my man, ashley webster joins from us frankfurt, germany with the details. hey, ash. say, tracy, march -- mario draghi got the bazooka out. that bond buying program that will effectively put in a backstop for the bond market and bring down borrowsing costs for spain and italy. countries first must request help and undergo strict conditions. that could prove a problem for a country like spain. they may not want people nosing around in their books but the ecb hopes the imf will also be a part of that process. i asked mr. draghi today, during the press conference, whether the high borrowing costs were in fact based on very real economic date and not as he stated, unfounded fears. ? >> we shouldn't forget how these countries found themselves in the bad quill lib bream to begin with. maybe because of their wrong policies and policy mistakes. so to this extent the yields, that are currently in the market reflect this fact. they don't reflect only unfounded fears of a possibility reversibility. they also reflect the quality of the outstanding credit of these countries. ashley

ashley webster air in germany to cover this story. hello. call me clouds from now on. mario draghi came into his meeting smiling and various beat despite all the pressure he has been under and he just unveiled this bond buying program that is designed to bring down the borrowing costs of countries such as spain and italy. it is called out right market transactions and goes further than the previous couple bond buying programs the ec has rolled out. it has to officially request helped and undergo strict vision but there's no limit to how many bonds can be bought. >> quantitative leaning, we want this to be received as a backstop. ashley: and he says it is a fully effective backstop. the kind of move markets are anticipating and we have seen a positive reaction. the rally, the yields come down. the spanish ten year yield close to 6% which is better than the 7% we saw last couple of months. he also says that the pcb is acting in the mandate of its mission but there are critics we heard from his said this is absolutely not within their mandate.

there's more up next in the two hours with ashley webster and tracy byrnes. ashley: thanks. i'm ashley webster. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes, it is the first anniversary of occupy wall street. protesters on the street stopping people from getting to work, but people got to work, and the markets opened for business, and so are we. we're going to look at what, if any impact, the movement is having today and on the upcoming election. of course, lou dobbs next. ashley: weighing in on the violent protests continuing overseas and what that means to the price of oil and gas and if it raises the chances of oil being released from the reserves. tracy: congress needs to act fast. we are going to look at the defense names that could take the biggest hits, ones you might want to get out of before it's too late. ashley: it is time for stocks like every 15 minutes, going to the floor of the new york stock exchange. nicole, stocks breathing after four consecutive days of gains. >> that's true. four great days, of course, the fed delivered the bond buying program, and an accommodated fed, and to

ashley webster all over it as always. he's with us in the newsroom. ey: rough day for european markets seeing the biggest drop in two months as worries about spain and greece have led to basically a broad drop across all sectors, especially among the financial sector. at the closing bell, here's what it looked like, the ftse off 1 1/2%. the cac in paris down nearly 3%. the dax down 2%. by the way, the italian and spanish markets down by more than 3%. the pressure really starting to go up on spain. the yield on the spanish ten year note hitting 6% for the first time in a week. meantime anger at austerity measures well spilling on to the streets. thousands of protesters surrounding government buildings in central madrid, pulling for the resignation of the prime minister. it's been a similar story in greece as you see here where police clashed with protesters. i think we have the video. in central athens, general strike and antigovernment rally turned violent. everyone from teachers to shopkeepers to car mechanics taking to the streets upset over new aust

liz: a lot of it started in europe so let's get to ashley webster. we also have allen at the cme watching all the trading action and drew bringing in buying opportunities he believes will help you get in on the next wall street rally but first ashley in frankfurt. ashley: mario draghi, head of the pcb just of the bazooecb ju announcing unlimited bond purchases to bring down borrowing costs in spain and italy. critics say that the pcb does not have the legal mandate to make such a move. they're also concerned there will be inflationary problems. >> expansion remains subdued. inflation expectations for the economy continue to be firmly anchored in line with our aim of taking inflation rates below but close to 2%. economic growth is expected to remain weak. with ongoing intentions in financial markets and heightened uncertainty weighing on confidence and sentiment. ashley: the imf and france already welcoming the move from the ec but the usual flow, basically saying this is certainly illegal. he says that the pcb is printing money to prop up government a

