Markets rise, but caution prevails ahead of Fed

Asian stock markets rose on Monday with Australian shares boosted by fresh merger news in the banking sector, but caution ahead of central bank meetings in Japan and the United States was seen capping gains.

China's central bank lifted interest rates for the third time in less than a year over the weekend to put a lid on credit and investment in the world's fourth-largest economy.
While no rate changes are expected in Japan and the United States, investors are keen for clues to future policy action by the respective central banks.

Read more at Reuters.com

When To Short A Stock

Most investors by nature will "go long" when they buy stocks. Few investors naturally will short stocks (or bet on their decline) because they really don't know what to look for.

Some investors see the shorting process as somewhat counter-intuitive to the traditional investing process since many stocks do appreciate over time. That said, there is a lot of money to be made by shorting, and in this article, we'll give you a list of signs that show when a stock might be ripe for a fall.

Read more at investopedia.com

Microsoft rewards search users

Microsoft on Friday began offering large businesses rewards if they have employees scout the Internet with the software giant's Live Search service.

In a move intended to wrest users from rival search engines such as market-dominating Google, Microsoft will give business customers service or training credits based on how much employees use Live Search.

Read more at FIN24.co.za

Greenspan causes stir

Alan Greenspan is causing more of a stir in retirement than he did as Fed chairperson, shocking many investors with a radical make-over: irrepressible optimist turned curmudgeonly bear.

Once the darling of Wall Street, many of his old buddies are now souring on Greenspan, seeing tinges of hypocrisy and opportunism in his newfound gloom.

Read more at FIN24.co.za