Is the Bidding Over for Family Dollar Stores?
Nearly everyone expected a higher bid for Family Dollar Stores after the first buyout offer from Dollar Tree. Could another super discounter afford to let a competitor grow?
All Work
Paul Ausick
Homebuilder Confidence Posts Third Consecutive Annual High
ThinkstockThe National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo housing market index for August rose two points to 55 from a reading of 53 in July. The reading was higher than a consensus forecast of…
Sonic Automotive Takes on CarMax
New and used car retailer Sonic Automotive announced Monday morning that it plans to open the first of a chain of used-vehicle stores under the name of EchoPark in Denver later this year.
Weekend Movie Sweepstakes Dominated by Viacom
As anticipated, Paramount Studios’ “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” held on to its weekend box-office supremacy for a second week, outselling “The Expendables 3,” from Lions Gate Entertainment.
JinkoSolar Earnings Barely Clear Lowered Bar
JinkoSolar reported better-than-expected second-quarter 2014 results before markets opened Tuesday morning. Results were attributed in part to its stronger position in emerging markets.
Will Dollar General Bid Take the Family Dollar Prize?
Dollar General said Monday morning that it has proposed to acquire Family Dollar Stores in a deal worth $9.7 billion. In late July, Dollar Tree entered a definitive merger agreement to acquire Family Dollar.
Disney Heats Up at Walmart After Being Shut Out at Amazon
The Walt Disney Co.About a week ago Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) removed the pre-ordering option for several DVD releases of popular movies from Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS). The dispute between the two companies…
Labor Day Car Deals Off to an Early Start
courtesy of General MotorsThe Labor Day holiday is still two weeks away, but that is not interfering with automakers’ plans to clear out this year’s models to make way for the new 2015 versions.…
IPO Weekly Preview: Summer Doldrums
ThinkstockThe dog days of summer have caught up with the initial public offering (IPO) market. Only two of five companies scheduled to complete IPOs were able to do the deed last week, Otonomy Inc.…
Sprint CEO’s Plan: Cut Prices, Slash Costs
courtesy of Sprint Corp.The surprise ending to merger discussions between Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) and T-Mobile US Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) included a housecleaning, at least in the corner office at Sprint. Long-time CEO Dan…
The 52-Week Low Club for Friday
ThinkstockAugust 15, 2014: Stocks making new 52-week lows today included the following four firms. Chico’s FAS Inc. (NYSE: CHS) saw shares fall 2% to a new 52-week low of $14.80 on no news Friday.…
The 4 Stocks That Weighed on the Market
thinkstockAugust 15, 2014: Markets opened higher on Friday but sank in the mid-morning on news that Ukraine troops were engaging with a Russian armored column. Tensions diminished in the afternoon, but the blue chips…
E-commerce Share of Retail Sales Rises to Record High
ThinkstockRetail e-commerce sales in the U.S. reached a new high of 6.4% of all retail sales in the second quarter of 2014 according to the U.S.Census Bureau. That is an increase of 4.9% sequentially…
Cable Company Broadband Subscribers Now Outnumber Pay TV Subscribers
ThinkstockIt had to happen sometime, but the cable guys probably didn’t expect it to happen so soon. The top U.S. cable companies now claim 49.915 million broadband subscribers compared with 49.910 million cable TV…
Supervalu Hacked and Customer Data May Have Been Stolen
Supervalu Inc.Supervalu Inc. (NYSE: SVU) reported early Friday morning that some of its food and liquor stores suffered a “criminal intrusion” of the computer network that processes payment card transactions. The breach may have…
What Coke and Monster Mean for SodaStream
courtesy of SodaStreamThe Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO), which already has a 16% stake in Keurig Green Mountain Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR), announced Thursday it will purchase a 16.7% stake in Monster Beverage Corp. (NASDAQ: MNST).…
As NQ CFO Bails, the Questionable Plot Thickens
ThinkstockChina’s leading mobile Internet security services provider, NQ Mobile Inc. (NYSE: NQ) announced Friday morning that the company’s chief financial officer has resigned effective August 22, 2014 for family reasons. Until a permanent successor…
Will Boeing’s Discounts Kill Profits?
The Boeing Co.Discounts for new airplanes typically range between 25% and 30% whether the aircraft is built by The Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA) or Airbus NV, the world’s two largest aircraft makers. But a…
Ninja Turtles Likely to Beat the Expendables at the Box Office
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp.The summer movie season has only three more weekends to run, including this one, which features a third installment of the senior citizen action heroes, “The Expendables 3” from Lions Gate…
J.C. Penney Earnings — Back from the Dead
courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) reported second fiscal quarter 2014 results after markets closed Thursday afternoon. The venerable retailer reported an adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) loss of…