ThinkstockGoogle Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) single greatest weakness may be its poor market share in the world’s largest country as measured by population and Internet users — China. To make matters worse, Google’s primary competitor…
ThinkstockThe Ifo Business Climate index for Germany in July showed an improvement, bolstered other data about a stronger economy in the European Union’s largest economy by gross domestic product (GDP). Markit released PMI data that also…
National Hurrican CenterFlood, drought, pestilence. Old Testament style disasters cost $85 billion in the first half of 2013, according to the Aon Benfield “Global Natural Disaster Analysis.” According to the report: Global natural disaster losses…
ThinkstockThe best company to work, the worst, and the new “50 Best U.S. Cities for Employment Satisfaction” study from industry leading employee opinion group Glassdoor. The actual list would be better called a review…
thinkstockHanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI), a maker primarily of means underwear, will buy women’s bra company Maidenform Brands Inc. (NYSE: MFB). It is hard to say why the marriage will help either company, but Hanes…
courtesy of Tulane Public RelationsIn theory, any investment firm with enough money could make an offer for TheStreet.com (NASDAQ: TST). The major hurdle to a takeover is that, without Jim Cramer, the founder and…
Wikimedia CommonsAT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) earnings for the second quarter where generally considered mediocre. But just below the surface of the top line numbers, investors could draw the inescapable conclusion that the phone company’s…
courtesy of MicrosoftGoogle Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) may have the dominant search engine in the United States, based on its market share, which generally is posted at between 60% and 70%. However, on a customer…
courtesy of Time WarnerThe Hispanic population in the United States is growing much faster than the formerly dominant white, non-Latin one. That may have been a threat to traditional media outlets. However, it turns…
ThinkstockEurope’s economy has shown unexpected resilience, and it may even be recovering from a deep recession, according to PMI data from Markit that covers July, Since the EU economy is the largest by gross…
ThinkstockChina’s fresh purchasing managers index (PMI) data showed its economy has moved toward a state of stagnation, and manufacturing has moved into reverse. In the meantime, the PMI number for Germany moved sharply in…
courtesy of StarbucksFor people who hate coffee, free WiFi, scones and obnoxious baristas, Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) has entered the yogurt business, which is among the most crowded food businesses in the world. But…
ThinkstockCybercrime’s cost to the U.S. economy is immense, at least by the standards of other expenses to gross domestic product (GDP). But the amount may be small enough that the final effects are very…
ThinkstockThe watch was supposed to go the way of the dodo, as other electronic devices like smartphones took their place as portable clocks, alarms and stopwatches. Yet despite the nearly universal availability of new…
ThinkstockHunger problems are part of the regular study of organizations like the U.N. and The World Bank. The causes are usually put at the feet of poor farming practices, lack of seed, drought and…
Wikimedia CommonsNow that Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) has released new chips for the smartphone market, where it has been squeezed out by competitors like ARM Holdings PLC (NASDAQ: ARMH) and Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM),…
ThinkstockMarket prices in China soared as the Hang Seng rose 2.3% to 21,915, and H shares were up 3.9% to 9,780. Perhaps the markets sense the slow growth will yield actions by the central…
ThinkstockThe U.K.’s royal family is wealthy, but likely not wealthy enough to pass up sponsorships as the heir to the thrown is born to Kate, the wife to Prince William. Or, perhaps the family…
The standoff over the future ownership of Dell Inc., with Carl Icahn and his allies on the one side and Michael Dell and his on the other, has failed to yield any large increase…
ThinkstockAdd another ominous sign to the current and probably near-term future of the U.S. economy. A string of data about the level of confidence among companies in the private sector, which appeared strong from the early part…