Apple’s Best Hope Moves Overseas
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) announced that the iPhone 5 should become available in 50 additional national markets by year’s end. These include critical ones because of their sizes and number of smartphone users —…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
No Evictions for Christmas
Rest easy, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have told people with homes in foreclosure. This holiday season there will be no coal in your stockings. Evictions will be delayed until January 2 of next year.…
Media Digest (12/4/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) says a $2.7 billion court judgment against it in Mexico is “flawed.” (Reuters) Federal Reserve governors praise the bank’s stimulus plan but disagree about its future. (Reuters) A judge approves…
What’s Important in the Financial World (12/3/2012)
No Progress on Fiscal Cliff For those who believe that Congress and the White House can find a solution to the fiscal cliff problem, hope has begun to drain away. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner…
Looking Ahead to November Unemployment Numbers
November unemployment rates will be released on Friday. Some of the figures will be distorted by factors such as Hurricane Sandy, holiday retail job additions and layoffs at troubled companies from Web 2.0 firms…
Some American Companies Have No Future
No matter how sad the forecast, the year’s results for a few large America companies, the conditions of competition in their markets and the malaise that has draped much of economy makes it almost…
The Myth of the Cadillac Turnaround
The myth of a turnaround of the Cadillac division of General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) becomes more laughable by the month. The luxury nameplate continues to brag that its new ATS will add significantly…
Media Digest (12/3/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
China’s PMI steps up in November. (Reuters) Greece begins to buy back some of its high-yield bonds. (Reuters) Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) may buy Virgin Atlantic. (Reuters) Martin Marietta Materials Inc. (NYSE:…
What’s Important in the Financial World (11/30/2012)
Draghi on Eurozone Recovery European Central Bank President Mario Draghi told media outlet Europe 1: “We have not yet emerged from the crisis. The recovery for most of the euro zone will certainly begin…
Windows 8 and PC Sales: Chicken and Egg
Widely regarded research firm NPD Group released data from its Weekly Tracking Service that showed that PC sales have fallen, compared to last year, since Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8 was released. The…
CBO Puts Debt Ceiling Top in March: A False Sense of Security
The independent Congressional Budget Office issued its new estimate of when the federal government will reach its debt ceiling — late February or early March. In its “Federal Debt and the Statutory Limit, November…
India GDP Growth at 5.3% Falters Badly
India’s Central Statistics Office (CSO) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released its preliminary estimates of GDP growth for the calendar third quarter. The improvement was abysmal, for India, at 5.3% over…
Media Digest (11/30/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
European Central Bank President Mario Draghi says Europe may have a second-half recovery. (Reuters) Germany’s parliament will approve participation in the Greek bailout. (Reuters) Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 5 is approved for distribution…
What’s New in the Financial World (11/29/2012)
Germany Unemployment Rises Again Germany’s unemployment rose again and now has been up for eight consecutive months. Once again, evidence points to Germany’s inability to isolate itself from the European recession. Germany has been unable…
A Question for HP: Who Reviewed Autonomy’s Books?
Eventually, the set of lawsuits and government investigations of the Hewlett-Packard Co.’s (NYSE: HPQ) debacle of its purchase of Autonomy probably will sort out who examined Autonomy’s books and why discrepancies in its financial statements…
Walmart and Fast-Food Strikers Face Harsh Winds
The strike by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) workers that occurred off and on over the Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend did not put a dent in the sales of the world’s largest retailer, according to…
News Sites and the Hell of the Post-Election World
The national election boosted the traffic of all the major online news sites to extraordinary levels. They may not reach these levels again until the 2016 election. As the most recent election has passed,…
States About To Lose The Most Unemployment Insurance
During the Great Recession, the U.S. unemployment rate reached double digits, triggering government aid programs to help those seriously affected. The labor market has much improved, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in…
Media Digest (11/29/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Deloitte and KPMG are sued for their parts in the Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) buyout of Autonomy. (Reuters) Samsung launches a Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android-based camera in Japan. (Reuters) Steve Ballmer of Microsoft…
Today’s Best Market Rumors (11/28/2012)
ThinkstockUpdated throughout the day on the 24/7 Wall St. Wire: Virtu Financial is the most likely buyer of Knight Financial Group Inc. (NYSE: KCG). (WSJ) Jeff Zucker will become the new CEO of Time…