ashley webster. lou: there was another speech across town, governor romney. the clinton initiative.got a standing ovation. listen to how he began. >> if there is one thing we have learned in this election season, by the way, it is that a few words from bill clinton can do a man a lot of good. [laughter] [applause] >> all i have to do now is with a couple of days for that balance. lou: romney showing grace and a great sense of humor. more of that on the campaign trail. lou: unusual as that was. it was very, very -- ashley webster. >> he did not exactly say -- [talking over each other] lou: is there any truth that like president obama in the view , the clinton people were talking about romney as i can the? >> let's look. but let's face it, you know, it is amazing how can this -- [talking over each other] lou: you service the opporunity to confuse a lot of people. president obama referred to in south as i can be. by the way, the fact of the matter is, he did not have time for any war leaders because he was doing that. what do you think of that? what does that feel like inside? >> i thi

gerri: ashley webster. coming up, the latest move by credit card companies to get your business.e you money? and who will tell you why you will be saving money the next time you had to the doctor's office. a disturbing new trend. stay with us. ♪ gerri: it is no secret a trip to the doctor's office will cost you, but the same exact procedure could wind up double the cost depending on where you go into is in charge. why is that? the hospitals are buying a private practices leaving you, your insurer, or even medicare picking up the tab. director of consumers what start. joining me now. thatcher coming and the show tonight. why is there such a huge price stamp? >> we have a case of hospitals are in their way around. this was street journal story expose a phenomenon that is becoming more and more common across the country where individual, independent physician practices are being bought up by larger hospital groups. and those hospital groups are throwing their weight around in the market, pressuring insurance companies to pay more for the same exact procedures that doctors offices we

card. [ crowd cheering, mouse clicks ] connell: closing of the european markets for the day and ashley webster numbers for us. ashley: rumors are running rampant that spain will unveil a economic reform plan that will pave the way for a bailout that calls for spending cuts. heading into the weekend the major european markets lost steam in the afternoon especially with the ftse slightly down but the cac getting a gain of 1/2% and it is up 1%. report that talks between spain and the e.u. focusing on conditions demanded by international lenders as part of a new rescue plan. the condition involves structural changes to save the economy and no new taxes or cuts. official with the italian finance officer calling the report rubbish. saying no government will voluntarily accept the conditions opposed for a bailout citing a loss of national sovereignty for the reason italian, spanish and ten year bond yields dropping 1% since the ecb signaled it would buy distressed that. all rose lead to rome today for a bigger's banquet with italian prime minister mario monte pederson leaders say there is need to saf

ashley webster standing by with breaking details on those markets. a great day for these guys. ashley? ashley: not really cheryl. european markets are moving lower on concerns over greece, what's new there, and reported differences among eu leaders on developing a banking union. let's take a look at the closing numbers for you. the bell just ringing a few minutes ago. the ftse off about quarter of a percent, down about 1% all day on the cac in paris. the dax also off about 1/2%. german chancellor merkel rejecting french president's appeal to activate oversight of the banking union quote the earlier the better. it is considered a key building block in resolving the region's debt crisis. but chancellor merkel says you know what? it has to be done right and it cannot be rushed. this comes as business optimism in germany fell for the fifth month in a row. the latest index falling to its lowest level in 2 1/2 years as german businesses worry about german exports and a faltering economy. today's news may be bleak in the euro zone, but it won't bother the g

none other than ashley webster recently back from yet another trip to europe. ey: some profit taking more problems in greece even a fall in chinese imports all combining to create a less than really positive session this monday in europe. let's take a look at the closing bell. the ftse was meandering all day, finishing just slightly lower at the closing bell. the cac was down about quarter of a percent. essentially flat also on the dax in frankfurt. after getting a boost from last week's announcement by the ecb for unlimited bond purchases yes, europe faces another testing week. this wednesday germany's constitutional court will rule on new powers for the euro zone bailout fund the esm which critics argue illegally transfers authority from berlin to brussels. on the same day dutch voters will go to the polls and decide whether or not to back parties, an expansion of european powers and integration of a banking system. a lot on the line. let's not forget greece. greece's prime minister meeting with officials again today after failing to secure an agreement from h

now we continue our countdown with ashley webster. hley: let's check in with nicole petallides live at the nyse. markets still hanging, 91 points. reporter: that's right. looking here at goodyear red goldman sachs and saying is saying you're going to need to replace that. up from a new perspective, stops at 3.5%. price target of $17, up from $12.42. the u.s. tire maker will gain from new orders like i noted and also in europe. a lower raw material costs helping the company along. another name we wanted to look at is yahoo! we are looking at yahoo! very closely ahead of what has been going on ahead of the bell. i have to tell you, that positively now, they are getting upgraded because they don't don't have the state that they used to have. as a result, yahoo! is giving an upgrade. ashley: okay, thank you very much, we now head back to liz claman where she is joined by the former ambassador to iraq. liz: yes, and he is very important. as we sit here at the summit, speaking unsent speaking about helpless public partnerships where business

