What’s new

Bank of America Corp. said on Wednesday that it reduced its full-time workforce by 2,979 employees, or 1.4%, to 216,679 during the second quarter, as the number of branded automated teller machines (ATMs) increased by 0.6% to 15,992 and the number of U.S. financial centers declined by 1% to 4,789. Over the last year, the number of full-time BofA employees has declined 7.1%. Earlier, BofA reported second-quarter earnings and revenue that beat expectations. The stock, which climbed 2.9% in premarket trade, had rallied 9.5% over the past three months through Tuesday, while the S&P 500 has inched up 0.1%. On Tuesday, fellow moneycenter bank J.P. Morgan Chase said its headcount declined by 3,686, or 1.5%, during the second quarter to 237,459.

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.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

6D Global Technologies Inc. said Wednesday it is operating its normal course of business and is not aware of any event that may have created recent high volatility in its stock price. The Internet marketing company is listed on Nasdaq, and has seen its stock spike up to about $20 after it was included on four Russell indexes at end June, only to immediately plummet back to its current trading level of about $5.44. The company “is in close contact with officials at the NASDAQ market intelligence desk and will provide full cooperation that may closely review recent market participants and unusual market maker activities in their trading of SIXD common stock,” it said in a statement. Chief Executive Tejune Kang said he expects another year of growth in 2015. Shares are down 43% in the last month.

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.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Our favorite ideas for repurposing these containers into useful pieces …read more

From:: DIY this old house

A deserted, down-at-heels shell of a historic neighborhood just 15 years ago, today Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine area is bustling with new life …read more

From:: DIY this old house

TOH Host, Kevin O’Connor finds true-to-time brick for a home built in 1895 …read more

From:: DIY this old house

Quick-and-easy DIY activities for you and your kids …read more

From:: DIY this old house

China’s statistics bureau defended its economic data Wednesday, saying the numbers were accurate, Reuters reported. Following the release of data showing better-than-expected 7% growth in the second quarter, National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Sheng Laiyun the “hard won” growth rate correctly reflected the economy and that the figures hadn’t been inflated, the report said. CNBC reported separately that the comments had been made in response to a reporter’s question. Critics of Chinese economic statistics have described them as subject to poor data-gathering or outright manipulation by officials. Economists holding this view instead judge the Chinese economy through the use of proxy measures, such as electricity consumption, which they see as more reliable.

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.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

The Bank of Japan trimmed its forecasts for inflation and economic growth Wednesday but kept the scope of its monetary easing unchanged as widely expected. The central bank said the current fiscal year, ending in March 2016, would see the core consumer price index rise 0.7%, down from its April forecast for a gain of 0.8%. Likewise, it said the economy would grow by 1.7%, down from a previous projection of 2%. The Bank of Japan also cut its core CPI forecasts for fiscal 2016 and 2017, but kept its growth estimates for those years unchanged. The Japanese yen showed little reaction to the new outlook, with the dollar buying ¥123.45.

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.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Here are the latest trading levels for Asia’s major stock markets:

Tokyo (Nikkei Average ) up 0.4%
; Hong Kong (Hang Seng Index ) down 0.1%
; Shanghai (Shanghai Composite Index ) down 2%
; Sydney (S&P/ASX 200 ) up 0.9%
; Seoul (Kospi ) up 0.3%
; Taipei (Taiex ) flat

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.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News

Hong Kong stocks edged higher, while Shanghai shares moved solidly lower in early Wednesday trading, as the markets largely shrugged off Chinese economic data that printed a little above expectations. Statistics released a half-hour after the start of trade showed second-quarter economic growth at 7% from a year earlier, beating a consensus forecast for a 6.8% gain in a Wall Street Journal survey. June industrial production (up 6.8% on year) and retail sales (up 10.6%) also exceeded projections. But about 10 minutes after the data release, the main Chinese stock markets showed little difference with their pre-data levels, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index up 0.2%, and the Shanghai Composite Index down 1.6%. However, major mainland Chinese banks traded broadly higher despite showing losses earlier in the trading session. Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd. rose 0.3% in Hong Kong and 0.8% in Shanghai, while China Construction Bank Corp. improved by 0.6% and 1.8% in Hong Kong and Shanghai respectively. Among decliners in Hong Kong, Angang Steel Co. dropped 2.7% after posting weak first-half profit numbers, while a warning of an up-to-80% plunge in six-month net profit for Weichai Power Co. sent those shares down almost 12%. In Shanghai, separate data showing an acceleration in housing sales helped lift Gemdale Corp. by 1.2%, but heavy losses for many resource stocks (Aluminum Corp. of China Ltd. down 4.5%) and airlines (China Eastern Airlines Corp. down 6%) weighed on the broader market.

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.

…read more

From:: Stock Market News