ThinkstockGeneral Electric Co.’s (NYSE: GE) new earnings were treated with great enthusiasm, which pushed its stock higher by almost 5% in one day. Management and the board, however, must be haunted by the fact that, since…
ThinkstockGeneral Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) CEO Dan Akerson has not been the company’s leader long enough to speak with any authority about the history of the auto industry. Already considered naïve in many quarters for his…
ThinkstockAlmost every major bank has released earnings for the second quarter. Unfortunately, despite the fact that most beat expectations, none has rallied much beyond the improvement in the S&P — at least as measured…
ThinkstockIn the world to tech, there is old tech, current tech and future tech. Old tech got spanked this week, as Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) proved that its Windows PC business continues to struggle…
For the second year in a row, 24/7 Wall St. has identified America’s worst companies to work for. While company management can improve employee satisfaction, most of the companies on our list continue to…
ThinkstockRetail spending is often used as a barometer of the general economy. If consumer spending is two-thirds of gross domestic product (GDP), retail spending is one of its primary engines. And the news about…
ThinkstockThe rising price of crude probably already has done some damage to the economy. And in the future it is certain to do more. The costs of gas and heating oil will rise for consumers. For…
ThinkstockIf the residents of the city of Detroit want to blame any person or organization for its Chapter 9 filing, they only need to look as far as the unions that controlled labor there…
courtesy of Apple Inc.Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has moved to the margins enough in the conversation about big tech that earnings from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) today did not…
ThinkstockWith an improving economy, an unexpected but welcome increase in tax revenue and federal spending down, largely because of budget battles, the U.S. financial situation has improved, not by design so much as by…
courtesy of Google Inc.For investors who believed that Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) shares would be held down because it has only one source of revenue, it is time to adjust expectations. The search company…
Wikimedia CommonsNike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) was just about the only sponsor to stay with Tiger Woods after his career meltdown in late 2009. He has proved that the sponsors who left him should want to…
ThinkstockThe austerity versus stimulus battle flamed up again as the Greek parliament approved massive layoffs of public workers. Now, the proponents of cost cuts in financially weakened nations will get up-close evidence about whether…
courtesy of DellCarl Icahn told the media and investors who have followed, and participated in, his attempt to seize control of Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) that he has a new chief executive in mind.…
ThinkstockFinance Minister Lou Jiwei seemed coy in his recent comments about a Chinese GDP stimulus package. There probably will not be a big one this year, but the central government plans to help employment and…
ThinkstockIt is appalling to believe that many Americans cannot afford healthy food. But the number of people who can’t is terribly high, which says that whatever effort has been made by the government to pull…
via Wikimedia CommonsInvestors were upset that Yahoo! Inc.’s (NASDAQ: YHOO) quarterly results showed a sharp drop in display advertising revenue. And, based on its forecasts, that will not get any better soon. The Yahoo!…
Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) has trouble in some of the largest markets overseas. As its share price rockets to more than $900 and reaches all-time highs, investors anticipate that its advertising revenue, its near-ubiquity…
ThinkstockJune car sales in the European Union prove two things. First, that the recession in the region continues to cripple auto registrations at an extraordinary rate. And second, that it is time for General…
ThinkstockMost of the focus on the rise in gas prices, caused by the surge in oil prices, has been the effect of the march toward $4 a gallon. The focus is misplaced, at least…