Hulu’s Appeal Fails
Hulu is no longer in the top ten video sites based on data for November from online research firm comScore. It had been on the list for months. A rise in the number of…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
M&A Hits $2.2 Trillion As 2011 Looms
Data from Reuters shows that global M&A activity rose to $2.2 trillion in 2010. The 2010 improvement was the first since 2007. Most comments about the news said that 2011 should be an even…
It May Not Matter That Moody’s Cut Ireland Debt
Capital markets investors may say that the downgrade by Moody’s of Ireland’s debt by a full five notches does not matter much now. The Ireland government has put its austerity measures in place. The…
Congress Passes Major Tax Bill, No One May Spend The Money
The future is uncertain. That may always be the case, but getting down to specifics Congress has passed the $858 billion tax cut bill. No one knows what the effects of the legislation will…
Media Digest (12/17/2010) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Congress passed the Obama tax program. (Reuters) Global M&A moved above $2.2 trillion in 2010. (Reuters) Moody’s cut Ireland to Baa1. (Reuters) NSA’s Information Assurance Directorate, which protects US data, assumes that any data…
Agrium Issues New Debt and Sells Commodity Trading Business
Earlier this month, Canadian agribusiness giant Agrium Inc. (NYSE: AGU) completed its purchase of Australia’s AWB LTD for $1.24 billion. That deal was announced in August, shortly after Agrium lost out on its bid…
The Twitter-24/7 Wall St. Market Report 12.16.2010 Twitter Value, Jobless Claims
Twitter has, by most estimates, 175 million members, which makes it one of the largest social networks in the world. All major media companies are on Twitter and some have more than one million…
A Real Estate Silver Lining: Foreclosure Rates Plunge
RealtyTrac, the mortgage research firm, reports that foreclosures fell sharply in November. It may be a sign that the housing market has hit bottom. The company said, “its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for November…
How Apple Will Become The Most Valuable Company In America
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is the second largest company in America based on its market value after oil giant Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM). Apple is ahead of other public corporations with higher revenue, including Wal-Mart…
Bad Parents: Suing McDonald’s For Misleading Kids
The siege towers have been moved to McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) headquarters. Some cities want the company to stop using toys to entice children to eat high-calorie fatty food. Others want the fast food firm to cut…
Obama The Jobs Salesmen Fails
President Obama hosted 20 CEOs from major corporations in Washington. Many of the chief executives wanted to speak about trade policy and taxes. The president wanted to talk about jobs. He had no leverage…
Media Digest 12.16.2010 Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
The Obama $858 billion tax plan moves to the House for a vote. (Reuters) Twitter raised money at a rate which valued that company at $3.7 billion. (Reuters) Eurozone debt problems pushed down the…
The Environmental State of The Union: A Survey of Pollution, Energy Use and Policy in all 50 States
Although all the countries which attended the recent Climate Summit in Cancun, Mexico claimed to care about the environment, they have an odd way of showing it. The challenges are more profound in the…
Why Not Tax Diet Soda?
Sugary beverages such as soda became public enemy number one for public health activists (known to critics as the food police) in 2010. That has led to a call to levy special taxes on…
Apple:King Of Tablets
We published a story earlier on projections from Goldman Sachs that tablets are rapidly cannibalizing PC sales. That story focused on the possible winners from such a shift in the market. More research on…
Inflation:: Turkey Prices Hit A High
Turkey prices hit an all-time high late last month—just in time for Thanksgiving—and were up 36% from the same period last year. Did your income go up 36% during the past year? Highly unlikely.…
The Twitter-24/7 Wall St. Market Report (12/15/2010) CPI, Zuckerberg Man Of The Year
Twitter has, by most estimates, 175 million members, which makes it one of the largest social networks in the world. All major media companies are on Twitter and some have more than one million…
Top Active Trader Alert Stocks (ARAY, BSDM, CYPB, JOYG)
Active traders and day traders have many stocks to choose from this Wednesday morning. We are tracking news and moves in shares of Acuray Incorporated, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARAY), BSD Medical corporation (NASDAQ: BSDM), Cypress Bioscience (NASDAQ: CYPB),…
Mortgage Bankers: Rates Soar
It has suddenly become less financially attractive to take out a new mortgage or refinance an existing one. That should add another boat anchor to the housing market already weighed by high foreclosure rates,…
The Nine Ways China Blocks American Media
In China this week, if you wanted to watch news of Liu Xiaobo, the now famous Chinese dissident and democracy advocate who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, you could. The Chinese government is…