W.W. Grainger Inc.’s results weren’t stellar, but what exactly were investors expecting? The industrial-parts distributor has lost about a quarter of its market value over the past year amid worries that its efforts to combat Amazon.com Inc. with lower prices won’t work and will make it less profitable. We got further proof of that Wednesday when Grainger reported a further …

It’s the silly season for financial predictions about Apple Inc. With history as our guide, it is folly to place much faith in them. Nearly every day brings deeply researched reports from stock analysts on their Apple sales forecasts. And this is not about the next quarter or two. The most pressing question analysts are trying to answer is how …

Bloomberg Barclays Plc’s clients may have to pay as much as 350,000 pounds ($455,000) to get the top service package from its equities analysts once free research is banned in Europe, the first price for stocks coverage to emerge from a major bank. The firm is proposing three levels of service — bronze, silver and gold — with the premium …