The Motley Fool - It doesn't take a genius to recall that ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM - News) is the biggest of Big Oil. So with that fact out of the way, those with a yen for investing in energy are left to question whether the company is also the best of its group. […]

The Motley Fool - Just like the chocolate purist in those old ads who protested the delectable combination, coal investors protested CONSOL Energy's (NYSE: CNX - News) deeper dip into natural gas Monday with a 10% sell-off, dropping shares beneath $49 apiece. Although swallowing fossil fuels is never a good idea, investors may wish to "taste" […]

Reuters - Stocks rose on Tuesday, sending the benchmark S&P 500 to its highest close in 17 months, after the U.S. Federal Reserve pledged to keep interest rates low for an extended period to sustain the economic recovery. […]

Reuters - U.S. housing starts fell last month as winter storms disrupted construction, and another drop in building permits suggested the weakness would linger. […]

Reuters - Housing starts and permits to build new homes both fell in February as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, a government report showed on Tuesday. […]

AP - Housing construction, which hit a six-month high in January, likely slipped in February, reflecting in part the major snowstorms that hit many parts of the country. The housing industry in good times is a major generator of jobs and economic growth. […]

The Motley Fool - It's been a long row to hoe since the economy entered the Great Recession. Even though the recovery seems to be under way, there's still a way to go until the economy returns to normal. Take a peek at the latest economic activity: On the plus side, February's retail sales rose by a better-than-expected 0.3%, despite the major […]

AP - Gov. Pat Quinn refused to say Monday whether he has a plan to avoid deep cuts in education if lawmakers resist his call to raise the state income tax. […]

U.S. News & World Report - Few Americans are saving enough to finance a retirement that could last 30 years or more. Workers who haven't accumulated enough to maintain their current standard of living have two choices: delay retirement or learn to live on less money. Those willing to put in a little effort to downsize big and small expenses may be a […]

The Motley Fool - The Nasdaq 100, a tech-heavy index, finished last week up 1.89% to close at 1,924.43. Techs are rallying at a notable time: Wednesday marked the 10-year anniversary of the bursting of the dot-com bubble. […]