German Manufacturing Dwindles in December
ThinkstockIn a sign that Germany is on the cusp of a recession that would harm the overall recovery of the European Union, its manufacturing sector suffered a severe blow. The flash PMI measurement slipped…
All Work
Trey Thoelcke
iPhone 5 Launched in China — Is It Too Late?
courtesy of Apple Inc.Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) finally has released the iPhone 5 in China. Most press and many analysts believe that the American company’s market share in the People’s Republic has dropped so…
Silicon Valley Critic Takes a Poke at Google Android
courtesy of Google Inc.One of Silicon Valley’s most ancient and least successful critics attacked the profit model of the Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android OS. But Roger McNamee has arrived late to the debate.…
European Central Bank to Become True Central Banking Authority
ThinkstockEurope finally has a central banking authority, a move that many politicians and economists believe will help pull the region out of its financial crisis. It is hard to argue definitely this will happen.…
Google Maps Returns to the iPhone
courtesy of Apple Inc.The owners of Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 5 are rejoicing. The awful map product made by Apple for its devices can now be replaced by the one from Google Inc.…
Facebook’s New, Simpler Privacy Controls
ThinkstockFacebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) has released what it says are better privacy controls for its customers. With the company’s one billion members, it should not take long for a vocal reaction to tell whether…
Surface Tablet Coming to More Retailers
courtesy of MicrosoftMicrosoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has decided to let a number of retailers, including Staples Inc. (NASDAQ: SPLS), offer its Surface tablet, perhaps to offset sales that never reached any real volume. Microsoft…
Pessimism Among Small Business Owners Increases
ThinkstockSmall business confidence, as measured by the Research Foundation of the National Federation of Independent Business, imploded in November. If small businesses account for most hiring in the United States, then the American economy is…
OPEC Oil Production Unchanged into 2013
ThinkstockMost OPEC leaders said they plan to keep oil production unchanged in the new year. Demand may be off because of slowing economies around the world. That means crude prices may have a ways…
German Economy Appears Stable for Now
ThinkstockThe ZEW Indicator of Economic Sentiment for Germany improved a bit, which must be a relief for those who believe that Europe’s largest economy by gross domestic product continues to move rapidly into recession.…
No Change Expected in OPEC Production
ThinkstockOPEC may do the rest of the world a favor. Prices of Brent remain above $100, which many members of the cartel believe are adequate to fund their treasuries. If OPEC decides not to…
The Dividend Boom Will Add to Q4 Household Income
ThinkstockThe top 1% in the United States are about to get much richer because of the number of corporations that have accelerated dividend payments into 2012 so that their investors can avoid what may…
New Turmoil in Italy Adds to Europe’s Woes
ThinkstockThe very modest hope that government actions in Italy might stabilize its economy probably has come to an end. Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has announced his resignation, which leaves the national political situation…
Dwindling Chinese Exports a Sign of Global Economic Slowdown
ThinkstockAdditional evidence indicates that global economic growth has slowed to near zero in the past month or so. China reported trade numbers. Exports were up only 2.9% in November. It may be a sign…
E-commerce Fuels FedEx’s Busiest Day of the Year
By Tkgd2007 at en.wikipedia , from Wikimedia CommonsFedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) claims today will be its busiest day of the year. The rise of e-commerce has fueled that. As in-store sales fall at bricks-and-mortar…
Microsoft Tablet OS Market Share to Grow to 10% by 2016
courtesy of MicrosoftA rare piece of good news for Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows came out of a new IDC report on tablet PC sales. Over the period from 2012 to 2016, the market…
Sluggish Economy Hurts Chinese Brands
ThinkstockUsing its black-box methodology, which makes its conclusions impossible to understand or critique, Millward Brown released BrandZ Top 50 Most Valuable Chinese Brands 2013. The top five part of the list had no surprises:…
Monster.com Sees No Fiscal Cliff Impact on Employment
courtesy of Monster.comEmployment services company Monster Worldwide Inc. (NYSE: MWW) released its data on jobs, and it was better than many other reports on U.S. employment. According to its November report: Monster Employment Index…
Gasoline Prices Are Still Dropping
ThinkstockGasoline prices have moved back almost to where they were a year ago. That means the drag of fuel prices on the economy becomes increasingly less likely. Only a few months ago, the nationwide…
Deutsche Bank’s Staggering Hidden Losses
ThinkstockThe Financial Times reports that former staff members from Deutsche Bank A.G. (NYSE: DB) say the company hid $12 billion in financial losses during the credit crisis to avoid a bailout. The idea that…