Why Facebook IPO Roadshow Won’t Matter
There are rumors that the Facebook “roadshow” to present the company’s prospects to investors will begin this week and that the IPO of the social network will come before month’s end. None of the…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Foreclosures Fall In March And First Quarter–Corelogic
The rolling ride created by housing news took a turn up. Corelogic reported a drop in foreclosures in March. Unlike data from many other research firms, the Corelogic information is only a month old and therefore has…
Stock Upgrades And Downgrades
Canaccord maintains its buy rating on Hologic (NASDAQ: HOLX) after it announced a buyout of Gen-Probe for $3.7. Canaccord also reiterated its buy rating on Watson Pharmaceuticals (WPI: NYSE) Goldman Sachs upgraded Community Health Systems (NYSE: CYH) to…
Parliament Committee Say Murdoch Unfit To Run Global Firm
The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee issued its report of the phone hacking scandal at News Crop The report was particularly hard on CEO Rupert Murdoch and his son James. Jame is…
States Where the Most Children Lost Homes
Some 2.3 million American children, or 3% of them, lost their homes during the recession, according to a recent report. An additional 3 million children are at risk of losing their homes as their…
Can Microsoft Save Cursed Barnes & Noble? No
Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) decision to invest in the e-commerce arm of Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) will do nearly nothing for the bricks-and-mortar book company. The challenge the two companies face has little to…
China PMI — One Month Is Not a Trend
China’s central government statistics agency said the country’s purchasing managers index rose to 53.3 from a reading of 53.1 in March. The figure could signal an expansion, but only an extremely modest one. The press…
Caterpillar Labor Problems and Burdens of Success
Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) faces a relatively small strike at its Joliet, Ill., plant. The members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers will walk out when their six-year contract expires. The strike shows the…
Media Digest (5/1/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT
China’s PMI rises to a 13-month high. (Reuters) BP (NYSE: BP) profits fall as it sells some assets to pay for the Gulf spill. (Reuters) New York state pension funds vote against five Walmart (NYSE:…
Germany Presses Austerity, Again
Germany continued its lonely quest for austerity as the key to the repair of EU finances. The position might not mean much if the region’s largest economy were not the cornerstone of bailout capital.…
BP Profits Off
BP’s (NYSE: BP) profits fell as it continues to struggle with the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. The incident and subsequent oil spill may cost the UK company as much as $20 billion in settlements with…
Bank Of America Readies More Job Cuts
The Wall Street Journal reported a rumor that Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) will cut as many as 2,000 jobs primarily at its investment bank and commercial units. If this happens it is another…
First Quarter Stock Indexes Retreat
The S&P 500 was down slightly last month as was the NASDAQ. For each, it was the first drop since November. The DJIA rose a tiny amount which kept its multi-month rally alive. The…
What’s Important in the Financial World (5/1/2012) Financials Lift DJIA for Q1, Bank of America Layoffs
BP’s (NYSE: BP) profits fell as it continues to struggle with the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe. The incident and subsequent oil spill may cost the UK company as much as $20 billion in settlements with private interests.…
America’s Continuing Love Affair with Gold
The price of gold may be down this year, but over the past three it has nearly doubled. No wonder many Americans think it is a good investment. A large number think it is the best…
A Need for Social Security When There May Be Little
More and more Americans expect to rely on Social Security as they move into retirement. Based on government numbers, the agency will have trouble supporting them. Due to a need for Congress to show…
What Happened to New York Times’ CEO Search?
When Janet Robinson, the former CEO of the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) was pushed out of office last December, the corporation that owns the New York Times said it would find a replacement. Over four…
What’s Important in the Financial World (4/30/2012) Gas Prices Fall, Global Unemployment Rises
Gasoline prices continued to slip, but that may not last long. Oil has reversed its sell-off. According to AAA Fuel Gauge, a gallon of regular based on the average price across the country was…
Media Digest (4/30/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Philp Falcone receives extensions from creditors owed money by his high-speed wireless company LightSquared. (Reuters) Social gifting is a growing part of e-commerce. (Reuters) Barron’s says Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) could join the DJIA.…
China Car Show Ends In Disappointment
The Beijing Auto Show is about to end. It may be the most disappointing of the world’s large gatherings of car executives and their new products this year. One of the reasons the show…