Find Financial News Online

() - After reporting eight consecutive monthly increases in new orders for manufactured goods, the Commerce Department released a report Friday showing that factory orders fell by much more than expected in the month of May.

The report showed that factory orders fell by 1.4 percent in May following a downwardly revised 1.0 percent increase in April. Economists had expected a more modest decrease in orders of about 0.6 percent compared to the 1.2 percent growth originally reported for the previous month.

A notable decrease in orders for non-durable goods contributed to the bigger than expected drop in factory orders, with non-durable goods orders falling by 2.1 percent in May after slipping by 0.6 percent in the previous month.

Full Article…

We are just months removed from one of the worst years for corporate dividends on record. Uncle Sam is expected to take another big bite out of that income in 2011 in the form of sharply higher taxes. And yet dividend investing has rarely looked better.

This year through mid-June, there were at least 135 dividend increases or initiations among the companies in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index () in May said it would increase its quarterly payout 10%, to 22 cents a share. Dental-products provider Patterson () in June announced it would initiate a quarterly payout of 10 cents a share.

Full Article…

The recent health care legislation made a popular promise to allow parents to be able to keep their children on their group insurance until age 26. Details are starting to emerge that may effect a large number of young people adversely. It seems that this new rule does not apply to children of federal employees covered under TRICARE, the defense departments health plan. This means it will not allow coverage for the children of 9.6 million service members.

There is more to the story. The idea was to extend coverage to young adult children at a lower cost under group insurance. Group insurance for dependents may be less expensive in other states but not in California.

Full Article…

Americans may seen lower prices and savings at retail chains when new interchange fees go into effect
As the hot debate surrounding interchange fees begins to wind down in Congress, it looks as though retailers are poised to win a victory. As the House and Senate reached a compromise on a bill that will essentially lower interchange, or “swipe fees,” for credit and debit card transactions, consumers may be wondering how the new legislation will affect their wallets.

Once the bill is signed into law, merchants will feel some financial relief as the interchange fees – costs that the retailers must pay credit card issuers and banks for each credit or debit transaction – will decline. Full Article…

NEW YORK, June 30 /PRNewswire/ — CSG Partners, LLC, the New York-based boutique investment bank, received the Acquisition Financing Deal of the Year award at the M&A Advisor’s 5th Annual Middle-Market Financing Awards.

CSG Partners received the award for structuring the ESOP buyout of International Intimates, Inc., a leading designer, importer, and wholesaler of apparel products. CSG Partners was named a finalist in 8 other categories, including: Boutique Investment Banking Firm of the Year, Debt Financing Agent of the Year, Consumer and Retail Deal of the Year (above $50MM), Professional Services Deal of the Year, Debt Financing Deal of the Year (above $75MM), Acquisition Financing Deal of the Year (nominated twice), Middle-Market Financing Deal of the Year (below $100MM) (nominated twice), and Debt Financing Deal of the Year (below $75MM).

Full Article…