ashley webster is here now. ent economic data around the u.s., helping the european markets. not by much. they are up about .5%. again, all eyes on spain, cheryl. there is a standup going on between the prime minister and the ecb. what exactly are the conditions if we do indeed request a bailout into by our government debt. the ecb said, well, let's talk about it. cheryl: they have no choice at this point. ashley: they are dragging their feet. this is dangerous territory. no dow about it. they have to come up with a economic reform. this is dragging on and on and is not helping the cause. cheryl: we will talk. that will be 50 meetings. ashley: over the course of 2.5 years. cheryl: it is fun. ashley: it keeps going on and on. cyber security expert today. really interesting. the recent attacks came from iran. we will be talking about that. cheryl: juicy stuff. thank you. dennis. dennis: i think there are too many threads on this show today. it is forcing the u.s. to send troops to the region to respond. adam joins

ashley webster is here with more. disagreement over the bailout. ashley: exactly, that's it., dagen. after hitting 15 month highs last week, european markets losing dpround to start this week -- losing ground to start this week with energy and banking stocks leading the decliners. the dax down about 2/10. tens of thousands of protesters gathered over the weekend in central madrid. these protesters coming a day after spain's finance minister suggested that new belt-tightening steps are imminent. spain is trying to reduce the gaping budget deficit which last year stood at nearly 9% of gdp. the marches in madrid, banners with slogans like they are ruining the country and we have to stop them. large protesters against austerity measure also taking place in neighboring portugal, a real weekend event. demonstrators in lisbon by the way throwing tomatoes and fireworks at the portuguese headquarters of the imf. although they looked more orderly there, but certainly a weekend of protests across many places in europe. this week eu officials will begin detailed discussions on the four s

let's take it to ashley webster in frankfurt, germany where the ec made the big announcement. what about where you are? ashley: absolutely huge. mario draghi team through with what the markets wanted. unlimited bond buying program where they will buy one to three your note. all the countries have to do is officially request help through the bailout funds. it does come with an attachment of strict conventions that will be monitored by the imf. they're prepared to do that. to countries like spain and italy want someone coming in to the balance books is the big question. so far spain and italy said we won't apply for help. interesting to see what happens next. the ball is squarely in their court. his credibility on the line making the big announcement today and markets in europe reacting favorably as we have seen in the united states. the ftse up 12% and the cac index of 12% and bank stocks, french bank stocks up 7%. certainly a lot of positive reaction to this news but there are critics who say that the pcb is just throwing money at the problem. this is tantamount to finding gove

ashley webster will update us on that breaking news. entrepreneur is making a major flip from tech to the food industry. ♪ ♪ >> i am tracy byrnes with your fox business brief. wall street coming off session lows. disappointing reports on the u.s. economy had sent stocks plunging. kodak is looking for more time. company submitting an extension until february. more layoffs are on the way for the struggling company. it will further reduce its workforce by 200 more then it said it would cut this month. sony is expected to become all of this is -- olympus shareholder. that is the latest from the fox business network. giving you the power to prosper. ♪ ♪ chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance. geico, see how much you could save. cheryl: we have more on the results of spain bank stress test. what do you make of it? ashley: the reaction has been fairly positive so far. they can access up to 100 billion euros. fourteen banks in spain. they will need the full 100 billion. not the case. let's bring up the

i'm ashley webster. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes.urs to go stocks are on track for their best week in more than a month although the dow certainly pulled back. the fed giving the market its latest jolt higher but should investors be worried about more trouble from europe? we'll actually have two opposing views ahead. ashley: certainly a sweet week for apple as the first round of iphone 5 preorders sellout in less than an hour. that pushed the stock dangerously close to 700 bucks a share. is it about to bust through another ceiling? we'll ask that question. tracy: peaking at 700 earlier. details on the white house's plan for automatic spending cuts in the new year. as both parties failed to solve the looming fiscal cliff what happens? we're going to tell you what will and won't be cut. that's ahead. ashley: as we mentioned the dow is up 100 points but certainly off the highs. time for a lock at stocks as we do every 15 minutes. let's head down to nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. nicole. >> thanks, ashley,

