Asia Markets And Europe Open 1/5/2009
Stocks in Asia were broadly higher. The Nikkei rose 2.1% to 9,043. The Hang Seng was up 3.1% to 18,516. THe Shanghai Composite rose 3.3% to 1,881. At the open in Europe, the FTSE…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
A Government Safety Net For The Unemployed: A Tax Cut And 10% Jobless Rate
Unrelated and often random comments from the incoming Congress and administration are beginning to create a tapestry of remarkable pessimism and diminished hope. No one believes now that the economy can be fixed fairly…
The Bloomberg Survey: Jobs Numbers Will Get Worse
There is no good news in the most recent Bloomberg survey of economists regarding the unemployment situation in the US. The new poll indicates that "The U.S. economy probably lost more jobs in 2008…
GMAC: Private Capital Deserts The Govenment
One of the more subtle parts of the government bailout of GMAC came after the financial arm of the car company, now majority owned by star-crossed hedge fund Cerberus, got its $6 billion in…
Winners From China’s New 3G Expansion (MOT)(QCOM)(TXN)(BRCM)
The Chinese government has finally set up a system to bring fast wireless 3G service to its citizens. In a country where handsets are used the way that many people in the US and…
2008 And The Death Of E-Commerce: The Internet Is Getting Old
The great promise of the online commerce industry has been that it would grow at a rate faster than bricks-and-mortar retailers, and that this advantage might go on for years. E-commerce makes it easier…
December Car Sales: The Achilles Heel Of The Auto Bailout (GM)(F)
The mathematics of the US car company bailout are simple. At least the car companies say that they are. Expenses get cut. Labor costs go down to what they are for Japanese auto firms…
Unlocking The Apple (AAPL) iPhone
There is a hardware developer obsession with "unlocking" the Apple (AAPL) iPhone that has spread to the media. The state of being unlocked allows the handset to be used on networks which do not…
SEC: More Schemes From Mr. Ponzi
The Madoff disaster could not have been the only situation where a money management firm took advantage of suckers. The market has been too good over the last five years, and hedge funds have…
A Retail Stock Sucker Rally (M)(JWN)(SHLD)
Retail stocks are in rally mode despite forecasts that a large number of stock chains could file for bankruptcy this year and more than 70,000 individual stores could close. The move up may be…
ISM Says Manufacturing Drop Is Accelerating
Following weak manufacturing data from Russia, China, and India, the Institute for Supply Management announced that US manufacturing measured by its PMI dropped sharply in December to 32.4 from 36.2 in November. New orders…
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A) Hits The $224 Million Florida Jackpot
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) won a $224 million bet that Florida would escape major damage from hurricanes this season. A few years ago, when hurricanes did hit the gulf coast, Berkshire’s bets…
Latest Retail Theory: Wal-Mart (WMT) Will Pound Target (TGT)
Almost every bit of news about the retail industry has been bad since the third quarter of last year. Some analysts believe that 72,000 stores could close in the US during the first half…
2009 Dogs Of The Dow, Mostly Dogs In 2008 (AA, T, BAC, C, DD, GE, JPM, MRK, PFE, VZ)
It looks like we have our most likely candidates for the "Dogs of the Dow" for 2009. This is often misunderstood as an investment vehicle. These are the 10 highest dividend-yielding stocks out of…
Believe It Or Not, China Is In Recession
China can’t go into a recession. Its GDP has grown at close to 10% for half a decade. It is the largest supplier to the world. Its new middle class consumes products and services…
Getting Ready For Bailing Out The States And Cities
Experts keep saying that there is only so much bailout money to go around. That going around is getting bigger as states and municipalities try to figure out what to do as their tax…
Media Digest 1/2/2008 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
According to Reuters, cities and states are facing shortfalls and potential defaults. Reuters reports that the US steel industry is starting a "buy America" campaign. Reuters reports that Fannie Mae (FNM) believes that IndyMac…
Asia Markets And Europe Open 1/2/2009 (CHL)
Many markets in Asia were closed. The Hang Seng rose 4.1% to 14,977. China Mobile (CHL) rose sharply on news of a 3G build out in the nation. In Europe, the FTSE opened up…
The Gasoline Tax And The Renaissance Of The Bicycle
With the rise of the US automobile industry, the bicycle almost disappeared as a means of transportation in America. It became a 19th Century relic like wooden teeth. The only person in the United…
Being A “Most Admired Company” Loses Its Appeal (AAPL)(GE)(BRK)(SBUX)(FDX)(TM)
Most people who are in business put making a profit above maintaining a good image. They would like their customers to think well of them because it drives sales. But, being a pillar of…