Beware of Higher Interest Rates

Rising inflation means rate hikes could come sooner than you think. Here's how to ready your portfolio

Ben in a Bind

With little room for the Fed to make a course adjustment safely, Bernanke's balancing-act comments carry even greater weight than usual

Movers: Anheuser-Busch, Lehman, Merrill Lynch, Microchip, Hooker Furniture

Wednesday's stocks in the news

Don't Fear the Bubble

Speculative booms and busts are actually good for the long-term health of the economy. Here's why

Stocks Tumble on Oil Spike, Economic Fears

With oil prices returning to record highs, investors are growing wary of possible rate hikes that would hurt economic growth

Analyst Actions: Lehman, Alcoa, Microchip Technology, Central Garden & Pet

Inflation: A Not-So-Merry May

Action Economics expects the overall consumer price index for the month to jump 0.5%, driven by another big gain in energy prices

S&P Picks and Pans: WaMu, Nortel, Staples, Alvarion, Varian Medical, LDK Solar

Analysts' opinions on stocks in the news Wednesday