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Greece’s parliament passed austerity measures early Thursday local time that pave the way for the debt-laden country to receive much-needed rescue funds. The approval came amid violent clashes on the streets of Athens from antiausterity protesters, who felt the southern European country’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras accepted conditions that were even more onerous than those overwhelmingly rejected by voters at a July 5 referendum. The approval of the bailout terms by Greece’s parliament now shifts the focus to the eurozone finance ministers, who must agree to launch a third bailout for the country through the European Stability Mechanism, Europe’s bailout fund.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

By Rachel Jefferson

Buying a house can be a long process that many people forgo in an effort to save money, but new information shows that it can actually be cheaper in some cities to buy instead of rent. Real estate information company Realtytrac released a report finding that “making monthly house payments on a 3-bedroom property is more affordable than paying fair market rent on a 3-bedroom property in 188 of the 285 counties analyzed.”

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From:: Property Management

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it priced its initial public offering at $16 a share, and it expects shares to begin trading on the Nasdaq Thursday under the ticker “olli”. The discount retailer is offering 8.925 million shares of common sock, with proceeds to be used to repay debt. J.P. Morgan, Jefferies, and Bank of America Merrill Lynch are the offering’s joint book runners.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Chip stocks are getting a nice boost in after-hours trade Wednesday, after sector leader Intel Corp. reported better-than-expected second-quarter results. The Market Vectors Semiconductor ETF surged 2.2%, after slipping 0.5% during the regular session. The ETF, which had closed at an 8-month low last Friday, had lost 5% over the past three months through Wednesday’s close, compared with a 1.8% rise in the technology-friendly Nasdaq Composite over the same time. Among the more-active SMH components seeing after-hours activity Wednesday, shares of Micron Technology climbed 2.3%, Advanced Micro Devices hiked up 2% and Texas Instruments tacked on 1.3%. Meanwhile, Intel’s stock shot up 4.6%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

HD Supply Holding, Inc. , in a move aimed at bolstering its capital structure, said Wednesday it has agreed to sell its HD Supply Power Solutions business to Anixter International Inc. for $825 million. The Power Solutions unit provides a range of products and services to publicly traded utilities, construction and industrial companies. Pending regulatory approval, the all-cash deal is slated to close in HD Supply’s fiscal third quarter. HD Supply shares slipped 0.4% to $35.19 on the news in after-hours trade. Anixter shares were down 1.2% at $63.63.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

By Liz Gray

Do you crave home design that’s elegant and classic while still trend? Check out HGTV favorites Alyssa Kapito and Vivian Muller for fresh-yet-timeless designs.

Alyssa’s work designing boutique hotels and Vivian’s eye for contemporary design combine to make spaces that are full of Instagram-worthy vignettes. Can you say #shelfie?

We wanted to know more about this dynamic duo, so we sent them our trusty Design Happens questionnaire. See their revealing answers below!

Do you agree with the ladies’ design classics and pet peeves? Tell us in the comments below. And visit the Kapito-Muller Design HGTV professional page for the firm’s newest designs.

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From:: HGTV

The real-estate market has moved beyond the distress phase of the financial crisis but it has not yet returned to the halcyon days of 2006-2007. That means there is opportunity to generate rich returns on good investments, said Jonathan Gray, global head of real estate at Blackstone during a discussion on real estate at the Delivering Alpha conference sponsored by CNBC and Institutional Investor. Gray pointed out that “there are two warning signs in the real estate market, cranes and capital,” meaning over-construction and excessive leverage, neither of which exist right now. Owning real estate is like owning a stock, Gray said. “There’s a yield component but there are earnings and cash flows that can grow… Right now occupancy rent cash flows would exceed most people’s expectations,” the Blackstone executive said. Gray, who runs one of the most successful real-estate funds in the world, identified Southern Europe and Brazil as a pair of regions where real-estate investment opportunities are high.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Intel Corp. said Wednesday it earned $2.7 billion, or 55 cents a share, in the second quarter, compared with $2.8 billion, or 55 cents a share, a year ago. Revenue hit $13.2 billion, down from $13.8 billion a year ago. Analysts polled by FactSet had expected earnings of 50 cents a share on sales of $13.04 billion. Growth in data center, memory and “Internet of things” accounted for more than 70% of Intel’s operating profit and helped offset a “challenging PC market,” Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a statement. Production of Intel’s Skylake processor will deliver “exciting new PC experiences” in the second half of the year, the company said. Shares of Intel rose as much as 8% after hours Wednesday after ending the regular session up 0.2%.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Beau Taylor, founder of Taylor Woods Capital Management is bearishon oil, he doesn’t think small investors should try to ride the market lower. Small investors are typically ill-equipped to trade the short side of the the futures market and would be better advised to wait out a bear market that likely has six to eighteen months to run, he said.Taylor, speaking at the Delivering Alpha conference sponsored by CNBC and Institutional Investor, said WTI countries crude could fall as low as $30 a barrel as long as OPEC countries show no intention of deviating from their effort to grab market share from other producers and from each other. Small investors would be better equipped to wait out the fall and then play oil from the long side, he said.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News

Eli Lilly & Co.’s stock slumped 2.8% in afternoon trade Wednesday, pulling back from Monday’s record close, after Morgan Stanley downgraded the drug giant on concerns over valuation. Analyst David Risinger cut his rating to equal weight, after being at overweight for the last seven months, but raised his stock price target to $93 from $85, which was 1.5% below current levels. The stock has run up 25% year to date, compared with a 12% rise in the NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index . Risinger said he believes current prices reflect increasing investor optimism surrounding Lilly’s Alzheimer’s and cholesterol drug candidates. He believes this rally has made the stock’s risk-versus-reward profile more balanced, as he’s uncertain how investors will react to the release of extension study results from its Alzheimer treatment solanezumab on July 22.

Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.

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From:: Stock Market News