A sluggish day in stocks on Thursday took a turn decidely lower following comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that he was monitoring a steady climb in yields but failed to provide any guidance on what the central bank might do if yields continued to climb precipitously. Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday after noon, Powell described the Fed's current policy stance as appropriate, perhaps disappointing some investors hoping for more decisive comments on possible adjustments to the central bank's asset purchases. The remarks are credited...…A sluggish day in stocks on Thursday took a turn decidely lower following comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that he was monitoring a steady climb in yields but failed to provide any guidance on what the central bank might do if yields continued to climb precipitously. Speaking at a webinar hosted by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday after noon, Powell described the Fed's current policy stance as appropriate, perhaps disappointing some investors hoping for more decisive comments on possible adjustments to the central bank's asset purchases. The remarks are credited...WW…

The world’s No. 1 cryptocurrency hit a record high on Friday, propelling it to a market value above $1 trillion for the first time ever. A single bitcoinjumped to a record at $$53,910.44, based on prices tracked by CoinDesk, briefly bringing its total market capitalization to a peak at $1,002,547,798,785, according to data from .Bitcoin was last up 4% on Friday at around $53,734, and has surged over 85% since the beginning of 2021. By comparison, gold priceswhich bitcoin often competes against for investment dollars, are down nearly 6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 indexis...…The world’s No. 1 cryptocurrency hit a record high on Friday, propelling it to a market value above $1 trillion for the first time ever. A single bitcoinjumped to a record at $$53,910.44, based on prices tracked by CoinDesk, briefly bringing its total market capitalization to a peak at $1,002,547,798,785, according to data from .Bitcoin was last up 4% on Friday at around $53,734, and has surged over 85% since the beginning of 2021. By comparison, gold priceswhich bitcoin often competes against for investment dollars, are down nearly 6% so far this year. Meanwhile, the S&P 500 indexis...WW…

Futures for gold on Friday headed lower, but the precious metal was holding on to a slight weekly gain, as investors sold bullion at the end of the week amid a rise in U.S. government bond yields and a firming of the dollar. “Yes, yields have risen along with the dollar, which is not great news for the buck-denominated metal,” wrote Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at ThinkMarkets, in a research note.That said, Razaqzada speculates that signs of a long haul in the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted by for joblessness in America, and the Federal Reserve’s, are factors...…Futures for gold on Friday headed lower, but the precious metal was holding on to a slight weekly gain, as investors sold bullion at the end of the week amid a rise in U.S. government bond yields and a firming of the dollar. “Yes, yields have risen along with the dollar, which is not great news for the buck-denominated metal,” wrote Fawad Razaqzada, market analyst at ThinkMarkets, in a research note.That said, Razaqzada speculates that signs of a long haul in the economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighted by for joblessness in America, and the Federal Reserve’s, are factors...WW…

Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. said that it has acquired $1.5 billion in bitcoins in January and that it could accept the world’s No. 1 digital asset for payment in the future. Teslarevealed the purchase in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, which helped to drive up bitcoin pricesto around $44,203, a gain of over 13% in early trade on CoinDesk.“In January 2021, we updated our investment policy to provide us with more flexibility to further diversify and maximize returns on our cash that is not required to maintain adequate operating liquidity,” Tesla said in...…Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. said that it has acquired $1.5 billion in bitcoins in January and that it could accept the world’s No. 1 digital asset for payment in the future. Teslarevealed the purchase in a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, which helped to drive up bitcoin pricesto around $44,203, a gain of over 13% in early trade on CoinDesk.“In January 2021, we updated our investment policy to provide us with more flexibility to further diversify and maximize returns on our cash that is not required to maintain adequate operating liquidity,” Tesla said in...WW…

Some major brokerage houses have begun to respond to a frenetic surge in the price of shares of certain companies that has been attributed to rabid buying by individual investors inspired by social-media platforms. On Wednesday, TD Ameritrade said it was restricting trading in GameStopand AMC Entertainment Holdingsalong with other names, amid a triple-digit percentage surge in the price of those companies in recent days.“In the interest of mitigating risk for our company and clients, we have put in place several restrictions on some transactions in $GME, $AMC and other securities,” a...…Some major brokerage houses have begun to respond to a frenetic surge in the price of shares of certain companies that has been attributed to rabid buying by individual investors inspired by social-media platforms. On Wednesday, TD Ameritrade said it was restricting trading in GameStopand AMC Entertainment Holdingsalong with other names, amid a triple-digit percentage surge in the price of those companies in recent days.“In the interest of mitigating risk for our company and clients, we have put in place several restrictions on some transactions in $GME, $AMC and other securities,” a...WW…

