courtesy of SamsungAmericans love a horse race, whether it involves the big, four-legged critters or the two-legged political kind. The attraction, of course, is that there’s always a winner. Trying to apply the horse…
courtesy of DellFollowing yesterday’s presentation from Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) rejecting a buyout offer from activist investor Carl Icahn and Southeastern Asset Management Inc., Icahn and Southeastern have filed a statement with the Securities…
Thinkstock Asking prices for homes in 98 of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas are up an average of 9.5% year-over-year including foreclosed homes and 10.5% excluding foreclosures on a seasonally adjusted basis. Asking…
ThinkstockChina-based online retailer LightInTheBox Holding Co. Ltd. (NYSE: LITB) held its initial public offering (IPO) this morning, and the company’s shares have popped. LightInTheBox offered 19.09 million shares priced at $9.50 each, the middle…
ThinkstockRetailers are announcing May same-store sales figures today. Research firm Retail Metrics projected an overall gain of 2.8% year-over-year, compared with a 1.4% gain in March and a 3% gain in April. Retail sales…
thinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) today reported the U.S. natural gas stocks increased by 111 billion cubic feet last week, well above the top of the range for an expected build of between…
ThinkstockIn its weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey, home lending giant Freddie Mac reported that mortgage rates for fixed-rate loans have risen for the fifth consecutive week. The mortgage lender attributes the rise to concerns…
ThinkstockIn a tracking survey that estimates the percentage of the U.S. population employed at least 30 hours a week, Gallup reports that the payroll-to-population (P2P) employment rate fell from 44.5% in April to 43.9%…
thinkstockStreaming video service Hulu is owned by a consortium that includes Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS), News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWSA) and Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA). This is not the first time that the co-owners…
courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.Shares of J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) are getting a boost in premarket trading this morning following initiation of coverage by Sterne Agee with a Buy recommendation and a…
ThinkstockThe J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) reported fourth-quarter and full-year fiscal 2013 results before markets opened this morning. The food processor reported quarterly adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.29 on $1.34 billion…
ThinkstockThe wild success of SodaStream International Ltd. (NASDAQ: SODA) has apparently had a predictable effect: the Israel-based company is reported to be targeted for a buyout by PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP). If the report…
ThinkstockVeriFone Systems Inc. (NYSE: PAY) reported adjusted second quarter 2013 results after markets closed today. The electronic payments company reported adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.42 on $430 million in non-GAAP revenues. In…
U.S. equity markets opened lower this morning following smaller-than-expected gain in ADP’s employment report. Other data out before the opening bell also weighed on stocks, including a drop new mortgage applications and weak productivity data.…
courtesy of SamsungA combined 56% of Americans now own a smartphone according to the latest “Internet and American Life Project” at Pew Research Center. Some 91% of all Americans own a cell phone of…
ThinkstockSame-store retail sales from many of the country’s largest chains are scheduled to hit the tape tomorrow. Sales in March and April rose just 1.4% and 3%, respectively, so the most recent projection from…
ThinkstockThe explosive global growth of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets has led to equally explosive growth in demand for mobile bandwidth to feed the ever-hungrier devices. Growth in demand for mobile Internet services…
ThinkstockA British energy exploration and production firm called IGas recently has estimated that the area it has been licensed to explore in the United Kingdom may hold as much as 170 trillion cubic feet…
ThinkstockThe U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its weekly petroleum status report this morning. U.S. commercial crude inventories decreased by 6.3 million barrels last week, bringing the total U.S. commercial crude inventory to 391.3…
courtesy Dell Inc.A special committee of the board of directors of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) this morning recommended that the company’s shareholders accept the merger agreement being offered by founder and CEO Michael Dell…