Marketfoolery

Warren Buffett places a small bet on the future of the U.S. economy.   And Facebook makes a big connection with Skype.

Microsoft makes a deal with Baidu.  Amazon parts company with its California associates. And Hulu courts potential suitors.

Google introduces a rival to Facebook.  The Federal Reserve announces rules that will limit debit card swipe fees.  And Justin Timberlake bets on MySpace.

Greece's parliament passes an austerity plan.  Bank of America makes a deal with mortgage bond investors.  Berkshire Hathaway hits a small bump in the road.  And FarmVille creator Zynga gets ready for a big IPO.

Greece's parliament prepares to vote on new austerity measures.  Nike reports better-than-expected earnings.  And Disney's Cars 2 tops the weekend box office but fails to rev up critics.

Why are our analysts bullish on Target and Chevron? Why are our analysts bearish on Lorillard and Eli Lilly? And why are they conflicted on Best Buy and an "electric thing" rental company?     

Oil stocks tumble. Citigroup and Google double down on wind power.  And the Winklevoss twins drop their lawsuit against Facebook.

Online video service Hulu entertains a buy-out offer. Fedex reports big earnings.  And Amazon.com deals with a taxing problem. 

Nokia launches a new phone.  Is it dead on arrival?  Yahoo! works on resolving its conflict with Alibaba, China's largest e-commerce site.  What will the deal mean for shareholders?  And Groupon enlists a blog-writing cat to speak up during the company's quiet period.  Will the joke be on Groupon investors?

Shares of Berkshire Hathaway recently hit a 52-week low.  Should investors take stock in Warren Buffett's business or has the Oracle of Omaha lost the Midas touch?

Why are our analysts bullish on Microsoft and Panera?  Why are they bearish on Bank of America and Sony?  And why are they conflicted on Gap and Nokia? 

Pandora has a big debut on Wall Street.  JC Penney hires a big-name CEO.  And a Maryland biotech company publishes a very unusual annual report.

Best Buy reports better-than-expected earnings. Facebook eyes a big IPO. And the CEO of Miracle-Gro eyes the high-end market.  

Shares of Timberland spike after VF Corp. agrees to buy the footwear company.  Wendy's/Arby's Group agrees to sell most of its Arby's chain to private investors.  And Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban celebrates his first NBA championship.

Is China's growth grinding to a halt? What's the big question for China? Should investors bet on China?

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon questions the Fed Chief.  OPEC has trouble deciding. McDonald's disappoints.  And ExxonMobil and Apple make big plans. 

Now that Apple has unveiled the iCloud, will it be yet another game-changer for Steve Jobs & Co?  The Wall Street Journal reported today that famed bond investor Bill Gross lost $3.4 billion in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy.  What should investors make of the Gross loss? And a Prudential survey found that 3 out of 4 investors say they plan to avoid the stock market for at least the next year.  Is this good news for investors who do want to be in the market? 

Germany approves a plan to phase out nuclear power in favor of wind power and other renewable energy.  What is the future of nuclear power?  Should investors bet on the wind? Which energy stocks are worth a closer look? Our analysts discuss those questions and discuss the value of lunch with Warren Buffett.

The Dow gets off to a rough start in June.   For-profit education stocks score some big gains. And three Ivy League professors devise a bubble-detecting model.

Gambling revenue in Macau hits a record high.  Marathon Oil makes a big deal for big oil and gas reserves.  And Yahoo! works on resolving its dispute with Alipay.