ThinkstockGreece is no longer a developed nation. It was downgraded to “emerging market” status by index firm MSCI. The oldest civilization in the Western World is among the most primitive economically, and that will…
ThinkstockThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has started a push to press down, or even eliminate, overdraft fees. A decision against the banks could cost them tens of millions of dollars in profits. The agency…
Courtesy Boeing Co.Good news for shareholders of Boeing Co. (NYSE: BA), and Airbus as well. Boeing raised its 20-year demand forecast for commercial planes by 3.8% to 35,000. According to the revised Boeing forecast:…
courtesy of General MotorsThere has been plenty of evidence in the past that the car buying public does not want anything to do with General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) Chevy Volt. Buyers have purchased…
ThinkstockLululemon Athletica (NASDAQ: LULU) will replace its CEO Christine Day as soon as possible, probably because of a debacle that involved the shipping of pants which were too “see-through” to sell, at least to real…
MicrosoftIn the fight for market share in the game console business, the key ingredient to success may be what it costs to make and market Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox One and Sony Corp.’s…
ThinkstockJob creation likely will be capped by the tepid growth of most large economies. Europe in particular will be a drag on a global jobs recovery. Without the addition of ten of millions of…
courtesy of Sprint Corp.Now that Softbank has increased its offer for Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S), it is rival bidder Dish Network Corp.’s (NASDAQ: DISH) turn. Dish has made a strong enough case to…
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) unit issued its new estimates of global shale oil and gas deposits. The document’s release was well covered. Not as highly commented on was the extent to which…
ThinkstockAs a means to fight off an offer from Dish Network Corp. (NASDAQ: DISH), Softbank has raised the cash portion of its bid for Sprint Nextel Corp. (NYSE: S). The announcement from Sprint: Sprint’s…
courtesy of the White HouseThe most important news out of the summit between China’s President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Obama is that no progress was made on the cyber spying issue. It is…
ThinkstockRecent information from Japan and the United Kingdom shows that accelerated recoveries from deep recessions are underway. There may be a way to track how these governments worked to turn around their economies. In…
courtesy of SamsungAT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) has decided its wireless customers are so loyal that it can extend the period after which they can get a new smartphone at a discount price from 20…
ThinkstockNew data from Interest.com indicates that most other studies of how financially tough retirement will be for almost every American are accurate. The recent study indicates that older Americans face income shortfalls in 48…
ThinkstockThe disclosure that the U.S. government tracks phone call patterns and a broad spectrum of data from large consumer-facing tech companies, which probably include Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Yahoo!…
courtesy of Google Inc.The mergers and acquisitions process at Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) cannot be measured against those of most other companies. The search company is willing to take chances rivals would not because…
ThinkstockIn most nations, a recession means a contraction of gross domestic prodcut (GDP) for two consecutive quarters. In China, based on its own past standards, a “recession” of a kind might be a growth…
ThinkstockThe measure of what is dangerous depends on to whom and by what. “Most dangerous” is, by definition, a meaningless term, unless put in very specific context. These things are true of the new…
ThinkstockGoogle Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) can do nearly everything from search to maps that show people where they are, to providing the world’s most popular operating system. It now claims it has the key to…
ThinkstockThe growing trade war between China and the European Union, which currently includes complaints about solar hardware and wine, may get much more bruising. Perhaps the best example of how much damage can be…