Talk about a case of mixed Signals. On Jan. 6, shares of Signal Advanceclosed at 60 cents a share, a solid gain for the Rosharon, Texas-based biotechnology company formerly known as Biodyne Development Company.A day later, on Thursday, the company’s shares surged 527% to $3.76 — and then all heck broke lose, after apparent ticker confusion amplified a move in the over-counter-traded security into the ether. The surge came after Tesla Inc.CEO Elon Musk recommended that people “use signal,” shifting to the encrypted-messaging platform Signal from Twitterand Facebookfollowing the Sturm und...…Talk about a case of mixed Signals. On Jan. 6, shares of Signal Advanceclosed at 60 cents a share, a solid gain for the Rosharon, Texas-based biotechnology company formerly known as Biodyne Development Company.A day later, on Thursday, the company’s shares surged 527% to $3.76 — and then all heck broke lose, after apparent ticker confusion amplified a move in the over-counter-traded security into the ether. The surge came after Tesla Inc.CEO Elon Musk recommended that people “use signal,” shifting to the encrypted-messaging platform Signal from Twitterand Facebookfollowing the Sturm und...WW…

Bitcoin’s nearly nonstop climb to new records has drawn the attention of Wall Street like few other securities in recent memory. The world’s No. 1 digital asset was recently trading at around $32,000 in Tuesday action, at last check, but the team at JPMorgan Chasemake the case that the blockchain-backed cryptocurrency could be valued at $146,000 in the not-so-distant future , if it can continue to draw demand away from gold buyers, as the researchers at the bank think is already happening.The analysts point to outflow from gold-pegged exchange traded funds, or ETFs, and inflows into a...…Bitcoin’s nearly nonstop climb to new records has drawn the attention of Wall Street like few other securities in recent memory. The world’s No. 1 digital asset was recently trading at around $32,000 in Tuesday action, at last check, but the team at JPMorgan Chasemake the case that the blockchain-backed cryptocurrency could be valued at $146,000 in the not-so-distant future , if it can continue to draw demand away from gold buyers, as the researchers at the bank think is already happening.The analysts point to outflow from gold-pegged exchange traded funds, or ETFs, and inflows into a...WW…

Bitcoin is baaack! The popular digital currency, which is arguably one of the most polarizing in financial markets, is approaching heights not seen since the frenzied rush into cryptocurrencies three years ago.Bitcoin’s priceon Wednesday briefly hit an intraday peak at 18,358.98, and was pulling back in recent trade but still on pace for the fourth-highest finish in its history since December 2017, when the asset briefly flirted with $20,000 before collapsing in dazzling fashion, according to Dow Jones Market Data, based on a 7 p.m. Eastern close.But now bitcoin is drawing eyeballs and...…Bitcoin is baaack! The popular digital currency, which is arguably one of the most polarizing in financial markets, is approaching heights not seen since the frenzied rush into cryptocurrencies three years ago.Bitcoin’s priceon Wednesday briefly hit an intraday peak at 18,358.98, and was pulling back in recent trade but still on pace for the fourth-highest finish in its history since December 2017, when the asset briefly flirted with $20,000 before collapsing in dazzling fashion, according to Dow Jones Market Data, based on a 7 p.m. Eastern close.But now bitcoin is drawing eyeballs and...WW…

After Tesla and Apple announced plans to split their shares within weeks of each another, there has been a growing buzz that more companies with triple and quadruple-digit share prices will follow in their footsteps. “Everybody’s talking about it,” Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices, told MarketWatch in an interview on Thursday.“I’m getting requests from companies looking for raw data… asking, ‘Is there a reason I should split [my shares]?’ he said. Silverblatt said he thought boards of companies might indeed follow Tesla and Apple’s lead at some point and...…After Tesla and Apple announced plans to split their shares within weeks of each another, there has been a growing buzz that more companies with triple and quadruple-digit share prices will follow in their footsteps. “Everybody’s talking about it,” Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at S&P Dow Jones Indices, told MarketWatch in an interview on Thursday.“I’m getting requests from companies looking for raw data… asking, ‘Is there a reason I should split [my shares]?’ he said. Silverblatt said he thought boards of companies might indeed follow Tesla and Apple’s lead at some point and...WW…

Amazon.com Inc. unsurprisingly topped expectations for quarterly sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was comments from CEO Jeff Bezos, in a written statement accompanying the retailer’s earnings report, that really drew the focus on Wall Street Thursday evening. The remarks constituted arguably the lengthiest such statement from the world’s richest man in a quarterly report and underscored the magnitude of the deadly disease that has left much of the world struggling to emerge from forced business shutdowns and a temporary...Amazon.com Inc. unsurprisingly topped expectations for...…Amazon.com Inc. unsurprisingly topped expectations for quarterly sales amid the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was comments from CEO Jeff Bezos, in a written statement accompanying the retailer’s earnings report, that really drew the focus on Wall Street Thursday evening. The remarks constituted arguably the lengthiest such statement from the world’s richest man in a quarterly report and underscored the magnitude of the deadly disease that has left much of the world struggling to emerge from forced business shutdowns and a temporary...Amazon.com Inc. unsurprisingly topped expectations for...WW…