After binge, individual investors less bullish on stocks

Individual investors continued to put money into the stock market last week, but the pace has slowed.

U.S. stock mutual funds, a popular investment vehicle for individuals, brought in just over $3.5 billion in the final week of January, according to the Investment Company Institute. That's about $30 million more than the week prior, when flows started to moderate.

Overall, investors have poured $10.3 billion into U.S. stock mutual funds in January.

That's MORE

Research in Motion surges 10% while Apple tanks

Oh, how the tables have turned in the smartphone world ... at least when it comes to stocks.

Apple shares continued to take a tumble, while shares of Research in Motion rallied again. Traders on StockTwits could barely contain themselves.

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$AAPL breaks below $500. Meanwhile, $RIMM up nearly 25% in less than 2 trading days.

Yes, RIM (RIMM) shares jumped more than 10% Monday. And the mighty Apple (AAPL), the most valuable tech company in MORE

Nike shares pop on strong sales

On your mark, get set. Go!

Shares of Nike (NKE) jumped 5% Friday morning, after the company's second quarter results topped analysts' expectations.

Nike said late Thursday that earnings rose 11% on sales of $6 billion in the quarter, driven by surprisingly strong demand in North America.

The company also said future orders for Nike footwear and apparel were up 14% in North America. These orders would be delivered in the December to MORE

Bank stocks keep surging

Bank stocks have been on a tear in 2012. Monday was no different, as shares of big banks pushed the broader market higher.

Bank of America (BAC), Citigroup (C), Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) all climbed more than 2%, while Wells Fargo (WFC) rallied more than 3%. AIG (AIG) shares were up after the company said it plans to sell its stake in AIA Group, a Hong Kong-based life insurance MORE

Knight Capital sidelined by power issues

Knight Capital Group stopped taking new trading orders Wednesday afternoon as it struggled with "power issues" and requested its clients re-route all stock orders to other trading firms, according to two traders who received a memo from the firm.

Jersey City, N.J.,-based Knight plays a key role on Wall Street by acting as a middleman in the markets, completing investors' buy and sell orders.

The company's latest snafu comes as U.S. financial markets MORE

Wall Street banks close, waive fees

Major Wall Street banks shut their doors Monday and said they'd waive certain fees, as Hurricane Sandy barrels toward the East Coast.

Citigroup (C) shuttered all of its branches in Manhattan and said only a handful of branches in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Connecticut and Delaware would remain operational Monday. The bank's branches in Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia were all open for business Monday.

JPMorgan Chase (JPM) planned to MORE

Bill Gross: Get used to stunted returns

Bond king Bill Gross says it's time for individual investors to get used to a new (and slower) dance.

In his monthly investment outlook letter, the founder of Pimco and manager of the world's largest bond fund, Pimco Total Return Fund (PTTRX), wrote that the age of credit expansion that led to double-digit portfolio returns is over, and the age of inflation has begun.

And that means investment returns from both stocks and MORE

Bill Gross: Paul Ryan not good for bond market

The world's largest bond investor took to Twitter Monday to air his gripes about Paul Ryan, the newly chosen Republican vice presidential candidate.

GROSS: Do bond markets take heart from Ryan selection? Not me. He talks lower deficits but really believes in lower taxes — exact opposite.— (@PIMCO) August 13, 2012

The comments from Bill Gross, founder of investing firm Pimco, show the challenges that Ryan may face when trying to MORE

Investors yank $5.7 billion from U.S. stocks - most in 10 weeks

The flight out of U.S. stocks picked up speed last week, as investors were left disappointed by the Federal Reserve's failure to take steps to stimulate the economy.

Investors yanked $5.7 billion out of U.S. stock mutual funds during the week ended Aug. 1, more than twice the amount pulled during the prior week, and the most since the week ended May 23. The outflow was also the fourth-biggest this year.

Investors MORE

Quarterly earnings: Not that great, about to get worse

Despite a stubbornly slow economic recovery at home and severe headwinds from Europe and Asia, U.S. companies are on track to deliver a tenth straight quarter of rising profits. But a closer look reveals some alarming trends.

With reports from more than 80% of the S&P 500 companies on the books, earnings are on pace to grow just 0.6% during the second quarter, the slowest since the third quarter of MORE