ashley: good afternoon, i'm ashley webster. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes. the iphone5, fell short of targets which is bananas. shares tumbling 2% as a result. ashley: federal reserve's money printing caused troubles in the rest of the world? some so believe. james says yes telling you how it could hurt the u.s. economy in the end. tracy: startling study on the health care law and impact on the economy. details ahead, too. time for stocks now as we do every 15 minutes, going down to nicole on the floor of the new york stock exchange. nicole, you are talking tech giants, aren't you? >> that's right. google, all-time high today for google. back in 2007, it was flying high, sold off in a big way, and it's back at $747 today making new all-time highs for google. one of the reasons, citi group had a note this morning before it hit the all-time high saying it should happen in 12 months, but it was within the next 24 hours. that would have been right on it. they are streamlining the motorola business, selling off the motorola home segment. good news for google. as

market's closing up and ashley webster has the details. >> it promises to be critical. the policy meeting on thursday. threat of a credit downgrade. week manufacturing numbers in the u.s. and this is what you got today. the ftse off 1.5%. and the back in frankfurt down more than 1%. and the outlook on the regions are negative for more than at downgrade could be possible. and the bond buying plan by fears they may be at a policy meeting and may cut interest rates. and buying short-term sovereign debt reach e.u. roles. and short-term spanish and italian bonds. we see bond yields in both countries fall today as the euro hovered near a eight week high just down from 126 to $125.62. leading german bankers not happy with plans to give the ec beet supervisory powers. the go far from deutsche bank said oversight would work only if it cover a wide range of banks. not just europe's biggest but the german government and smaller banks. supervision should focus only on those banks considered systemically relevant. the u.s. reportedly close to finalizing $1 billion bailout to save eg

ashley: i'm ashley webster. red for the day and the week, but guess what firmly in the green for the month. where do we go from here and how can you prepare your portfolio for a possible tax hike in the new year? find out what one strategist is telling his clients. tracy: also looming in the new year, the fiscal cliff. find out why some people say we need to just get it over with, go over the top and deal with the consequences. ashley: right over the top. and facebook is getting into the e-commerce business. allowing you to send real gifts to your virtual friends but the question is, will it be a gift for company shareholders? we'll be asking an analyst. tracy: don't get that virtual stuff. anyway, top of the hour. time for stocks as we do every 15 minutes. nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. nicole, we were just talking about it. spain kind of helping us back again today, huh? >> that's right. when we talk about spain again, spain again and that sometimes hits our markets but today we

ashley: good afternoon, everybody, i'm ashley webster. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes.to its reputation as the weakest month for stocks. dow, nasdaq, s&p 500 all down but they are above their worst levels of the day. the big question of course, ash was talking about it, how will europe, the fed and more shape stocks in this critical month ahead? we'll have a preview coming up. ashley: it is the democrats turn now to make their case for the white house. we're live from the dnc in charlotte ahead. police former senator phil gramm says if you want to see how four more years of the obama white house will look, look no farther than europe. he is our special guest this hour. tracy: all comes back to europe. high gas prices didn't put the brakes on rebound month for u.s. auto sales. we'll at the you who the biggest winners were and what it means for the overall economy coming up. ashley: time for stocks as we do every 15 minutes. let's head down to nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. still down 83 points, nicole. >> tracy, ashley, we're looking at a

for the latest we go to ashley webster live in frankfurt, germany. , since i joined fox and you've been going over to europe i've been begging you to solve the problem. you finally got it done. is it different this time? >> you know, that's a very good question. super mario got the bazooka out. before today the ecb had indeed a bond buying program which they finished back in march but it was limited in nature. it came with no conditions. the difference this time, melissa, it is, well, there is no limit. but it does come with strong conditions. countries have to apply. and they have to undergo strict monitoring of the conditions they agree to abide to in order to get the bailout. so there is a difference and now it is up to those european leaders of all the different countries if they want the bailout money, they have to formally apply and then put up with a lot of intrusion into their books. melissa: i don't know. we'll see how tough they really are about all this. the proof is in the pudding. i wonder a lot of people have been raising the question to

ashley webster error in the newsroom with the clothes for the day in the european markets. ey: news that the bank of japan is following the lead of the ecb by printing more money get european markets a brief boost but we see profitstaking in bank stocks which hurt hopes of a big rally but the closing bell green on the screen, same story on the cac in paris and the backs up 0.6. in the bond market spanish and italian government that gained slightly in value to pull down yield on the spanish ten year bond to 5.85% which is a little more reassuring. germany saw $5.3 billion worth of bonds in an average yield of 0.06% but that is the first time since june that germany has not achieved negative yields. tough times calling for tough measures. news that greece is planning to sell diplomatic buildings in foreign countries. the list still being drawn up but one is believed to be the greek building in london's holland park neighborhood. no word on what the 10,000 square foot building is going for but greece looking at options as it tries to find $15 billion in budget cuts. i know this

