US index futures are down this morning as investors await the weekly report on new US unemployment benefits claims. Economists polled by Bloomberg are expecting a slight rise, from an adjusted annual figure of…
NFL quarterback Tim Tebow hasn’t been a New York Jet for even a month yet, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be the center of a big controversy. The first appears to be a…
In an exclusive report, the New York Post says that Eddie Lampert, chairman of Sears Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ: SHLD) has been seeking a buyer for the company’s Lands’ End mail-order business. Lampert has pitched…
In 1991, 71% of Americans thought it was more important to protect the environment than to foster economic growth. Only 20% of Americans thought economic growth was more important. In the latest Gallup poll…
Markets opened nearly flat this morning but took a dive early and have muddled along the rest of the day in negative territory. This morning’s report on falling durable goods orders got things off…
The US Department of the Interior has approved the spill plan proposed by Royal Dutch Shell plc (NYSE: RDS-A), a nearly final step before the company can proceed with exploratory drilling off Alaska’s northern…
Computer products distributor Synnex Inc. (NYSE: SNX) is watching its share price plummet today following its first quarter earnings report released last night after the markets closed. The company reported EPS of $1.02 on…
More CEOs now expect higher sales, more capital spending, and more hiring over the next six months than they did just last quarter, according to the latest data from Business Roundtable. Among the 128…
In a recent blog post at the New York Federal Reserve Bank entitled “The Bathtub Model: The Importance of Labor Market Flow Dynamics,” the authors conclude that under certain conditions, the “unemployment rate will…
The US Supreme Court this morning listened to arguments related to the individual mandate provision of the health care reform act, or Obamacare. The court has three clear options: one, to reject the entire…
Yesterday’s publication of proposed new carbon emissions rules related to electricity power generating plants have taken even more steam out of US coal company stocks. The new rules are generally regarded as being nearly…
Nokia Corp. (NYSE: NOK) lost half its market share in China last year, falling from 42% share in the first quarter to about 20% in the fourth quarter. The company wants to turn that…
Semiconductor equipment maker Applied Materials Inc. (NASDAQ: AMAT) today offered lower full-year EPS and revenue forecasts than analysts had been expecting, at the same time that the company’s CEO projected the total market for…
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. US commercial crude inventories jumped by 7.1 million barrels last week, bringing the total US commercial crude inventory to 353.4…
Specialty fiber maker Zoltek Companies Inc. (NASDAQ: ZOLT) has signed a deal with auto parts manufacturer Magna International Inc. (NYSE: MGA) to develop low-cost carbon fiber sheeting molding compounds for the auto industry. To…
Shares of diagnostics company Vermillion Inc. (NASDAQ: VRML) have jumped more than 20% this morning following the company’s announcement of a patent approval for another of its biomarkers used to diagnose ovarian cancer. Today’s…
Problems in the solar PV market are well-known. Oversupply has led to a price drop of around 50% for modules, governments are cutting subsidies, and systems are still too expensive. Enphase Energy Inc. makes…
The chatter is heating up that the US, the UK, and France are considering a co-ordinated release of crude oil from their strategic reserves. Last year during the turmoil in Libya, the International Energy…
US index futures are higher this morning as investors await a report on February’s US durable goods orders. Economists are expecting a gain of 2.9%, following a drop of 3.7% in January. Also this…
Metal and steel fabricator Commercial Metals Corp. (NYSE: CMC) reported second fiscal quarter earnings this morning, and the company’s EPS came in at $0.25, absolutely smashing the consensus estimate of $0.09. Revenue totaled $2…