Jobless Claims Fall; China Detains Four Rio Tinto Employees for Alleged Espionage; Retail Roughed Up in June; China Auto Sales Skyrocket; Broadcom Drops Acquisition Attempt; Mortgage Rates Fall; Madoff Won’t Appeal Sentence

Americans love to hate Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), but it is a retailer we would most certainly miss if it were suddenly gone. Could Obama and his market manipulators determine it is too big to fail?

Typically, a stock buyback signals corporate executives are bullish. But at Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT), there is a good chance it is simply another savvy marketing move. This time shareholders are the ones dealing with everyday low prices.

The IPO buzz is building… In a span of one month, the number of IPOs in 2009 doubled. Half have been tech IPOs. Sure the tally stands at a pathetic six. But with over 100 deals waiting in the pipeline, the uptick is being closely watched.

In February, I wrote that the decline in stocks was just about over. Why?

Just days after Chrysler LLC said it would be cutting one quarter of its auto dealerships, 1,100 General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM) dealerships have reportedly been told not to expect a relationship with the embattled U.S. carmaker after October 2010.

Many investors believe that if you want to achieve big returns, you have to take big risks. They believe that safe, boring companies yield nothing but boring results. These investors are wrong. And it has cost them a fortune.  It might sound counterintuitive, but if you want to achieve big gains (I’m talking about 1,000% to 5,000% or more), your best bet is to play it safe.

GM CEO Says Bankruptcy “Probable;” Wal-Mart Posts Flat 1Q Profit; BT Group Cuts Jobs, Dividend; PNC to Sell Stock, Raise Capital; GM, Chrysler Closures to Idle 50,000 Workers; Madoff Trustee to Pay Investors $100 Million; Oil Falls on IEA Forecast

Stocks edged up in early morning trading today (Thursday) as an uptick in producer prices and steady earnings from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) outweighed a surge in jobless claims last week.