Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) shares reached an all-time high as management described the company’s plans to challenge Amazon.com Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) same-day delivery, its plan for more small stores to drive up sales…
Just two days after Angela Merkel visited Greece to show support for the austerity programs of Greece’s Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, IMF chief Christine Lagarde said that Greece need more time to put its financial house…
Greece has joined Spain as one of the only two countries in the European Union with an unemployment rate above 25%. The new figure — 25.1% — coupled with a gross domestic product decline that…
Not much more could go wrong for Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ). Its shares are at multiyear lows. Its new CEO and savior Meg Whitman says it will be dozens of quarters before the company…
Updated throughout the day on the 24/7 Wall St. Wire: The FTC is investigating Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) use of patents it acquired to sue other companies over intellectual property. (NYT) Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:…
Ballmer and Microsoft’s Future Much of the recent discussion about Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) has centered around the cut in CEO Steve Ballmer’s bonus, which to some extent was due to ongoing losses in…
Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) recalled 7.43 million vehicles worldwide today for what its said were power window switches that could cause fires. Toyota said that there had been none of these fires as far as it…
Based on its latest earnings, Yum! Brands Inc. (NYSE: YUM) did well in the United States and China, its big growth markets. Or, China is a problem because growth has slowed there. The Yum! Brands…
International Monetary FundLike nearly every other organization, economist and investor, the International Monetary Fund voiced concern about Europe in its new analysis. According to its Global Financial Stability Report: Risks to global financial stability…
The BAE merger with EADS faces more trouble from nations and shareholders. (Reuters) The International Monetary Fund points to the eurozone crisis as the most likely cause of a worldwide slowdown. (Reuters) The House…
From MarketWatch: Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it is recalling 7.43 million vehicles globally due to a potential fire risk with power window switches, including 2.47 million vehicles sold in the U.S. The recall…
Merkel’s Chilly Welcome in Greece Germany’s Angela Merkel did not get a warm welcome as she traveled to Greece. More than any other nation, Germany has pressed austerity measures there and threatened to withhold aid.…
International Monetary FundMost readers of the International Monetary Fund’s October World Economic Outlook naturally will turn to forecasts on Europe’s growth, or lack thereof, this year and in 2013. One of the things that stands…
Many finance ministers in Europe believe that Spain can avoid a bailout. (Reuters) Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) uses a pay-per-performance deal to help it secure premium content. (Reuters) Cities such as Seattle and Houston…
While most of the car industry’s attention has been turned to the drop in Japanese car sales in China, there is increasing evidence that manufacturers that do business in Europe will suffer very long-term effects…
Wikimedia Commons / Creative CommonsThe Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, along with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), issued the State of Food Insecurity in…
International Monetary FundThe recession is here, is about to be here, or has already been here for some time, according to the new IMF World Economic Outlook. The documents covers forecasts for 2012 and…
Moody’s Investors Service assigned a long-term issuer rating of Aaa and a short-term issuer rating of Prime-1 to the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). The outlook is negative, the ratings service said: The Aaa/Prime-1 ratings…
A Single Eurozone Budget A consensus has begun to emerge that there be one budget for the entire eurozone. The region’s finance ministers will meet shortly. However, it is difficult to imagine why Germany,…
Governors and state legislatures across the country may want to take a page from the Jerry Brown playbook to bring down gasoline prices. In his state of California, regular gas sells for more than…