More Americans are using wireless devices, primarily smartphones and laptops, to access websites. The number jumped to 59% in May, up from 51% a year ago, according to the Pew Internet Study. What those…
The IMF (International Monetary Fund) increased its forecast for global economic growth to 4.5% for this year and 4.25% for 2011. The agency added a major set of cautions: “Despite the stronger than expected…
MarketWatch: The IMF expects slow growth this year and next. Reuters: The battle between the oil industry and government on drilling regulations continues. Reuters: The Gulf leak could be plugged in two weeks. Reuters: …
Temperatures near, and above, 100 degrees have put some severe stresses on the electricity power grid in the northeastern United States. The New York Independent System Operator reported near-record peak demand of 33,452 megawatts…
As of the end of June, China owned $900.2 billion in US Treasury bills. If you add in all of China’s dollar-denominated assets, the total investment by China in the US is about $2.5…
Updated throughout the day. The Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox 360 hit $1 billion in sales (Bloomberg) Microsoft will lay-off a modest number of workers (WSJ) Abu Dhabi is open to buying equity in BP…
Even though the gap between executive and entry-level worker pay has shrunk ever so slightly in the past couple of years, it’s still not unusual for the CEO of a large public company to…
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…
The Sam’s Club division of Walmart (NYSE:WMT), which primarily does business with small companies, means to do what banks will not. It has started a test program to offer loans of as much as…
Self-reported spending among American consumers fell sharply in June as compared to May, down from $72 per person to $67. The June figure is up from the same month last year, but only by…
What is a safe haven investment worth? The yield on two-year notes has dropped to near .6%. The drop in global stock markets, and fear of a rise in the financial troubles of Europe,…
Reuters: BP plc (NYSE: BP) shares have recovered as a relief well nears the leak. Reuters: Saudi investors are seeking a 10% to 15% stake in BP. Reuters: Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) will cut…
Ed Whitacre, the former chairman and CEO of AT&T and current head of GM looks like the Wizard of Oz scarecrow—tall and under-stuffed. Whitacre, however, can afford to buy new straw. He took over…
A thousand dollars or less per person per year in GDP – the consequence of poverty, genocide, years of war, lack of natural resources, poor farm management, and limited access to clean water and health…
Less than a month before the Macondo well blew out and the Deepwater Horizon exploded and sank killing 11 workers, BP plc (NYSE:BP) had filed a document with federal regulators claiming that the company…
Heavy losses were sustained in three Tickerspy indexes over the last 30-day period. This month’s biggest index losers are in radio, Chinese advertising, and cancer treatment stocks. Radio stocks are down 15.2% in the past…
“The NMI (Non-Manufacturing Index) registered 53.8 percent in June, 1.6 percentage points lower than the 55.4 percent registered in May, indicating continued growth in the non-manufacturing sector, but at a slightly slower rate, ISM…
Updated throughout the day. BP plc (NYSE: BP) has approached sovereign funds about investing capital to keep other oil companies from attempting to take it over (Reuters) News Corp (NYSE: NWS) is in talks…
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…
Second quarter earnings are set, at least for those firms on a calendar year. The period was fairly strong economically, except perhaps for June. That means that some earnings could come in weaker than…