Iowans head to the polls in the nation’s first caucuses on Tuesday to begin winnowing the field of would-be Republican challengers to President Barack Obama. Here are five things to watch after caucuses begin at 7 p.m. Central.
TEL AVIV (MarketWatch) -- BP PLC, the U.K. integrated oil firm, is asking Halliburton Co. to pay all costs tied to the cleanup of the disastrous spring 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, media reports say. Citing a court filing, Reuters reported that BP is demanding expenses plus lost profits from Halliburton, the Houston oil-services firm. BP previously estimated the cleanup expense at $42 billion, Reuters reported. Halliburton cemented the well that failed and prompted the U.S.'s largest oil spill, the news service said. The explosion and fire on the Deepwater Horizon rig killed 11 people. BP declined immediate comment on the report; Halliburton couldn't be reached for comment.
The U.S. economy ended 2011 on an upswing, the latest data is expected to show, but strong headwinds could restrain growth as the new year gets underway.
Investors typically chase last year’s returns, choosing their advisers on the basis of performance in the previous year. At least among the advisers tracked by the Hulbert Financial Digest, that historically has been an exceedingly poor strategy.
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