Dollar cost averaging smooths out volatility

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could smooth out all the rough spots in your personal investments?
Many investors have wondered just that during this frenetic market year that is constantly being buffeted by world events. Too often, they boldly invest when stock prices are high, then fearfully halt their investing or sell their holdings altogether […]

Eurozone set to struggle over Greek bailout

Finance ministers from the 17 euro countries will grapple over Greece’s ever-worsening debt crisis, a day after Athens revealed its deficit will be higher than previously promised.
Meeting the budget targets is a precondition for getting the next euro8 billion ($10.8 billion) installment of the country’s first, euro110 billion bailout.
Although the ministers have already said they […]

Late-day rally sends stocks higher; Dow rises 143

Stocks are closing higher after another day of big swings.
Investors struggled to make sense of mixed economic reports Thursday. First-time applications for unemployment benefits fell and the government raised its estimate of economic growth in the April-June period. But a survey showed that chief executives of the nation’s largest companies are more pessimistic than they […]

Saab denied bankruptcy protection

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected car maker Saab’s application for creditor protection, paving the way for possible bankruptcy filings from labor unions.
The ruling by the Vanersborg District Court, which can be appealed, is the latest setback for cash-strapped Saab as it scrambles to solve a liquidity crisis that has left it teetering on the […]

After bumpy August, economy shows signs of growth

August began with rising fears that another recession was about to hit. That was then.
A month later, the economy and the stock market appear more resilient, suggesting that consumers, businesses and investors remain confident enough to keep spending.
A more authoritative test will come Friday, when the government issues the August jobs report. Employers are expected […]

Tim Hortons delivers modest profit

OAKVILLE, ONT.—Coffee store chain Tim Hortons (TSX: THI) reported Thursday a second-quarter profit of $95.5 million, up slightly from a year-earlier $94.1 million as revenues jumped nearly 10 per cent.
That amounted to net earnings of 58 cents per share, compared with 54 cents per share in the same period a year earlier.
Factoring out a three […]

Foreclosure activity down in most US metro areas

Most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are seeing a sharp drop in foreclosure activity as banks take longer to move against homeowners who are behind on their mortgage payments.
In the first half of this year, 84 percent of metropolitan areas with a population of at least 200,000 saw their foreclosure rate drop versus the […]

Minn. lawmakers OK budget, assure end to shutdown

Minnesota lawmakers have approved a budget deal that will end a 20-day state government shutdown as soon as Gov. Mark Dayton signs it.
The state House and Senate approved the budget during a special session, with the last vote coming early Wednesday morning after lawmakers worked through the night. The session began Tuesday afternoon.
It wasn’t clear […]

REITs pay off even as housing wallows

Real estate investing doesn’t have to be a losing proposition, whether home prices continue to slip or not.
Ross Meredith has a lot of money riding on that notion, and it has worked out lately. The retired bank examiner owns stock in companies called real estate investment trusts, which own commercial properties. Those six REIT stocks […]

Australia bans live cattle exports to Indonesia

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA