U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as investors bet the U.S. economic downturn may be easing following reports on fourth-quarter economic growth and weekly jobless claims that landed roughly in line with expectations.

There is an old Wall Street adage that no one rings a bell at major market tops or market bottoms. That may be true in normal times, but as many have noticed, we are now completely through the looking glass.

South Korea, Asia’s fourth-largest economy, approved an additional $20.7 billion (28.9 trillion won) to the national budget – with $13 billion intended to stem the nation’s economic decline and rising unemployment.

World stocks climbed strongly on Monday for a fifth session running, lifted by hopes that the U.S. economic downturn may be bottoming out as investors sought to take advantage of cheaper equities.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed for a record sixth consecutive month in January to the lowest level in six years as imports and exports both slumped on weak domestic demand, government data showed on Friday.

Alternative-energy investments are hot. But is the reward worth the risk? If a report released earlier this week is anywhere close to accurate, the answer is a solid no. It could be a decade until we see any solid growth.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) investors are seeing strong gains today as generic brands prove their worth. The recession may be hammering most retailers, but select niches are doing very well.

The World Bank estimates that the global economy will likely shrink for the first time since World War II – at least five percentage points below potential – and emerging markets will suffer the hardest hits with severe long-term implications.

The global pharmaceutical industry is an often-overlooked sector. David Fessler of Investment U shows us one of the biggest players on the market.

U.S. stocks tumble, Dow at lowest level in six years… European stock index hits six-year low… Tokyo stock index close lowest for 25 years…