VW Takes On GM, Ford and Toyota
Volkswagen has said that it plans to storm the North American market. But its market share in December was 2.5%, a sign its sales continued to erode.
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Tesla Upgrades Software, Still Battling Fire Concerns
courtesy of Tesla MotorsWhether the architecture of the batteries which power Tesla’s (NASDAQ: TSLA) poises a danger to drivers or not, the car company has not been able to shake the image of one which…
YouTube Tops All Video Sites In Visitors
courtesy of YouTubeYouTube, Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) huge video site, known at the place you can “broadcast yourself”, held its spot as the largest video website in the U.S. in December, and did so by…
The 10 Most Hated Companies in America
courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.A company can become broadly hated if it alienates a large enough group of people. It may frustrate customers with poor service, anger employees with unpleasant working conditions or low…
Gasoline Prices Drift Higher
Gasoline prices have not risen enough to effect the economy. And they may not come near $3.50 or $3.60 a gallon at all this year. But prices are rising again, and it is very…
Even at 7%, U.S. Unemployment Much Too High, Far From Normal 5%
No matter how much cheer there is in an unemployment rate of less than 7%, the figure remains much worse than its needs to be for a complete economic recovery.
PC Sales Plunge Threatens HP and Dell
At the current rate of decline, the number PC shipments could fall well below 300 million, a sum that would have been unimaginable just two years ago. No combination of price and new, extraordinary…
Number of Deeply Underwater Mortgages Drops in December
The RealtyTrac U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report for December 2013 shows that the number of U.S. residential properties that were deeply underwater has decreased. But the news for homeowners was not uniformly good…
Why Haven’t Retailers Announced Holiday Results? Sales Were Poor
Most of America's largest retailers have been quiet about their holiday results, although they certainly know how well they did for the season. The silence ought to cause a great deal of concern. After…
Why No CEO Hall of Fame?
There are several CEO of the Year awards. But there is no CEO Hall of Fame picked by writers from business magazines, websites, television business shows or newspapers. However, there should be.
Sales of Consumer Devices to Hit 2.5 Billion in 2014
ThinkstockCompanies that sell hardware devices and the software that powers them can expect their total market to rise substantially this year. However, not every company will benefit as the battle for share continues to…
Digital Movie Sales Rise in Victory for Apple and Amazon
The dream that people would eventually buy individual movies online has finally become true. The clear winners based on the trend are Apple and Amazon.com.
Euro Area Unemployment Stays High at 12.1%
If unemployment is at the foundation of measurements of national economic health, then the euro area and European Union remain crippled with little hope in sight for a recovery.
Do Big Companies Need CEOs?
Several small but well-known companies have dumped the management structure that requires them to have a CEO. Could these actions, if effective, undermine the decades-long belief that business organizations have to be run by…
Intel Launches Wearable Devices Into Intensely Crowded Market
Into a market already awash with smartwatches, smartphones and voice recognition programs, Intel has decided to release its own programs. No one knows, however, if consumers even want to have these levels of intrusive…
Extreme Cold to Deal Blow to Economy
ThinkstockHurricanes, floods, heat waves and snow storms. Any can be powerful enough or widespread enough to actually chip a piece of U.S. GDP improvement in a given quarter. With two-thirds of the nation wracked…
Google Aggressively Moves Into Car Business
Google has lined up powerful allies as part of its push into the world of auto software. The new Open Automotive Alliance was launched Monday and includes Audi, GM, Honda, Hyundai and Nvidia.
Wall Street Picks Retailers That Were Winners and Losers During Holidays
courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.Investors in retailer stocks already know two things about holiday results. The first is that, over the past month of 2013, the rising tide of the stock market helped lift…
Forbes vs. Bloomberg Billionaire Lists
Which billionaires list is better, the one produced by Forbes, which is decades old, or the new list created by Bloomberg? The answer is that neither is better than the other, or perhaps neither…
The Five-Year-Old iPad: When Will People Stop Upgrading?
At some point, products become so advanced that further revolutionary enhancements become limited, and consumers begin to question the need for the next generation of products that have historically been upgraded rapidly.