What Ever Happened To Cable Giant John Malone?
Cable magnate John Malone offered a gloomy outlook on the economy to the Wall Street Journal that has not been born out by his own holdings. “Well, my wife, who is very concerned about…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Drop in Container Shipping Could Point to Retail Slowdown
The dramatic increase in China’s trade balance in July could indicate a number of possibilities. One is that the country’s currency is more fairly priced. That’s barely true. Another is that Chinese consumers are…
For the Economy’s Sake, No Quantitative Easing
By John Tamny of Forbes Try as it might, the Fed can’t push credit into an economy where demand for it is low. Not only will quantitative easing not work, it has the potential…
Today’s Best Market Rumors (8/10/2010)
Updated throughout the day. The Queensland government remains in talks with a group, including BHP Billiton, which has raised its bid for the state’s coal freight network to 5.2 billion Australian dollars ($4.8 billion)…
The Twitter-24/7 Wall St. Market Watch (8/10/2010) China Trade, Ellison Ravages BP Board
Twitter has, by most estimates, 100 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…
KKR Kills $500 Million IPO–A Sign Of The Times
KKR, the private equity firm, pulled its $500 million IPO. It made a similar move in 2007 as the investment markets fell apart. The large financial operation said the market conditions were not favorable,…
Sam’s Club Adds Wi-Fi As A Marketing Tool
Free Wi-Fi has been a marketing tool at restaurant and beverage establishments including McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) and Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX). Now Walmart (NYSE: WMT) has decided the service will help it attract and retain…
Personal Income Falls In Most Cities–Except Washington DC
Washington DC is a good place to work during a recession. Information from the Commerce Department shows personal incomes declined in 233 cities and rose in 134 in 2009. In nine cities, the figure…
A Huge China Surplus–US Ire And A Troubled Chinese Consumer
China’s trade surplus hit $28.7 billion for July. The number has not been so high since the depths of the recession eighteen months ago. The General Administration of Customs said that exports moved up…
Media Digest 8/10/2010 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
Reuters: Economists have cut forecasts and look to the Federal Reserve to take action. Reuters: BP Plc (NYSE: BP) will try the final stage of killing its leaking well and has begun to fund…
The Greatest Brands in American History
Most of the analysis about super-brands focuses on companies and products that have been prominent in the last few decades – companies like Apple, Google, Toyota, or Starbucks. According to how many experts evaluate…
Oracle’s Ellison Calls HP Board Idiots: The Stanley McChrystal Issue
Larry Ellison, the CEO of Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL), and a founding father of Silicon Valley, took issue with the decision of the Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) board to fire chief Mark Hurd. In an e-mail…
Crocs Defies The Naysayers
Reports of the demise of Crocs Inc. (NYSE: CROX) have proven to be premature — again. Four years ago, Crocs seemed doomed after George B. Boedecker, the footwear maker’s largest shareholder, resigned from the…
Michigan Pipeline Leak Could Be Worst Ever in the Midwest
The blown-out BP plc (NYSE:BP) well in the Gulf of Mexico was such a horrific and dramatic disaster that it nearly totally obscured a ruptured pipeline near Marshall, Michigan, that dumped more than 800,000…
Goldman Sachs Revises 2010 S&P 500 Target Down
It should come as a shock to no one that major investment houses and analysts have begun to make downward revisions to the forecasts for the stock market indexes, joblessness, and GDP growth for…
Today’s Best Market Rumors (8/9/2010)
Updated throughout the day Research In Motion’s (NASDAQ: RIMM) deal with Saudi Arabia over BlackBerry use is said to undermine use by younger subscribers. (Bloomberg) Whitehaven Coal rose in Sydney trading after The Australian…
The Twitter-24/7 Wall St. Market Watch (8/9/2010): HP Girl, McDonald’s Sales, BP Costs
Twitter has, by most estimates, 100 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…
McDonald’s Sales Explode Higher
McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) proved once again that it may be the only company based in America with growth as bulletproof as Apple’s. Same-store sales for July exploded upward by 7%, well ahead of forecasts.…
Huge Surge In German Exports–At Least One Country Is Growing
The economy of one Western nation is growing rapidly–Germany’s. The Federal Statistics Bureau said that exports rose 28.5% in June compared with a year ago. Germany exported commodities to the value of EUR 86.5 billion…
Trouble For Global Car Companies–China Growth Slows
The rapidly expanding car market in China has been critical to the earnings of global auto companies like GM, VW, and Toyota Motor (NYSE: TM). China’s insatiable demand for cars has pushed the nation…