Yesterday was another exciting day on Wall Street. The Dow rose 131 points…and gold shot up $25 to a new record, $1043.

Investors must be pondering the future.

What will the future look like? No one knows. But investors thought they saw things they liked.

For one thing, there was the Federal Reserve governor from New York, who told the world that there was no risk of a rate hike anytime soon. Bill Dudley knows which way the wind is blowing. He said the Fed would hold money policy loose “indefinitely.”

Indefinitely is otherwise known as “as long as it takes.”

But as long as it takes for what? Ah…as long as it takes until the economy appears strong again.

How long will that be? Ah…maybe longer than anyone realizes.

Yesterday, we were calculating how long it would take to get the jobless number back down to ’90s levels…that is, around 5%. There are now about 131 …

Yesterday was another exciting day on Wall Street. The Dow rose 131 points…and gold shot up $25 to a new record, $1043.

Investors must be pondering the future.

What will the future look like? No one knows. But investors thought they saw things they liked.

For one thing, there was the Federal Reserve governor from New York, who told the world that there was no risk of a rate hike anytime soon. Bill Dudley knows which way the wind is blowing. He said the Fed would hold money policy loose “indefinitely.”

Indefinitely is otherwise known as “as long as it takes.”

But as long as it takes for what? Ah…as long as it takes until the economy appears strong again.

How long will that be? Ah…maybe longer than anyone realizes.

Yesterday, we were calculating how long it would take to get the jobless number back down to ’90s levels…that is, around 5%. There are now about 131

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Several key second-quarter earnings reports could either validate or undercut assertions that the U.S. economy is poised for recovery.

After the Commerce Department reported last week that retail sales fell 0.1% in July from June, and 8.3% year-over-year, retailers will stay in the limelight this week as several high-profile companies report second-quarter earnings. Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT), Limited Brands Inc. (NYSE: LTD), and Gap Stores (NYSE: GPS) are among the big-name retailers set to report.

Meanwhile, the Hewlett-Packard Co’s (NYSE: HPQ) report will provide a further glimpse into the world of technology, and The Home Depot Co.’s (NYSE: HD) results will confirm or counter claims that the recent housing rebound is for real.  On that note, the upcoming economic releases include July housing starts and existing home sales, while the wholesale inflation gauge may show that price pressures are not

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Plug-In Electric Vehicles: In Search of the Mass-Produced Hybrid

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist

We found out that Tesla Motors joined the growing list of automakers receiving federal funds this week. It locked up $465 million to develop and produce battery-powered vehicles.

But as we know too well, large government checks are hardly ever the answer to our problems. And one of the biggest right now is that we’re seeing gas prices climb slowly higher.

While $147-a-barrel oil served as a wake-up call for the car-driving consumer, it was also the catalyst that shifted the plug-in electric vehicles industry into high gear (pun intended).

I’ve talked about Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) before, and I’ve heard a lot of reader comments on the hybrids on the market right now. So let’s take a look at some of the major car companies’ efforts so far, as well as what lies ahead for consumers

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past six months, you know Detroit’s once unstoppable auto industry is dying a fast, public death.

The American auto industry’s fall from grace coincides with a shift in the public’s perception of personal transportation. Higher gas prices and a new environmentally conscious attitude have pushed gas-electric hybrids and efficient diesels to the top of car buyers’ wish lists — leaving hulking SUVs to rust on the side of the road.

Add in climate change concerns and you have yet another dilemma for automakers. New government standards mandate total fleet averages to meet or exceed 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. The new measure is part of an attempt by the federal government to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

It won’t be impossible to buy a gas-guzzler after the new fuel-efficiency standards take effect. However, your choices will probably be very limited. It’s doubtful that a

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There I was, surrounded by thousands of barrels of Kentucky’s finest — seemingly, enough bourbon to get every of-age taxpayer in the U.S. a little tipsy. By any stretch of the imagination, this place was paradise. Rolling hills as far as you could see and the air was thick with the smell of the latest batch. But even this paradise, hidden well in the confines of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, was prey to Uncle Sam’s grubby little hands.

You see, on my recent trip to Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail, one thing stuck in my mind: TAXES. I was utterly shocked when I heard what the distillery tour guide was saying about a $13.50 per gallon tax on any distilled bourbon. That’s over $700 of taxes per barrel. And that’s before the bourbon even gets to the bottle. For me and you, fellow Whiskey Shooter, there’s another tax when we get to the

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Top Stories     

Businesses worry U.S. money to bring rules, regulations Companies in the U.S. are concerned that the government’s push for improved accountability and transparency in stimulus spending will bring with it additional rules and regulations, a study by auditing and consulting firm Deloitte found. Of the executives responding, 58% said they do not think it is possible to make a link between stimulus spending improved transparency. Reuters (20 Apr.)

Watchdog: Chrysler rejected loan to dodge executive-pay rules: The U.S. Treasury’s special inspector general for the bailout of Chrysler and General Motors said Chrysler Financial, which loans to Chrysler dealers and car buyers, turned down a $750 million federal loan to avoid limits on executive pay. Chrysler Financial said in a ...

So what will $800 billion buy these days?  At the macro level, the Obama administration’s rescue plan will buy some new roads and bridges, 3.5 million new jobs and, hopefully, an economic recovery in the process.

On an individual level, the benefit will come from the mix of tax benefits that are part of the package.

On Feb.17, U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law a massive $787 billion stimulus package aimed at jump-starting the domestic economy. While the jury is still out on its future success, average Americans are left to ask: What’s the best way to benefit?

“In general, lower-income folks are more likely to see the most actual benefits from these provisions,’” said Gregory Horning, co-founder and director of SC&H Group Inc., the largest locally based management-consulting and CPA firm in Baltimore.

However, Horning believes that for the economy to really rebound,

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David Fessler of Investment U says; ” GM, if it can survive, could quickly find itself at the top of an automotive heap that will be shedding the internal combustion engine faster than anyone thinks is possible today…”  At $2 dollars a share, it’s a potential steal.

This from David:

Who would have thought an article on the future of the automobile would have roused so many skeptics and naysayers from their winter hibernation? Certainly not me.

But the one I wrote a few weeks ago on Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) has kept our Customer Service department working overtime… fielding the firestorm of responses, both positive and negative.

Clearly Americans feel this is a

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Is General Motors the Buy of the Decade? PHEVs Part Two…

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist

Who would have thought an article on the future of the automobile would have roused so many skeptics and naysayers from their winter hibernation? Certainly not me.

But the one I wrote a few weeks ago on Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) has kept our Customer Service department working overtime… fielding the firestorm of responses, both positive and negative.

Clearly Americans feel this is a hot topic and, being the glutton for punishment that I am, I decided to move from the frying pan into the fire and revisit it.In my first article, I dismissed an investment in General Motors - or any other car company for that matter - as financial suicide. However, I’m going to eat a little crow for breakfast.

The Death of the Combustion Engine

Let’s

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