i'm ashley webster. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes. er of hope for housing giving stocks a boost today. we'll dig beyond the headline numbers to see if investors are sold on the housing recovery. ashley: the white house escalating tough trade talk against china. chinese expert gordon chang will be here to say it is too little too late. tracy: always is. new study says obesity is expected to triple in 20 years. we'll break down the numbers ahead. it is so frightening, ashley. ashley: that video is not good, is it? stocks as we do every 15 minutes. down to the new york stock exchange with our very own nicole petallides. what is going on? >> makes me want to cut out the chips for lunch. i hope to see tracy's mom and you bring her on air. first start off with the dow, the nasdaq and s&p. the dow is still above 13,600, approaching not too far off the 2012 high of 13,655. you can see here you have the major averages higher today. the vix, fear index is higher. dollar is lower, which gives the opportunity for the equities to move to the upside

i'm tracy byrnes, i'm ashley webster. stock busting through another milestone on astronomical hopes for the iphone 5. since it dropped more than two from the intraday record, can the company keep up its stunning run? tracy: a new warning from fedex says not even the fabulous iphone 5 can make up for global weakness. fedex says its customers are still aggressively cutting costs. we'll look how the warning could say more about the state of the economy than any other government reports we're getting. ashley: united states is one of the world's most economically free countries. think again. the cato institute says the u.s. dropped from the top 10 to 18th on the list in its annual report. coauthor ian vasquez will be our special guest ahead to explain that. 18th in economic --. tracy: we were 10th last year. he has got to tell us what is going on. time for stocks as we do every 15 minutes. we head down to nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. nicole we're down about eight points right now? >> right. th

. >>> coming up ashley webster takes a look at the coal industry which is already taking a hit thankso government regulators and why things could get even worse if president obama is reelected. here is ashley. he is jogging in. ashley: good afternoon, everybody, i'm ashley webster. oil prices tumbling to below $90 a barrel less than two weeks after trading in the triple digits. you can see oil down to 89. new clashes in greece and spain reminding the world, guess what? the european crisis is far from over. regulation nation. american coal producers fighting to save their future. one energy expert will tell us why even more regulations could be ahead. all right, time now for stocks as we do every 15 minutes. let's head down to floor of the nyse with nicole petallides. the dow is drifting lower just like yesterday, nicole. >> ashley, there is a lot to talk about. economic news. what we're seeing over in europe right now. the dow is down again as you noted. we were down over 100 points yesterday. here we are today down 26 points down for the dow jones industrials. we're seeing nasdaq and

ashley: i'm ashley webster.stocks off session lows on new concerns about the economy here at home and overseas in china and europe. oil prices continue to drop for a fourth day. tracy: with time quickly running out before the fiscal cliff there is talk of growing cooperation. yes, brief it or not on capitol hill to avoid the worst-case scenario. finance committee member senator mike crapo joins us in moments. ashley: compromise? who would have thunk it. apple shares hitting a milestone, 700 bucks a piece this week but one analyst says they could hit 1100 next year. he is our guest ahead. tracy: wow! time for stocks as we do every 15 minutes. nicole petallides birthday girl on the floor of the new york stock exchange. hi, nicole. >> thank you so much for the birthday wishing. all is well this happy days. you're not too happy if you're long the market. dow, nasdaq and s&p slightly lower. the tech-heavy nasdaq has been the worst of the bunch. ipo world back in action after a one-month lull. we have 7 ipos. we have

i'm ashley webster. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes.cks near session lows as we enter the last two hours of trading, down about 16 points. it had been up, to 60 points at the highs of the session. ashley: american banks, utilities and the government are under constant assault by hackers. a head of cybersecurity firm source fire, martin roesch will have the very latest where these attacks are coming from. tracy: scary stuff. american home prices rising last year not second straight month. david blitzer who oversees the case-shiller report, will tell us why he is optimistic about housing. ashley: good to here. time for stocks. as we do every 15 minutes, let's head down to nicole petallides on the floor of the nyse. down 20 points, nicole. >> that's right, ashley and tracy. as you noted we had a winning day on wall street. the dow was as high as 1,620, only to give a lot of that back. we're down almost 100 points from that level. we had the back and forth action. the dow is down 23 points. nasdaq composite one quarter of 1%% and s&p 500, m

