The current macroeconomic outlook presents a duality: On the one hand, Federal Reserve forecasters believe that short-term rates will remain excessively low (0-25 basis points) for a prolonged time period, possibly extending into 2015. On the other hand, the balance sheet of the Federal Reserve...

On 19 March 2012, the iconic technology company Apple announced a program to distribute its “excess” cash to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks. This announcement follows a pattern similar to the then iconic Microsoft's (MSFT) announcement in 2004. Likewise, the bluest...