Earnings stink like a big pile of trash

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, and Abbott Laboratories, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.

Investors are in an Oscar the Grouch-like mood. But unlike the fuzzy, green Muppet, they don't love trash. And that's exactly what the latest slew of corporate earnings reports are: Dirty, dingy and dusty. Rotten, ragged MORE

Greece is still on ice

Greece and its international creditors have agreed on the "core measures" of the nation's recovery plan, but discussions over the nation's latest bailout installment will continue.

The European Union, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund, known as the troika, said Wednesday that monitors will leave Greece after "productive discussions" over policies to restore economic competitiveness and reduce unemployment.

But the group has yet to complete a key review of Greece's MORE

Investors 'wait and flee': $10 billion yanked from stocks

Investors have been bailing out of the stock market all year, but the exodus picked up considerable speed last week.

U.S. stock mutual funds bled nearly $10.6 billion during the week ended Oct. 3, the most since the week in August 2011 when Standard and Poor's downgraded the U.S. credit rating following the debt ceiling brawl in Washington, according to data from the Investment Company Institute.

That brings the total 2012 outflow from U.S. MORE

Oil breaks $100, but don't expect QE3 boost to last

Fresh stimulus action from the Federal Reserve drove commodity prices sharply higher Friday, but experts say don't expect the QE3-fueled boost to last long.

Crude oil prices briefly topped $100 a barrel for the first time since early May Friday morning, as investors grew encouraged after the Fed announced a third round of quantitative easing, or QE3, saying it would buy $40 billion of mortgage-backed bonds each month for however long it deemed necessary.

The Fed's open-ended bond MORE

Coal stocks ride China's stimulus wave

Investors who have been burned by holding onto coal stocks this year may finally be feeling the right type of heat.

Coal stocks started heating up Friday, after China announced a $156 billion commitment for improving the country's roads, rails and other infrastructure.

With China planning 55 new major infrastructure projects, investors are betting that those projects will rev up demand for coal, which China uses to make steel for its  bridges. MORE

Spain: One in four is unemployed

Spain suffered the highest level of joblessness in the eurozone in July, as overall unemployment in the region held steady at a record high.

One out of every four citizens in Spain is unemployed, according to the latest statistics from Eurostat. The situation is even worse for young Spaniards. The unemployment rate for those under 25 years old is now approaching 53%.

Spain has been dealing with high unemployment for years. The MORE

Oil near $100. Thanks a lot, Fed!

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, and Abbott Laboratories, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke may or may not give the market more hints about a possible third round of bond purchases at his speech in Jackson Hole next week. But investors are clearly betting on MORE

Spanish and Italian stocks are red hot

Spain and Italy have been a major source of concern for global investors, but you wouldn't know it from the stock markets in those countries.

Monday was a down day for most European markets, but stocks have been rising across the continent since European Central Bank president Mario Draghi made his now-infamous remark that the ECB will do "whatever it takes to preserve the euro" late last month.

Since Draghi uttered those MORE

Gold demand falls on weakness in China, India

Global demand for gold sank in the second quarter as buyers in China and India slowed their purchases of the precious metal, according to a report Thursday.

The World Gold Council said gold demand fell 7% in the second quarter from the same quarter last year.

The drop in demand came as gold prices averaged $1,609.49 in the quarter, up 7% from the average price in the same quarter last year.

Gold prices MORE

Europe is not fixed. Not by a long shot.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Paul R. La Monica. Other than Time Warner, the parent of CNNMoney, and Abbott Laboratories, La Monica does not own positions in any individual stocks.

Investors seemed relieved by the latest GDP figures out of Europe Tuesday. But why?

Sure, I guess the numbers could have been a lot worse. But the eurozone's overall economy shrunk by 0.2% from the first quarter to MORE