The petroleum giant is shying from risky exploration and spending money on buying back stock. Over the long haul, those moves could lead the company to go private or disappear.

Stocks end higher, with gains in energy, metals and technology shares. Financial stocks, however, swoon. Wal-Mart benefits from consumers' penny-pinching. Reporting a huge loss, American International Group plans to raise $12.5 billion in new capital.

The US financial engine is sputtering, but all the recent tinkering just may keep it running. Maybe we can turn off the warning signals, at least for now.

The collective wisdom of an online community combined with some canny data-mining can lead investors to companies ready for their moment in the sun.

While crude oil hits new highs, weakness in financial stocks drags just about all stocks lower. Weak pending home sales hit home-building shares. International tourists help Disney work its magic. Cisco's caution pushes shares lower.

The goal is to develop new lines of affordable, slimmed-down PCs for the next billion users, primarily in the developing world.

Agriculture stocks have risen like growth stocks over the past year. But one star, Archer-Daniels-Midland, is in a lull that could be a buying opportunity.

It's not the prospect of a Microsoft-Yahoo deal. The Web giant's bigger worry is the mobile phone in your pocket or purse. Here's why.

Short-term rallies and wishful thinking have buyers ready to pounce, but the end of the credit mess isn't yet here. In the meantime, here's some speculation on bank stocks.

How did the nation's biggest banks stumble into the subprime crisis? Consider this: Lax boards dangled huge rewards for short-term performance with little incentive to limit risk.

It's not easy to build a low-risk fund that delivers with reasonable risks. Here are the ones I think do it best -- and how we do it at Marketocracy.

One analyst sees oil hitting $150 to $200 a barrel. Energy stocks jump, and the major indexes are higher. Fannie Mae reports a loss and cuts its dividend. Strong earnings help Cisco Systems and Walt Disney shares move higher in after-hours trading.

The world’s biggest contract driller for onshore oil and gas appears on an MSN Money list of stocks poised for gains. Here are StockScouter’s best investment ideas.

When interest rates are lower than inflation, we're bailing out Wall Street at the expense of retirees and working people trying to save money. That's not sustainable.

When the market turns down, investors too easily settle for weak returns. Here's one mutual fund that shows you can make money even when others aren't.

Go ahead and read those apocalyptic books on the economy if you like a good scare. But be sure you recognize fiction when you see it.

Yahoo investors sell after Microsoft gives up on a $47.5 billion offer; Microsoft shares drop as well. Stocks fall as crude oil tops $120 for the first time and ends at a new closing high. Sprint may sell or spin off Nextel.

A buyout was supposed to provide the software giant with the heft needed to block Google in Web search and online advertising. Now, it's back to the drawing board.

Many analysts look at the market's current upswing and conclude the US economy has escaped with merely a drive-by downturn. Common sense suggests they're wrong.

The collective wisdom of an online community and a stock-screening tool help identify companies that pay a juicy portion of their profits in the form of regular dividends.

I'm playing it safe and selling off Goldman Sachs, although there's still room for gains. A buy on Kinross Gold will help hedge my portfolio.

The recent economic downturn means investors have an opportunity to buy some top-notch, long-closed funds with great managers. But you might want to hurry.

Microsoft abandons its Yahoo offer after boosting its offer to $33 a share. The software giant says Yahoo's demands for $37 and growing ties to Google make a deal unworkable. Yahoo insists $33 undervalues the company. Shareholders get to weigh in next.