Year of the Recall May Hurt Car Sales
courtesy Ford Motor Co.Experts say that U.S. car sales are chugging toward 15.5 million for 2013. The level is better than any since the recession began. Car quality could be the one thing, other…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Media Digest (4/11/2013) Reuters, WSJ, FT, Bloomberg
courtesy of AOL, IncToyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) and Nissan will recall 3.4 million cars over airbag defects. (Reuters) Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) faces slow KFC sales…
George Soros Blames Germany, Austerity for Europe’s Economic Woes
ThinkstockWhy is Europe in such a difficult financial situation? Billionaire George Soros believes he knows. If only Germany would cooperate and offer more support to its weaker neighbors, everything would be OK. That is,…
Toyota Rejects Ford Claim About the World’s Best-Selling Car
courtesy of Toyota Motor Corp.Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) announced that the Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) claim that its Focus was the best-selling car in the world last year is false. This sets…
A J.C. Penney Buyout by Sears?
Courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.; photo by Chris RupertThe talk about the future of J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) has turned to the chances of a sale. The first possible reason is the…
America’s Nine Most Damaged Brands
courtesy Best Buy Co. Inc.Brand reputations are among the most prized assets major corporations have. A look at relevant surveys shows that brand valuations are often so high that they compare to the market…
America’s Most Important Jobs Report
Ed Brown, via Wikimedia CommonsThe most important report about U.S. jobs is not the monthly numbers released by the U.S. Department of Labor, nor the ADP review of private sector payrolls. The Job Openings…
What Is Important in the Financial World (4/10/2013)
ThinkstockSoros on Europe’s Troubles Why is Europe in such a difficult financial situation? Billionaire George Soros believes he knows. If only Germany would cooperate and offer more support to its weaker neighbors, everything would…
GM’s Very Tiny Facebook Gesture
courtesy of General MotorsThe press made a great deal of noise about General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) decision to test Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) as an advertising medium. When the car company walked away…
Media Digest (4/10/2013) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
courtesy of Facebook Inc.The FBI begins review of the relationship between a KPMG partner and Herbalife Ltd. (NYSE: HLF). (Reuters) Problems with lithium ion batteries hurt the growth of companies that make them. (Reuters)…
Supercars as Sales Builders
FiskerAlmost no one will buy a new Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) F-150 SVT Raptor Special Edition, which has special seats, a good sound system and a nice paint job. It is a pickup…
China Sees Mild Inflation in March
ThinkstockChina released inflation data for March, and the numbers received mixed reviews. One set of analysts believes that a lack of price increases will give consumers and businesses more purchasing power. In other words,…
Ford Celebrates Global Sales
courtesy Ford Motor Co.Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) announced that its Focus was the best-selling car in the world last year, at least based on data from research firm Polk. What Ford passed on…
Portuguese Prime Minister Warns Citizens to Expect More Austerity
ThinkstockAfter a battle between Portugal’s top court and its central government over the constitutionality of certain austerity measures, the prime minister says he will pursue any legal means he can to cut deficits. This,…
American Economic Confidence Holds Its Own
Frank Golhen, via Wikimedia CommonsDespite higher payroll taxes, a stalled employment situation, worry about the federal budget and persistent evidence that the economic recovery is halting at best, Americans continue to be relatively sanguine…
Xerox Gives CEO Big Pay Package for Failure
courtesy of XeroxThe board of directors of Xerox Corp. (NYSE: XRX) gave Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ursula M. Burns a pay package worth $13,070,245 for her 2012 performance. The figure would be good…
What Is Important in the Financial World (4/9/2013)
Courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.; photo by Chris RupertChina’s Mild Inflation China released inflation data for March, and the numbers received mixed reviews. One set of analysts believes that a lack of price increases…
Just How Bad Is J.C. Penney’s New CEO? Awful
courtesy J.C. Penney Co. Inc.J.C. Penney Co. Inc.’s (NYSE: JCP) Myron E. (Mike) Ullman III began the ruin of the retailer that his successor as chief executive, Ron Johnson, who was just fired, continued.…
Media Digest (4/9/2013) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
courtesy of YouTubeJ.C. Penney Co. Inc.’s (NYSE: JCP) board faces criticism for firing CEO Ron Johnson and replacing him with the predecessor who cause some of the retailer’s problems. (Reuters) Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:…
Portugal Court Blocks Austerity Measures
ThinkstockThe highest court in Portugal ruled that some of the austerity measures to be employed by the government to curtail deficits are not constitutional. In reaction, the central government said it would accelerate some…