$100 Oil Once More on the Horizon
We did a story in October detailing five reasons to worry about oil getting to $100/barrel by the end of next year, and another five reasons to worry that oil would indeed reach that…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Toyota’s Bright Spot: Lexus Is No.1 US Luxury Car
Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM), its brand besieged in the US and elsewhere due to recalls, has one bright spot in the US. The company’s luxury brand, Lexus, was the No.1 selling high-end car in…
Electric Vehicles Getting Ready for Prime Time (TSLA, GM, NSANY, TM, F, HMC)
At the annual United Nations sessions on climate issues in Cancun, US energy secretary Steven Chu predicted that electric vehicles powered by batteries will be able to compete more effectively with petroleum-burning cars in…
Top Active Trader Alert Stocks (AIB, AIXG, IRE, MVIS, NFLX, OREX, RYAAY, VVUS)
Active traders and day traders have many stocks to choose from this Wednesday morning. We are tracking news and moves in shares of Allied Irish Banks, plc. (NYSE: AIB), Aixtron AG (NASDAQ: AIXG), Bank of Ireland (NYSE:…
Today’s Best Market Rumors 12.8.2010 Mastercard Attack, BP Spill
Updated throughout the day. Hackers have attacked the MasterCard (NYSE: MA) website in retaliation for the credit card companies withdrawal of the ability to use its plastic for contributions to WikiLeaks (Reuters) PE firm…
Market Disappointed With McDonald’s (MCD) Sales
The market is disappoint with McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) same-store sales in November. The company’s stock trades down about 2% to $79, still near its 52-week high. The shares have risen to their peak value…
Americans Support Helping The Unemployed
Americans support extending unemployment benefits, which is among the most expensive of the compromises made between President Obama and the Republicans. They also support extending the Bush Tax Cuts. Taken together, the costs of…
Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac: What Is An Underwater Mortgage?
The problem is fairly simple. About 11 million home mortgages in the US are underwater. These homeowners owe more for their homes than their homes are worth. That has had several effects. The first…
America: A Nation Of Idiots
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development released its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 2009. The research is done every three years. The 2009 survey include data from 35 nations. The poll covers…
Microsoft Xbox Takes Lead From Wii, And Nintendo May Not Get It Back
There is growing evidence that the Nintendo Wii, which dominated game console sales for nearly three years, is losing market share. That position has been taken by the Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360. The…
Media Digest 12/8/2010 Reuters, WSJ, FT, NYT, Bloomberg
The US government has broadened it probe of insider trading. (Reuters) The euro will not last more than a few years, according to Jim Rogers. (Reuters) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are in discussions…
The 24/7 Wall St/Harris Poll On Investing: Investors Turn Optimistic
Investors are starting to believe the talk that better times lie ahead. According to just released 24/7 Wall St./Harris Poll on Investing, many plan to increase the amount of money they invest over the…
Today’s Best Market Rumors 12.7.2010 BP Asset Sales, GNC M&A
Updated throughout the day. Samsung will try to push cellphone unit sales up 18% next year to 330 million (Electronic Times) BP plc (NYSE: BP) may sell its North Shore assets (Bloomberg) Blackstone…
Oil Rockets Past $90, As Forces Push It Toward $100
Oil, just $75 a barrel two months ago, rocket past $90 which raises the specter of $3 a gallon gasoline for at least the next two months. The factors which have driven prices higher…
Tech Spending Expected To Rebound in 2011
Tech spending, fueled by the growth of cloud computing and the economic recovery, is expected to rise 5.7 percent to $1.6 trillion, according to market researcher IDC. That’s an improvement over the 3 percent…
The Ten Most Surprising Top-Selling Gifts on Amazon.com
Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) is the largest e-commerce business in the world by almost any measure. The company has a market valuation of more than $80 billion, which makes it one of the 50 most…
2011: The Year Of Employment Growth
Staffing giant Manpower has released its forecasts for employment conditions for the first quarter of 2011. They are optimistic, and in some cases ebullient. “Data reveals improved hiring expectations from 12 months ago in…
Obama’s Sole Victory: Unemployment Benefits
Barack Obama lost most of his arguments with Republicans about extending the Bush tax cuts. The old tax system will be extended for two years. Payroll taxes will be lowered for 2011, and a…
Why The J Crew CEO Should Be Fired And The Company’s Sale Terminated
A review of the proxy sent by J Crew Group (NYSE: JCG) to its shareholders shows that CEO Mickey Drexler withheld from his board important information about the early stages of negotiations to sell…
Media Digest (12/7/2010) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Reuters: Obama’s deal with Congress will extend Bush tax cuts for two years. Reuters: The US will sell its remaining shares in Citigroup (NYSE: C) and will make a $12 billion profit. Reuters: China…