i'm ashley webster. good afternoon, everyone. tracy: i'm tracy byrnes.yone was talking stocks, everyone is taking a break from the stellar run. how will news from europe affect the jason trennert will weigh in a few moments. ashley: not stopping for retailers digging for gold in the market. we'll tell you which stores are in the best position to strike it big. that is coming up. tracy: a new school wants to reinvent private education around the dwrob. avenues opens with $75 million in funding and a tuition higher than that of most colleges. ceo chris whittle is just ahead. ashley: as we do every 15 minutes, nicole petallides is on the floor of the nyse. >> tracy, ashley, we're looking at market down 11 points. last week we gained 215 points. we have not given that back much here today. that was after two weeks of selling. last week was a winner. a lot of bulls will take it. we're hovering near the multiyear highs. banks have a lot on the move and. i want to look at aig in particular. a name we all have a special interest in being taxpayers. you may remem

ashley: i'm ashley webster.e about the fed meeting and critical ruling of europe's bailout boosting stocks, up 91 points, close to session highs. trading close to the earlier session high. gives you a sense how high the market is moving. we'll have the big winners ahead. tracy: clearly in anticipation of some liquidity. as stocks climbed back, a new report said investors missed out on billions of dollars in gains. the reason? big lack of confidence in stock mutual funds. we'll look at what if anything can rebuild investor trust. ashley: america's small businesses are suddenly more optimistic about the future. so will they start hiring? that is the big question. national federation of independent business chief economist bill dunkelberg will be here to answer those questions and much more. tracy: at we do every 15 minutes, nicole petallides on floor of the new york stock exchange. dow is up about 90 points, nicole. >> not too far off session highs, tracy and ashley. been a pretty good day on wall street. we erase

today we are joined by ashley webster and liz macdonald. >> we were talking about josÉ canseco.e. liz and i were not. here is some good news out of greece. real estate properties for luxury properties are up 50% compared to the first part of the year. i have to tell you that you keep going over there and you should buy me something. >> maybe there is a problem. i will pay you when you get back i arrive with cash in hand, it may be better. the russians and the chinese are buying up the greek islands righ now. germany flippantly said sell the ultimate fixer upper. [laughter] melissa: i wonder if you buy the property, with you on the hook for as far as government? >> i didn't but they are less than the cost of a condo in manhattan and london, but you might as well buy on the surface of the moon. stores are shutting down, businesses are shutting down. melissa: i don't know, even those is so fabulous, i would wonder what the government would come looking for bonaire out of cash. next up, the fbi has arrested new jersey's mayor tony mack. he faces charges. his demonstration has been i

we are joined by sandra smith and ashley webster. thank you for joining us, guys.ys a blast. first up, on march 1 ever deal to build a store in new york is no more. the store failed to reach an agreement with a development from brooklyn. for now, new yorkers will just have to wait. wal-mart said it would continue to look for a location because most new yorkers would like the discount giant open a store. nothing against wal-mart. >> my problem with wal-mart is yes, if you live out in the suburbs, it's great. but the locally owned stores, they drive the prices down. >> if you build it, they will come. you have seen on every wal-mart that they have put up in the united states. this is the free market and capitalism. if it is meant to get built, it will get built. although we have a key marketing home depot. so what is the problem with wal-mart? if you like maybe there is more to this story. >> it is an iconic brand. there is no doubt about that. do they treat their workers well with health care benefits and all of that. melissa: unknown. we don't want wal-mart in her

. >> hello, i am ashley webster in fort gerri willis.eleased a new campaign ad today to outline economic plan. >> it's time for a new economic fate. rooted in the belief that our economy begins with a thriving middle class. ashely: maybe it

i'm crediting ashley webster and tracy byrnes with this. the democratic national convention is in full swing in charlotte and the republicans are back on the campaign trail for their part after their convention in tampa last week. in matter which side you are on, everyone is trying to answer the same question, are we better off today than four years ago? personally i have a different question, but we will get to that in a minute. we're going to want you to help us answer that question from an investor's perspective so we're bringing in the team to do it. rich edson in washington. liz macdonald here in the studio. liz, you are great at numbers, let's turn to you and find -- and find out how we're looking at four years later. liz: the dow is up 57%, liz, that's a great number, s&p is up 65%. look at this, the nasdaq is almost doubled, up 99%. of course corporate profits have been up. they are up 63% since then. so the flip side to that is all right is this a debate about are we better off or is this a debate could have been worse recovery bec

