Why the Dow Surged Today

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After falling nearly a full percentage point in early morning trading, the Dow (INDEX: ^DJI  ) rocketed back to close up 81 points (or 0.64%).

Why the change of heart, you ask? The Federal Reserve announced that it expects to be holding short-term interest rates near zero through 2014.

To be frank, it's a bit silly -- though not surprising -- that the market rallied on this news. No one expects us to be back near full employment by that time, and with the economy in a liquidity trap, core inflation won't be up, either. That means that the conditions requiring low interest rates will still be in place two years from now.

Cyclical Dow components like Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT  ) and Alcoa (NYSE: AA  ) rallied strongly on the news, as they are especially susceptible to economic conditions. With the Fed more publicly committed to low rates, growth prospects have improved.

Mortgage REITs, led by Chimera (NYSE: CIM  ) and Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY  ) , also jumped. Low borrowing costs have juiced their interest-rate spreads -- and hence their yields -- making them popular among dividend-thirsty investors. But REIT investors and, to a lesser extent, banking investors might not want to get too excited about the news just yet. If the announcement is a sign the Fed is becoming increasingly concerned about unemployment (it also revised its GDP growth estimates downward), that increases the likelihood it might take further actions to boost economic growth, like another Operation Twist or QE. And those actions might involve driving long-term rates down further, something that definitely wouldn't help spreads.

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Source: http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2012/01/25/why-the-dow-surged-today.aspx

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Goldman Sachs Stock Gets Going, Destination $126

Investors who have been quite eager to reward better-than-expected performers in recent weeks helped the bank's shares gain more than 7% over trading last Wednesday after it released its results.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/01/25/goldman-sachs-stock-gets-going-destination-126/

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Legal Debt Relief Possibilities – Debt Settlement Negotiation Vs Bankruptcy Legal debt relief choices have different pros and cos. Some of these legal debt relief possibilities have more pros than cons and some have a lot more cons than pros. In the case of insolvency and settlement settlement has more pros to supply and insolvency [...]

Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/01/25/legal-debt-relief-options-debt-settlement-negotiation-vs-bankruptcy/

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Halliburton Riding Fracking Boom And Gulf Drilling To $53 Stock Price

The federal government looking to ease the restrictions on deepwater drilling in the Gulf, we expect activity in the region to be a major revenue driver for Halliburton.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/01/25/halliburton-riding-fracking-boom-and-gulf-drilling-to-53-stock-price/

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4 Ways You Can Hire A Better Debt Management Firm

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Source: http://www.legaldebthelponline.com/2012/01/25/4-ways-you-can-hire-a-better-debt-management-firm/

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McDonald's Immediately Follows Its Epic #McDStories Fail With Another Twitter Campaign


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One day removed from the spectacular social media fail of McDonald's #McDStories campaign, the chain is already following it up with another hashtag (via Mashable).

It's #LittleThings, and McDonald's is hoping it'll prompt some instant redemption after the previous day's catastrophe.

The McDonald's Twitter account is fully branded for the new campaign, which exists to promote Chicken McBites -- the popcorn-chicken-like product that's being offered for a limited time in the US.

Now, the hashtag is equally as dangerously vague as #McDStories, but so far, things have worked out. However, Mashable points out that DoubleTree by Hilton has a promoted tweet campaign with the same hashtag, which could spark some conflict.

At least the tweets are pretty tame so far. The responses have been generally about every day tasks that make your day better (like a cup of coffee, or a laughing kid), but you have to bet that McDonald's is keeping a particularly close eye on this hashtag after that epic disaster.

It just goes to show that social media can go wrong in an instant, but when the mistake isn't all that serious, people are quick to forget -- or at least laugh it off.

NOW SEE: 12 McDonald's Menu Items That Failed Spectacularly >

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/VW9HIMVyB5Y/mcdonalds-is-following-its-epic-mcdstories-fail-with-another-twitter-hashtag-campaign-2012-1

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Intel Beefs Up Spending To Stiff-ARM Chip Competitors

Motivated partially by the threat of ARM-based players such as Nvidia, Intel will spend close to $12.5 billion in 2012 on property and equipment, its highest ever capital expenditure for a single year.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/01/25/intel-beefs-up-spending-to-stiff-arm-chip-competitors/

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GASP! Paul Tudor Jones Called Florida's Agriculture Commissioner A 'B*TCH'


Paul Tudor Jones

Better not piss off hedge fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones, the founder of Tudor Investments, or he'll go Dan Aykroyd on you.

That's what happened last week at the Everglades Summit when Florida's Agriculture Commissioner Dan Putnam expressed his approval of the agriculture industry helping restore the everglades, The Palm Beach Post reported. 

Jones, who also serves as the chairman of the Everglades Foundation, didn't think the agriculture industry is doing enough since they contribute the most pollution. 

From The Palm Beach Post:

But Jones wasn't satisfied, and responded with an off-the-wall reference to a "Saturday Night Live" skit lampooning "60 Minutes" co-hosts Shana Alexander and James Kilpatrick.

"Shana, you bitch," Jones said to Putnam.

In case you're not familiar with this SNL throwback, here's a clip of one of the skits.

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/nFXUoSm5ffo/gasp-paul-tudor-jones-called-floridas-agriculture-commissioner-a-btch-2012-1

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