Can Microsoft’s New Xbox Change Multimedia?
Steve Ballmer was willing to lose money on the Xbox for years. The console and its add-ons are finally a mildly profitable business. But, as Ballmer often does, he will lose money again in…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Media Digest (10/23/012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) soon will release its mini iPad. (Reuters) Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) delivers better-than-expected earnings and its CEO says the firm will move aggressively into mobile. (Reuters) ARM Holding PLC’s (NASDAQ:…
One More Sign the Economy Will Determine the Election
The recession may be over, but many Americans do not see the economy that way. Stagnant wages, persistently high unemployment and a spike in energy prices may make the lives of some people in…
Five Companies That Have to Raise Dividends
Companies institute or raise dividends for several reasons. One, the most striking example of which is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), is to return money to shareholders from balance sheets laden with cash. Another major…
What’s New in the Financial World (10/22/2012)
Little Excitement for Windows 8 As reviews and predictions increase ahead of Friday’s release of Microsoft Corp.’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Windows 8, a few issues dominate the commentary. The first is that Windows 8 is…
Media Digest (10/22/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
BP PLC (NYSE: BP) sets a deal to sell its half of BP-TNK to Rosneft. (Reuters) European Union leaders will take at least two months to set terms for new rules for the organization and…
Major U.S. Airlines Projected to Report Record Revenue for 3rd Quarter
By the end of this week, AirlineFinancials.com LLC is projecting the seven largest US airlines will have collectively reported $1.8 billion in profits from $36.9 billion in revenue for the recent 3rd quarter. This…
Rumor: BP Set to Sell Stake in TNK-BP
Reuters has released a rumor that BP PLC (NYSE: BP) will sell its 50% interest in TNK-BP to partner Rosneft. There have been rumors off and on in the press that such a deal would…
What’s Important in the Financial World (10/19/2012)
EU Bank Supervision Coming The Europeans finally have agreed on something. There will be one bank supervisor for the region as early as next year. While the decision may be a step forward, it…
Could the U.S. Become the Next Japan for China?
China bashing by U.S. politicians is not akin to warships on alert and bitter arguments over the fate of the relatively small Senkaku Islands, to which China and Japan each lay claim. But the…
The Age of PC Company Layoffs
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NYSE: AMD), one of the weakest companies in the PC supply chain, just laid off 15% of its workers. That is about 1,800 people. The slow attrition of computer sales…
The Unsolved Uninsured Problem
The new and remarkably large health care law, based on the vision of President Obama, will phase in quickly over the next several years. At its heart is the belief that every American should have…
Media Digest (10/19/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
The European Union summit helps to lower bond yields for Spain and Italy. (Reuters) Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) shares drop badly after releases earnings early and it misses numbers. (Reuters) Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT)…
Today’s Best Market Rumors (10/18/2012) BP Russia Buyout
Updated throughout the day on the 24/7 Wall St. Wire: Russian state oil company Rosneft offers BP PLC (NYSE: BP) $25 billion for its share in the TNK-BP joint venture. (Reuters) Negotiations for a bailout…
What’s Important in the Financial World (10/18/2012)
Apple vs. Samsung The intellectual property lawsuits between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Samsung continue to go back and forth. The latest court decision hurts Apple. A U.K. court said that the Samsung Galaxy…
As Student Debt Jumps Again, a Problem Without Answers
The problem is plain enough. Student debt continues to rise year after year. Many students with the debt will never repay it. Some set of organizations will be left with crippling losses. No one…
Media Digest (10/18/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
China’s gross domestic product rises only 7.4%, but some data shows its economy may have bottomed. (Reuters) An analysis issued by the White House shows that Chinese telecom Huawei Technologies has not spied on…
The Seven Companies That Power Germany’s Amazing Economy
So far, the economy of Germany is the only one in Europe that has dodged recession, or a reasonable projection of one. Among the causes of its strength are an unemployment rate that is the…
Greece: Strikes Undermine Austerity
From a moral point of view, it is difficult to say whether the efforts of Greek unions to shut down the nation’s economy are ethical. From an economic viewpoint, it is not. Massive walkouts slow…
China’s Economy — One Month Does Not a Trend Make
China GDP rose only 7.4% last quarter, a disaster by the standards of the People’s Republic. Analysts put on a brave face. September was OK, they said. Industrial production moved higher by 9.2% in…