ashley webster joins us. ashley: hi, dennis. a lot of this was already eight and.f 191 billion euros of the germany government could put into the fund, if it goes about that they have to give parliamentary approval. interestingly, the market themselves finished mostly flat on the day. the footsie off a little bit. what this really does is set up a double bazooka backstop. that is the way the euro zone would like to see that. the second was the ecb. announcing it would buy unlimited amount of short-term bonds. when you put those two together, it sends a very strong message to the markets we have you covered. does it really? dennis: today they announced a guy calling for creation of a truly controlling european central bank. ashley: it is really interesting. taking integration in the euro zone to a whole new level. what we need is for them to regulate all 6000 banks in the euro zone. that would be 17 countries. then you would have phased out over those banks. the question is what they want to give up that amount of sovereign right. the problem is, though, the ecb is

ashley webster joins me now with the rally overseas. ashley: the fed fueled rally.had the big bazooka from the ecb, you put all of that together. it finished. nice indeed. the ftse up nearly 100 points. the german dax also up 1.4%. very good day indeed. all eyes now on spain. will spain be asking for financial help? that is a big issue we had in the meeting today. we are just fine. the analyst not buying it. under a lot of pressure. they are will be a lot of backlash back home. cheryl: they have to come to a consensus. ashley: they do. sooner better than later. cheryl: thank you, ashley. dennis: a survey from our next guest shows optimism and small business has taken a hit. joining me now charlie moore founder and chairman of rocket lawyer. thank you for being with us, charlie. 45% of the small business people in your survey say the number one concern is the autonomy and get 33% say they want to hire in the coming year. >> right. that is a great question, dennis. we do the small business index in order to really take a pulse of small businesses for what they think a

dennis: ashley webster joins us now with more. ashley: a very frustrating scenario right now.litical limbo right now in europe. you know, the german court said yes we back the bailout fund. now you can hear crickets out there. will spain the next in line to ask for a bailout? everyone says yes, but they are dragging their feet. dennis: i thought what took european stocks down today is spain is bulking saying they do not need a bailout. ashley: they said the same things about their banks and then turned around and said, yes, we do. you are getting conflicting messages. you have the prime minister saying we need to make sure we really look at where we are at before we pull the trigger. if they go to the ecb for this unlimited bond buying there are a lot of conditions attached to it. politically, not a good move for him. he has been in charge. he has been in a very difficult situation. by asking for a bailout, it makes his situation weaker. dennis: thank you very much, ashley. cheryl: it is time for your west coast minute. former california governor arnold schwarzenegger about to

ashley webster in the newsroom and other factors. ashley: exactly.onomic data from china and the euro zone setting the stage for selling in europe today especially in the resources sector. nothing too drastic. look where the major exchanges were with the ftse up 1/2% and same story, the dax flat on the day. 7 purging signs out of spain. the country's borrowing costs easing where $6.2 billion after selling three and ten year bonds. demand for the ten year notes three times the amount encouraging the average yield right around 5.66%. that is down from the 6.65% at the previous auction down nearly 1%. aggressive new policy from the ecb failing to boost struggling euro zone businesses according to the latest reading, activity among euro zone companies suffering the steepest contraction since june of 2009. speaking in brussels at the last e.u. summit before handing over power chinese leaders urging that e.u. to lift its arms embargo and a number of trade tariffs. the chinese government is repeatedly expressed concern about europe's debt crisis. e.u. china

ashley: and i'm ashley webster.e rays of sunshine especially on the jobs front. find out what today's data means for the economy and the election. most importantly, your money. tracy: state finances are in dire straits across the country, maybe because state workers are actually paid more than those doing the same job in the private sector. we have those numbers. ashley: should you be denied a job because you were charged with a crime even if those charges were dropped? that is what one guy found when applying to be a cop in massachusetts. a good debate. tracy: it is a good one. time for stocks as they do every 15 minutes, nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. up 95%. spain again? nicole: i would give a lot of the moves to spain, some credit has to go to spain today. in europe the euro zone gaining strength, the dollar has been falling and equities moving to the upside as soon as it began to break. around 11 or so, that is where we really saw our pop of the day. and seeing financials with th

dagen: breaking news europe's markets closing right now, ashley webster is here with how worried investorsbout that german court -- ashley: probably be okay but who knows in the euro. greece's leader taking begging ball to ecb today. george soros says germany must lead or leave the euro. my oh my. meantime european stocks made some modest gains today. they were down for most of the day. ftse coming back to essentially flat on the day but the cac and dax up quite nicely picking up some sentiment out of the u.s. greek unionists chanting get out of here formed a human chain in athens today to block the entrance to labor ministry and forced a delay yes in talks between greek leaders. greece must present u.s. austerity plan in front of finance ministers on friday. prime minister off to frankfurt today to meet with the ecb president. investors fretting over comments made spain's prime minister -- made by spain's prime minister. >>> and billionaire financier and political activist soros says germany should lead the european uni -- union or just get the heck out. he says they should be more willin

