MarketWatch rounded up 10 of its most interesting topics over the past week.
1. Lessons from a divorce
Quentin Fottrell — MarketWatch’s Moneyist — helps a reader who says he paid off his wife’s student loans just before she filed for divorce after two years of marriage.
2. Facebook doomed? Not so fast
Facebook
FB, -0.59%
reported another quarter of tremendous increases in earnings and sales, giving pause to the continuing criticism of the company’s use of customer data. Not sururprisingly, the company’s shares roared back.
More Facebook coverage this week:
• Facebook appears to be bulletproof after stellar earnings report
• This big lesson from Facebook’s earnings will keep driving the stock price
• Facebook, Amazon results show that FAANG stocks still have bite
• Thousands of apps are accessing your data on Facebook — how to disconnect them
• Facebook says you are NOT the product — but its explanation confounds privacy experts
3. Ford gives the people what they want, for now
Ford
F, +0.35%
plans to phase out all of its sedans over the next two years except for the Mustang and Focus. The move is understandable given the preference of U.S. drivers for SUVs and pickup trucks and Ford’s own turnaround strategy. But the company may eventually suffer a huge loss of market share if gasoline prices pop while competitors stand ready with fuel-efficient cars.
Read on: Ford cuts capital spending
4. Should you be afraid of rising interest rates?
The yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury notes
TMUBMUSD10Y, -0.87%
has risen to 3%, which is a psychological milestone for investors. Here’s what a 3% 10-year Treasury indicates for economic growth and the stock market.
More on rising interest rates:
• Stock-market investors are barking up the wrong tree on Treasury yields
• Here’s the threat to the stock market from rising bond yields
5. What about inflation?
Some corporate results this earnings season show that rising costs are cutting into profits.
6. A princess spends relatively little to give birth
Here’s a surprise: The nightly cost of the private, luxury hospital room where Kate Middleton gave birth to Louis Arthur Charles is less than the average cost of a birth in the U.S.
7. Games colleges play
In order for a college to continue receiving federal financial aid, the default rate of its students with government-guaranteed student loans must remain below a certain level. Here are the tricks colleges use to keep the default rates low and how they hurt borrowers.
8. What’s the chart of the century for investors?
Seven professional investors each came up with what they believe is the chart with the most important message for investors.
9. Even in the market’s most battered sector, there are some gems
The consumer staples sector has been, by far, the worst performer in the S&P 500 index
SPX, +0.08%
this year. But a closer look unearths four companies that have increased sales by double digits while also raising prices for their products.
10. Jobs of the future you haven’t heard of
New technology might make your job obsolete, but innovation also creates new career paths. Is one of these careers for someone you know?
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Source : MTV
