Moody’s may take away Spain’s Aa1 sovereign debt rating. The agency gave its reasons: (1) Spain’s vulnerability to funding stress given its high refinancing needs in 2011. This vulnerability has recently been amplified by…
Facebook is the best place to work among US companies, according to employee research firm Glassdoor. The survey was based on nearly 150,000 employee reviews submitted during 2010 on companies with more than 500 employees.…
The Battelle Memorial Institute, which looks at R&D in major nations, says that China will pass Japan as the No.2 spender next year. “China is expected to spend $153.7 billion on R&D in 2011,…
Spain’s debt was put on review by Moody’s. (MarketWatch) The tax cut bill has been sent to the Senate. (Reuters) The Federal Reserve remains concerned about the economy and said its would continue with…
When the Huffington Post started in 2005, many pundits dismissed Arianna Huffington as a dilettante whose website wouldn’t last long. Today, the Greek-born entrepreneur proved her naysayers wrong, at least that’s what she tried…
Nokia Corp. (NYSE:NOK) new Chief Executive Steven Elop was hired in September to lead a turnaround of the struggling cellphone maker whose market value has eroded by $61 billion. With today’s announced delay of…
Business travelers are returning to the world’s airlines, and coupled with this boost in passengers is continued growth in cargo revenues. As a result, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has raised its profit…
Last-minute shoppers plan to be out in force this holiday season. A survey of shoppers by American Express Co. (NYSE: AXP). The survey indicates that 84% of shoppers haven’t finished yet and more than…
Electronics retailer Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY) posted a major miss on earnings this morning and the company’s share price is getting a beating. The company reported third quarter EPS of $0.54, a…
Twitter has, by most estimates, 145 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…
Active traders and day traders have many stocks to choose from this Tuesday morning. We are tracking news and moves in shares of Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMBC), Genoptix, Inc. (NASDAQ: GXDX), and optionsXpress Holdings, Inc. (OXPS). Amgen,…
Many of Ben Bernanke’s fellow Fed governors are sullen if not mutinous about the decision to buy in as much as $600 billion in US paper. Some consider it a road to inflation. Others…
Business school professors and airline analysts will look back on the first three quarters of 2010 and say that the industry finally found a way to make money. Baggage fees for the period hit nearly…
The head of Android operations at Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) says that the adoption of the mobile operating system has gotten a substantial lift from outside the United States. That does nothing to tell investors how…
McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) is tired of taking blame for soaring childhood obesity rates and the resulting Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The company’s CEO Jim Skinner told the FT that the “food police” have…
Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Chinese firm Lenovo had a surge in sales of their personal computers last month. Most of the rest of the industry did not. NPD Group, the research organization, reported that sales…
GM (NYSE: GM) has offered buyouts to 3,000 workers at 14 of its plants. Most of these employees have special skills beyond assembly work. Many are electricians and welders. The more seasoned workers will…
The new tax package made it through the first stage of Congressional approval. (Reuters) The federal government began the process of setting higher capital requirements for US banks. (Reuters) China will have to take…
Moody’s says that plans by Congress and the Administration to extend tax cuts may stimulate the US economy for the next year. That will be the end of the positive effects. The budget deficit…
Fewer homes had underwater mortgages in the third quarter. The trend means little if anything to current homeowners and potential buyers. “CoreLogic reports that 10.8 million, or 22.5 percent, of all residential properties with…