ashley: i'm ashley webster. apple calling iphone 5 the most beautiful product it ever made that is.ticipated new phone, yes, thinner, lighter, more beautiful and has a bigger screen than the 4s. will it deliver on astronomical kaels sales expectations? we'll have a independent analyst and retailer this hour. tracy: different connector. will that be a problem for people going forward? u.s. embassies on high alert after libyan ambassador chris stevens and three others were killed by a mob with guns and rocket-propelled grenades. separate attack targeted the u.s. embassy in cairo as well. we'll bring you the very latest on the fast-developing story. ashley: decision time for the federal reserve. what will chairman bernanke and company decide is the best move after qe1 and 2? how will markets react. we're looking at all the options ahead. tracy: on this iphone 5 day. time for stocks as we do every 15 minutes, we head down to nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. dow is up 25 points, nicole? >> dow and s&p both up 2% so far for the month of september which tradit

ashley webster is here with the details. make it eloquent, ash. ey: i will tell you what it is interesting the outlook for europe's economy taking another downturn with the euro zone business confidence falling to a three year low. but all eyes right now on spain as the country is outlining the details of its 2013 budget. let's take a look at the market action in europe. kind of struggled for direction today but finishing higher slightly. ftse up about .2%. the cac up about three quarters of a percent. and dax also up barely by a quarter of a percent. spain announcing economic reforms in a tight 2013 budget one that aims to avoid the political humiliation of having brussels come in and impose conditions on any requests for an international bailout. spanish leaders saying just moments ago that the budget is focused on cutting spending, not raising taxes, which of course has created a lot of anger among the spanish people. we have seen that rioting outside the parliament building as a result of that. so far we have learned that 43 new laws to reform

ashley: and i'm ashley webster. it is iphone friday.its a new record $705 a share as iphone 5 debuts but many stores are reportedly selling out already so can apple keep up with demand. tracy: we have breaking news on gop candidate mitt romney's tax returns. the campaign says he paid effective rate over 14% last year. we'll have details. ashley: regulation nation. one silicon valley ceo says sec bureaucracy is killing american innovation. tracy: top of the hour. time for stocks. as we do every 15 minutes. we have to head down to nicole petallides on the floor of the new york stock exchange. you have to talk about apple today, right? >> that's right, tracy and ashley. it is a winning day on wall street. but for the apple shareholders or folks who love tech or even people who hold the major averages you're a winner today because apple is helping all of those things move higher. apple hit another all-time high today on releasing long-awaited iphone 5. you can go into the store and actually purchase the item for the first time today. i also

ashley: i'm ashley webster. fed announces new stimulus and says it will keep interest rates exceptionally low through at least 2015. let's go to peter barnes. peter? >> that's right, ashley, tracy. we have the new economic forecast from the fed and once again we have another downgrade which helps to explain why the fed is looking for a lot more stimulus here. let's run through the numbers for you, starting with gdp growth. real gdp in june, fomc, projected 2.2% of 2012. it lowered that to 1.9%. it results more economic growth because of stimulus 2013, 2014 and now 2015 up to 3% or more. unemployment rate, that projection is unchanged from the june forecast, still at 8.1%. but again the fed assumes this stimulus will all kick in and get the unemployment rate down to 7%, about 7% by 2014 and about six 1/2% in 2015. on inflation, sees slightly higher inflation. we have seen higher gas and oil prices recently. it raised its forecast to 1.8% for 2012. it sees that staying at about 1.8% or so out through 2015. we have

melissa: ashley webster all over that this afternoon. lori: our national debt has passed the $16 trillion market. the republican convention. up next, a look at what if anything the democrats are saying about it. lori: let's go ahead and check metals as we head off to break there. we mentioned strengthening europe today. gold is slightly lower. $0.20. silver is down, but copper is climbing $0.6. that could be an indicator of better u.s. economic news and not. who knows. reacting these days. we will check back after the break. >> announcer: meet mary. she loves to shop online with her debit card, and so does bill, an identity thief who stole mary's identity, took over her bank accounts and stole her hard-earned money. now meet jack. after 40 years, he finally saved enough to enjoy retirement. angie, the waitress at jack's favorite diner, is also enjoying his retirement. with just a little information, she's opened up a credit line, draining the equity in jack's home. unfortunately, millions of americans just like you learn all it may take