Booming IPO market deepens top exchanges' rivalry

(Reuters) - The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market Inc.
have stepped up the wooing process as a spate of
higher-profile deals worth more than $1 billion have raised the
stakes.




"You can look at any of the recent IPOs that came to our
market and pretty much take for granted there was a
competition," said Noreen Culhane, an executive vice president
at NYSE Euronext , which owns NYSE.


Read more at Reuters.com Mergers News

RadioShack, Amazon.com Burn Short Sellers by Posting Top Gains in S&P 500

(Bloomberg) -- RadioShack Corp. and Amazon.com Inc.
have defied short sellers and Wall Street analysts this year by
posting the top gains in the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

Shares of RadioShack, the third-largest U.S. electronics
chain, and Amazon, the world's biggest online retailer, were
among the 10 most-shorted in the S&P 500 as of June 15,
according to data from the New York Stock Exchange and the
Nasdaq Stock Market. Short sellers try to profit from stock
declines by selling borrowed shares and buying them back at a
lower price.


Read more at Bloomberg Exclusive News

U.S. Stock-Index Futures Rise; Wal-Mart, General Motors, Boeing Advance

(Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures gained on
takeovers after Nasdaq Stock Market Inc. agreed to buy Sweden's
OMX AB, and on increasing signs that the world's largest economy
is recovering.

Nasdaq Stock Market agreed to buy Sweden's OMX AB for 25.1
billion Swedish kronor ($3.7 billion). MGM Mirage hired UBS AG to
advise on a possible breakup of the world's second-largest casino
company being considered by billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian.


Read more at Bloomberg Stocks News

Oil drops below $60/barrel

Oil prices dropped sharply on Monday, losing nearly $2 a barrel, in a market driven by stock market declines and concerns about the world economy.

"There's a general sort of recoil from risk in the market," said Tobin Gorey, a commodity strategist with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in Sydney.

Read more at FIN24.co.za

Rand continues downward spiral

The rand extended losses against the dollar on Thursday, hitting a seven-week low on renewed emerging market nervousness and falling stock markets.

Read more at FIN24.co.za

Betting the Ranch: Risking Your Home to Buy Securities

With a rising stock market, record low interest rates, and large gains in home value, some investors have taken out new mortgages, refinanced, or obtained line-of-credits secured by their homes for the specific purpose of investing in securities. The hope is that the investment will not only pay the mortgage, but also generate additional income. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that way.

NASD is issuing this alert because we are concerned that investors who must rely on investment returns to make their mortgage payments could end up defaulting on their home loans if their investments decline and they are unable to meet their monthly mortgage payments. In short, investors who bet the ranch could lose it.

This alert outlines the risks involved in playing the market with the equity in your home and offers advice to consider before making such an investment decision

Read the Full Article at investopedia.com

The Five Biggest Stock Market Myths

1) Investing in stocks is just like gambling
2) The stock market is an exclusive club in which only brokers and rich people make money.
3) Fallen angels will all go back up, eventually.
4) Stocks that go up must come down.
5) Having just a little knowledge, because it is better than none, is enough to invest in the stock market.

Read Full article at investopedia.com