Portfolio

The debt ceiling debate, the nation’s credit rating downgrade, market declines and unemployment are taking a serious toll on investors, causing the Country Financial Security Index to fall 1.3 points in August to 62.4, a record low.

The inability of stock analysts and others to say, “Oops, I was wrong” may help cause even more serious damage in the stock market over time.

The last two weeks have been a heart-stopping roller coaster ride for investors. But don’t assume that the ride is necessarily over, said Michael Ryan, chief investment strategist at UBS.

The persistently weak economy and new regulations are preventing investment management firms from growing, according to a survey of 100 executives by KPMG.

Hedge funds have been holding their own amid the severe market swings of the past week, with the Dow Jones Credit Suisse Core Hedge Fund Index declining only -3.66% month-to-date through Aug. 14. By comparison, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell -11.58% in that time, and the S&P 500 declined -13.18%.

Zsa Zsa Gabor has never been one to shy away from the limelight. But when does pursuing fame cross the line for a 94-year-old? That point may have come this week, when her husband of 25 years told CNN that he had started the process of donor matching and blood work so he could turn Zsa Zsa into Ma Ma.

The last two weeks have been a heart-stopping roller coaster ride for investors. But don’t assume that the ride is necessarily over, said Michael Ryan, chief investment strategist at UBS.

Investors came back refreshed and eager to buy Monday, pushing stocks from most every industry higher and suggesting that perhaps -- finally -- the market has stabilized in the aftermath of the debt rating downgrade and sustained gains will become the rule rather than exception.

Sell-side analysts' refusal to admit there wrong after they've gone out on a limb -- only to find their initial opinions were incorrect -- has exposed clients and the markets as a whole to more losses for years, according to a new study.

Wells Fargo is buying up most of Citadel’s troubled investment bank operation, which the Chicago-based hedge fund recently decided to unload after concluding that’s its plan to convert the company into an investment bank was not working out.