What’s Important (9/7/2012)
China’s Extraordinary Stimulus Package China has decided that what its economy needs is an extraordinary stimulus package. As its growth in gross domestic product drops toward what is likely to be 7% and its…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Media Digest (9/7/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NY Times, FT
Poor jobless figures may force the Fed to adopt QE3. (Reuters) BP PLC (NYSE: BP) tries to blame workers on the Deepwater Horizon for the accident that caused a huge oil spill. (Reuters) Amazon.com…
The Best Companies of the First Half
The end of summer stock market run-up pushed the S&P 500 index above 1,400, a 12% gain year-to-date. But are businesses better off in 2012 than in 2011? To find out, 24/7 Wall St.…
French Economy Starts to Fall Apart
France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee) reported that the country’s unemployment rate reached a 13-year high in the second quarter, and that does not include a group often discussed when U.S. jobless figures are…
Is Amazon That Good?
Amazon.com Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AMZN) stock is up 40% this year. That is not as good as Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) nearly 60%, but it thrashes the 5% rise in Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The differences…
Will Samsung Give Away BlackBerrys?
If Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has its way, Samsung will be unable to import many of it most popular smartphones into the Unites States. That would leave the South Korean company the difficult choice of…
Media Digest (9/6/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi will set his bond-buying plan, which may be one of the most critical moments of the EU crisis. (Reuters) Samsung faces holding customers because Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL)…
What’s Important in the Financial World (9/6/2012)
OECD Outlook on Europe The OECD reports that the recession in Europe has begun to become an irresistible drag on the economy throughout much of the balance of the developed world. And, the problem could…
SUPERVALU Closes Stores, Continues Surrender
SUPERVALU Inc. (NYSE: SVU), nearly beaten to death over the last several months by Wall St., will close roughly 60 stores and take a charge as high as $90 million. The company may add…
Greece’s Underground Economy Grows
Greece does not have the means to police its underground economy, which is considered very large compared to the size of the country. Austerity measures that cut the size of government will make enforcement of tax laws…
The U.N. Prays for Rain
Three U.N. agencies — the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP) — called for “swift, coordinated action” to…
Auto Industry Risk: Keeping Cars off China’s Streets
The municipal government of Guangzhou will use lotteries to lower the number of cars in the city, according to the New York Times. It is the third largest city in the People’s Republic. If…
Media Digest (9/5/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ: FB) will not sell shares to cover a $2 billion tax bill. (Reuters) Government papers accuse BP PLC (NYSE: BP) of gross negligence in the Deepwater Horizon incident. (Reuters) Nokia Corp. (NYSE:…
FedEx Slashes Earnings Forecasts
There are not many companies the results of which are a nearly complete mirror of the global economy. FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) comes close, as it ships tens of millions of packages a month for…
The 10 States with the Strongest Housing Markets
The housing market is showing signs of a recovery, albeit a halting one. In 10 states, median home prices increased by more than 5.5% from July 2011 to July of this year. While there is no…
What’s Important (9/4/2012)
Rates Drop on Threat of ECB Action ECB President Mario Draghi has not backed away from his assertion that the bank can buy the short-term paper of Europe’s weakest nations. Some of his allies were worried…
As Greek and Spain Property Falls, Buyers Step In
Real estate investors have decided that the time is ripe to advertise the opportunity for foreigners to buy property in Spain and Greece. People who do buy homes in these two nations take a very…
Will the Fed Lose Independence?
The speculation has increased that the Federal Reserve might be owned by the Democrats or Republicans, or both if each can get a piece of policy making. The notion is flawed, as the Fed…
Labor Strikes Again
Hyundai has just settled a long and bitter strike with its auto workers. Lufthansa cabin crews have just disrupted its flight schedule. Talks between AMR’s American Airlines and pilots might scuttle “merger” talks with US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE:…
Media Digest (9/4/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Samsung will review 250 suppliers for labor violations. (Reuters) Oracle Corp. (NASDAQ: ORCL) will ask a court to review copyright damages against SAP A.G. (NYSE: SAP). (Reuters) Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) is likely to buy…