Two Problems For Apple iPad
The new Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad has mechanical and data consumption problems. So far they have not dented the pace of the sales of the iPad which reached three million units in first four days it…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Sears Pushes Further Into Real Estate
Sears Holdings (NASDAQ: SHLD) has done a remarkably poor job as a retailer since Sears and KMart merged. The company has suffered such poor results that it has begun to close stores. It has not…
Disney Will Take $200 Million Write-off On “John Carter”
The movie seemed promising to Walt Disney. “John Carter” a film about a Civil War vet who shows up on Mars cost about $250 million to produce. It is nearly impossible to see what…
Facebook Underwriters Get Next To Nothing
Every investment bank wanted the prestige of being an underwriter of the Facebook IPO, which may be among the largest in history. Be careful what you which for. Reuters reports that the banks will get…
Market Raises U.S. Gas Prices, Chinese Government Raises Its
China does not need to depend on the free market to set gas prices. It can largely determine what its drivers and businesses pay for gas and diesel. The U.S., on the other hand,…
Get Ready for Oprah to Be Cancelled
Rosie O’Donnell’s show on Oprah Winfrey’s OWN was supposed to the a keystone of the network’s ratings. Instead, it bombed and its audience finally settled at barely 250,000 people. The show recently was cancelled. There…
More Hope for Microsoft Shares with Windows 8
The single greatest criticism of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) CEO Steven Ballmer is that the company’s shares have not gained during his tenure as head of the company. The attack is not entirely fair. The…
What’s Important in the Financial World (3/20/2102) GE Rating Warning, Goldman Layoffs
The credit part of the recession is not over — for General Electric (NYSE: GE) at least. Moody’s says it may downgrade its rating of the conglomerate and part of its financial services operations — General Electric…
Media Digest (3/20/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg
Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) begins staff cuts as part of an annual review process. (Reuters) The Obama Administration is expected to help U.S. solar panel makers in a trade war with China. (Reuters) The…
Gas Prices Up, Again
Another day, another increase in gas price. By most counts, this is the eleventh consecutive day in row. The average price of a gallon of regular nationwide rose to $3.846 from $3.842 the say…
Goldman Sachs To Cut Staff
The fall-out of a weak year among Wall St. firms is not over. Many suffered because the government forced them out of highly profitable proprietary trading operations. Others watched lucrative investment banking sales drop.…
Geithner Attacks Austerity
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will caution austerity measures taken by, or perhaps forced on, many European nations could undermine any recovery there. In comments to the House Financial Services Committee, he will say “If every…
A Moody’s Downgrade Of GE?
For GE (NYSE: GE), the credit crisis part of the recession may not be over. Moody’s reports it could downgrade the rating of the conglomerate and part of its financial services operations–General Electric Capital Corporation–from…
The Six States Where Taxes Are Soaring
As the economy struggles to recover, state and federal budget deficits continue to be the subject of increased attention. Just last week, the congressional budget office said that President Obama’s budget will produce a…
Apple Sells Three Million iPads
There has been a guessing game going on among analysts since the new iPad launched on March 16. How many were sold? Experts watched lines at stores and counted units sold at Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) retail…
How Long Will Oil Stay at $150?
The price of crude oil reached an all-time high of $147.30 in July 2008. Many analysts believe it will reach that level again this summer. If oil does hit $140 or better again, how long…
The News Industry Runs Out of Money
The key conclusions of the annual Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism report on the “State of the News Industry” are two. A rise in new technology that allows information dissemination has made the news industry…
Is Portugal the Next Greece?
PIMCO CEO, Mohamed El-Erian, his firm’s track record badly damaged last year, told German weekly Der Spiegel that Portugal is the next Greece. His point is buttressed by the current recession in Portugal, which mirrors that…
Dell Wants To Challenge Apple In Tablet PC
Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad has been pursued by several companies and the pursuit will become more heated now that Apple has released a new machine. Samsung has had some success with its Galaxy. Research In…
What’s Important in the Financial World (3/19/2012) Starbucks Juice Bar, China’s Arms
The repair problems that Airbus faces for its A380 superjumbo are far from over. The manufacturer’s executive vice president, Tom Williams, told Der Spiegel that “The problem will keep us busy for years.” He estimates…