NEW YORK (AP) — Now that housing and even unemployment are showing signs of improvement, Wall Street wants consumers to do their part to heal the economy. Investors get some insight this week into how consumers are spending from a government report on July retail sales. They’ll also find out if consumers helped major retailers including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Macy’s Inc. join the stream of companies that reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings and forecasts. “What we’ll see n

Risky assets last week again marched higher to the tune of economic data supporting the argument of a global economic recovery. A realization among investors that the economic transition from recession to recovery was gaining momentum resulted in many global stock markets and commodities scaling fresh peaks for the year. Source: Steve Breen The S&P 500 Index closed the week above the psychological 1,000 level, marking its highest level since November and capping four consecutive

If you are just starting out in the investment world, you need to get a plan to make money. Whether you are planning on long term style investing, or becoming the next day trader you really need to practice stock trading to be a success. There is no time frame for when you are good enough, you can always improve your skills. Don’t worry about when you are ready to trade for real money, or when you are ready to stop practicing… you can always improve. Practice makes you better at everything

by Vincent Rogers If you’re looking for a new way to invest and trade but are tired of how unreliable the NASDAQ and AMEX have become with the recent economic climate, you may want to give the Forex a chance. The Forex is the foreign exchange market. It’s unlike any other investment market in the world. On the Forex, currency trades hands rapidly. Every trade on the Forex market consists of two parts, the buying and selling of specific country’s currencies. When one is bought, another is sol

Risky assets last week again marched higher to the tune of economic data supporting the argument of a global economic recovery. A realization among investors that the economic transition from recession to recovery was gaining momentum resulted in many global stock markets and commodities scaling fresh peaks for the year. Source: Steve Breen The S&P 500 Index closed the week above the psychological 1,000 level, marking its highest level since November and capping four consecutive