German Unemployment Ticks Up
The German Federal Labor Agency announced an increase in unemployment, which is likely to put a strain on Angela Merkel’s hold on the country and her efforts to use German money to help with bailouts…
All Work
Trey Thoelcke
Microsoft May Face New Antitrust Charges in Europe
The European Union is about to decide whether Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) broke any of the provisions of its 2009 antitrust settlement. If so, there could be years of court challenges, much as their were…
The Struggle over a Bailout Plan for Spain
nationsonline.orgThe search for solutions to Spain’s financial trouble continues and becomes more complicated by the moment. It has not been determined whether Spain can cut its own budget before it asks for help as…
U.K. GDP Contracts Less Than Expected in Q2
The U.K. economy was 0.4% lower in the second quarter, compared to the previous quarter, according to the Office for National Statistics. That was less than the 0.5% decline previously estimated. However, the economy…
Ford to Cut Jobs in Europe
Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) said Tuesday that it will cut several hundred jobs in the United Kingdom, Germany and elsewhere in Europe due to declining demand in the region. Ford warned that its…
Short Interest in Biotech on the Rise (ALXN, AMGN, ARNA, BIIB, CELG, DNDN, GILD, ILMN, ONXX, PCYC, REGN, VRTX, VVUS, IBB)
With a couple of exceptions, the short interest in biotech stocks is on the rise again, judging by the short interest changes from September 14 settlement date versus the August 31 settlement date. Short…
Vitol Still Trading in Iranian Oil
Reuters reports that the world largest oil trader — Vitol — continues to buy and sell Iranian oil. This could cripple efforts by Europe and the United States to pressure Iran to slow or stop…
Wells Fargo Hacked — Who’s Next?
Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) joins J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) and Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) as its major consumer customer site apparently was hacked and service completely disrupted.…
Strikes in Greece Threaten Its GDP
Spain is not the only nation with the problem of citizens who have taken to the streets to attack austerity. In Greece, the protesters numbers as high as hundreds of thousands — impressive in…
Volkswagen Wants to Be the “World’s Best”
In rather a statement of the obvious, Volkswagen said today that market conditions in Europe had become noticeably tougher and that they likely would not get better in the near future. However, Europe’s largest…
American Airlines Flight Delays Causing Headaches for Travelers
AMRPassengers who fly American Airlines, the operating division of bankrupt AMR, have found it increasingly frustrating to use the carrier. The Allied Pilots Association allegedly has encouraged some of its members to skip work. This has…
Drivers Not Benefiting from Drop in Oil Prices
Despite a drop in oil prices that has taken Brent crude from just below $100 a barrel three weeks ago to about $92, drivers have not benefited at all. AAA Fuel Gauge shows that…
Americans to Spend Big on Halloween This Year?
HalloweenHalloween may be one of the events that helps keep consumer spending at a reasonable level. BIGinsight conducted research for the National Retail Federation that found more than 71% of American will celebrate the holiday this…
ECB Prepares for Legal Challenges to Bond-Buying Plan
German newspaper Bild said today that the European Central Bank and the Bundesbank have in-house lawyers checking on the legality of the ECB’s new bond-buying program. They are investigating both what proportions the program…
Survey: Higher Taxes, More Spending Cuts Needed
The best way to reduce the federal deficit is through a combination of higher taxes and spending cuts, according to economists recently surveyed by the National Association for Business Economics. Members of the association…
Mass Brawl Closes Foxconn Plant
Chinese state media reported Monday on a mass brawl among up to 2,000 workers at a Foxconn plant in Taiyuan, in Shanxi province. Foxconn’s Taiwanese parent company Hon Hai said in a statement that…
Greece Denies $26 Billion Budget Shortfall
The Greek Ministry of Finance has denied reports that the country must close a 20 billion euro ($26 billion) budget shortfall in order to meet requirements from international lenders. German magazine Der Spiegel reported…
Clint Eastwood Has Trouble with the Weekend
via Wikimedia CommonsThe movie industry suffered through another bad weekend. Experts often have argued that people go to theaters less because of DVDs and streaming download services. Those assumptions could be tested now as…
Unions Push Back on American Airlines
AMRBankrupt AMR, parent of American Airlines, faces increasing resistance from employees as it attempts to cut wages and headcount. Worker activism has started to harm American’s relationships with customers, and almost certainly its sales…
Download Speed: iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S III
AppleNow that millions of people and thousands of tech reviewers own an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 5, the attention about the device has turned to its features and connection speed. The speed comparisons usually take…