Author: super@dmin

There’s nothing quite like the bitcoin debate. In one corner, crypto evangelists insist that bitcoin will be nothing less than the next reserve currency or digital gold. In the other corner, traditionalists pour scorn on the notion that the technology will present a threat to the existing financial system. With bitcoin BTCUSD, -0.16%  trading above…

MarketWatch photo illustration/Getty Images Wall Street leverage, liar loans, myopic rating agencies, undercapitalized lenders, out-of-control derivatives, overly aggressive government-sponsored enterprises, misincentivized CEOs, captured regulators and foolish Federal Reserve policy have been blamed to some degree for causing the Great Recession that started at the end of 2007. Laurence Kotlikoff thinks they’re all wrong. The Boston…

With U.S. midterm elections and a Federal Reserve policy statement set for later this week, currency investors are considering the smartest strategies for betting on the buck. Polls for the Nov. 6 election point to a high chance of Democrats taking the House and Republicans retaining control of the Senate. Results are expected late Tuesday…

Bloomberg News/Landov This will be the last FOMC meeting without a press conference from Fed Chairman Jerome Powell. The Federal Reserve this week will remain impassive about the recent volatility in financial markets after their two-day policy meeting, and continue to signal a policy of continued, gradual, rate hikes economists said. “Some people may wish…

BERLIN (Project Syndicate) — Donald Trump may not want to launch wars in the Middle East, but that doesn’t mean he’s getting the United States out of the regime-change business. His administration has made it clear that it wants crippling sanctions on Iran to serve the same purpose as the Bush administration’s 2003 invasion of…

Social Security benefits rising If you’re one of the 67 million Americans who gets Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, you’re getting a raise. Beginning next year, checks will rise 2.8%—the biggest increase in seven years. For the average Social Security recipient, that translates into an extra $39 a month, bringing the average…

Amazon is shipping stuff for free — for all customers. Amazon said Monday that it will start offering free shipping with no minimum $25 purchase to all U.S. customers throughout the holiday season. Previously, only subscribers to Amazon Prime, which pay $119 per year, were eligible for free shipping. The announcement comes days after Target…

Even though we caught the S&P 500 Index’s rally from 1,800 to 2,940 points, once we moved through the 2,900 region, we strongly warned our subscribers that we were potentially approaching the top of wave 3 off the 2009 lows. The ramifications for completing wave 3 suggests that we will likely see a 30% correction,…

Workers will be able to contribute more to their retirement accounts in 2019. The limit increased to $19,000, up $500 from $18,500 in 2018, for 401(k) plans, as well as 403(b) plans, most 457 plans and the federal government’s Thrift Savings Plan, the Internal Revenue Service said Thursday. The catch-up contribution limit for employees 50…

The U.S. dollar was muted at the start of an eventful week, with market participants awaiting the midterm elections on Tuesday and the conclusion of a Federal Reserve policy meeting on Thursday. On top of that, sanctions against Iran took effect Monday. The buck, measured by the ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, +0.03% was modestly…