The Labor Department announced that consumer prices have remained unchanged through February, indicating that consumers aren’t anticipating inflation despite the zero interest rate that has been set by the Fed and the expanding economy. With the Fed’s most recent announcement that interest rates will continue at zero, this is good news for investors.

Some more good news is that initial jobless claims have declined to a seasonally adjusted 457,000 this week, according to the Labor Department.  The four-week average for initial claims has also declined, to a seasonally adjusted 471,250.  In global news, Greece appears to be preparing to ask the International Monetary Fund and the Eurozone for a monetary bailout.  The European nations debt ratio has gotten out of control recently, and riots have been the result of their efforts to reduce government programs.

Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) has had a good week, and has seen it’s shares get a nice price bump from positive news reports on its anticipated Windows Phone 7 Series line of cell-phones.  According to American Banking News, Citigroup (NYSE:C) has maintained it’s ‘buy’ rating for Microsoft Corporation and raised the company’s price target up a dollar, to $32.00.  The American bank also anticipates Microsoft to report…

Retirement planning presents many risks to consider.  What if something tragic happens to you and your family is left with large financial obligations?  That’s what life insurance is for.  What investment vehicles are best for you?  That’s why you need to pick a good investment planner.  But the biggest issue facing future retirees isn’t a potential early demise or the wrong portfolio mix.  The biggest problem is simply saving for retirement.

The idea of retirement is actually a recent phenomenon.  Before the Great Depression, only the affluent could afford to stop working.  Most folks worked until the day they died or lived with their grown children if unable to continue later in life.

The advent of Social Security, unions and industrial pension programs made retirement possible for the masses.  The World War II “Greatest Generation” were wonderful savers, having been toughened by lessons learned living through the Depression and World War.  Despite living when pensions were being offered, many shunned reliance on those programs.  However, as times changed and Americans started to live longer, the responsibilities of saving for retirement transferred from employers (pensions) to employees (401k/403bs) and the importance of sound saving habits became paramount.

As…

According to the US Labor Department, wholesale prices declined more than anticipated last month.  February saw prices fall 0.6%, twice more than initially expected.  This is the largest decline in wholesale prices since July of last year.  Economists are attributing most of this decline to fluxuations in energy and food prices, as the core PPI (Producer Price Index) actually rose 0.1% last month.  The PPI excludes the volatile food and energy markets, and beat the experts predictions last month (A 0.1% decline was anticipated).

This decline in wholesale prices decreases the threat of inflation, while an increase in core PPI also decreases the possibility of the dreaded deflation.  This is good news for the markets, and no doubt increased investor confidence.  The US stock markets were up today accordingly.  In the world markets, OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) has announced that it’s leaving oil production quota levels unchanged after a recent meeting in Vienna, which caused an increase in oil prices.

News from Blockbuster’s (NYSE:BBI) recent internal audit appears to be poor, causing the stock to tumble.  The struggling video chain is now seriously flirting with the idea of voluntary bankruptcy, a move they had announced as possible to…