holiday sales gained 8.3% over 2006, unemployment is at 4.7%,...

Small Hedge Fund Scores 1,000% Return

Shorting subprime securities may be most profitable bet of all time

(Newser) - A small Californian hedge fund bet against subprime-linked securities and earned its investors a cool 1,000% profit this year, making Lahde Capital one of the world's best-performing funds of all times, the Financial Times reports. In all, hedge funds that shorted subprime loans appear to have made the single...

$1.5B Bailout Gives Hope to Reeling Bond Insurers

(Newser) - A quiet infusion of $1.5 billion from two European banks will help bond insurer CIFG maintain its AAA credit rating, the Wall Street Journal reports. The move keeps at bay a crisis in the bond market that could cost investors $200 billion and might provide a bailout blueprint for...

Street Foresees Very Good Year
Street Foresees Very Good Year  
Nov 13, 2007 12:44 PM CST

Street Foresees Very Good Year

Amid chaos, $28B in earnings marks the second best in history

(Newser) - Despite $45 billion in subprime writedowns, rolling CEO heads, and an $84 billion drop in market value, Wall Street will somehow post its second-most-profitable year ever, reports Bloomberg. “As the bombs are dropping and the mines are exploding, it's a bit of a surprise,'' said an investment banker....

eBay Launches Microfinance Loan Site

Users can lend money to the world's poor... and earn interest

(Newser) - EBay's newly launched MicroPlace lets users make loans through PayPal or a bank account to needy entrepreneurs worldwide. The idea? Even small sums can help poor people build businesses to raise themselves out of poverty. The site's founder remembers one Bangladeshi woman who bought a handloom, thus earning enough to...

20 Tips from America's Best Investors

Experts offer advice that you can really take to the bank

(Newser) - Get where you want to be with these sound tips from the top, courtesy of Money Magazine:
  1. Be humble in the face of uncertainty.
  2. Take calculated risks.
  3. Have an emergency fund.

Stocks Surge as Jitters Remain
Stocks Surge as Jitters Remain
Aug 2, 2007 4:36 PM CDT

Stocks Surge as Jitters Remain

(Newser) - The Dow was up 100.96 today—mostly in late trading—closing at 13,463.33 after Asian markets made a partial recovery from its recent hemorrhage and some rare good news emerged from the housing market. Retail and tech winners beat losers; Nokia, Motorola, CVS, and Hewett-Packard all put...

Wall Street Jittery After Drop
Wall Street Jittery After Drop
Jul 30, 2007 4:47 AM CDT

Wall Street Jittery After Drop

Markets jittery after stock drop

(Newser) - Wall Street has a case of nerves. After last week's market drop, the worst in five years, investors shouldn't expect any more "Merger Mondays" for some time to come, the New York Times predicts. Instead opening the week with big new deals, to send the market to new highs,...

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