US Economic Growth 2% To 3%–Geithener
Treasury Secretary Geithner said at Davos that the US economy is growing at a 2% to 3% rate. This is slower than many economists think is necessary to lift jobs growth, and spending by…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
Eastman to Acquire Solutia, Solutia Announces Results
Eastman Chemical (NYSE: EMN) entered into a definitive agreement, under which Eastman will acquire Solutia (NYSE: SOA), a global leader in performance materials and specialty chemicals. Under the terms of the agreement, Solutia stockholders will…
Fed’s Lacker Sees Rate Rise Before 2014
The head of the Richmond Federal Reserve took issue with the wisdom the central bank as it was stated earlier this week. Ben Bernanke said that interest rates as set by the Fed would…
Samsung Earnings Jump
Driven by smartphone sales, and the rise in sales of the chips that power them, Samsung’s quarterly results impressed According to MarketWatch Samsung Electronics reports 17% rise in 4Q net profit; smartphones contribute most…
US Government Walks Away From Alternative Energy–NYT
The New York Times reports that federal govenment support of wind and solar projects has fallen. It is ironic since both the Republicans and Democrats have called for plans to cut reliance on fossil…
Greek Economy Trouble Worse–IMF
An IMF report, which has been quietly circulated among European leaders, shows the southern European nations financials are worse off than believe. High unemployment, a shrinking tax base, and perhaps the early effects of…
S&P Expects Slowing Latin America Growth
Headwinds from Europe will reach Latin America. The rapidly growing developing nations will suffer accordingly S&P reports that Amid an uncertain and challenging global economy, Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services expects growth in Latin…
January Car Sales To Stay Strong–Truecar
Car sales in the US continue to defy economic gravity. After a 2011 in which sales rose sharply despite a shaky economy, Truecar says January sales will continue the trend. It is a sign that consumer…
European Pessimism About Jobs Extraordinarily High
New data from Gallup shows that a huge number of Europeans believe the jobs market will not improve. That is bound to hurt consumer spending and add to the vicious cycle which continues as…
Apple IS No.1 Smartphone Company In Q4
Strategy Analytics has released its fourth quarter global smartphone data. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) took the No.1 spot with a market share of 23.9% and sales of 37 million out of a worldwide universe of…
Opps–JCPenney To No Longer Report Same-Store Sales
JC Penney (NYSE: JPC) will no longer report same-store sales. It is a way to avoid telling investors how badly they are doing more than once a quarter The retailer will also begin its turnaround with $800…
New Home Sales Implode–MarketWatch
According to MarketWatch U.S. sales of new homes retreated in December, perhaps a fitting end to a year which saw a new record low level of sales. Sales fell 2.2% in December to a…
Shares Short In Car Companies Rise
Despite a string of strong US car sales, shares short in the two largest American car companies rose for the two week period which ended on January 13. Perhaps investors are concerned about an erosion of…
Short Sellers Move Against Tech
Despite earnings reports which have been largely seen as positive, short sellers increased their bets against tech stocks according to data for the two weeks which ended on January 13. Investors may be concerned…
Short Interest In Telecoms Is Mixed
Telecom stocks has mixed short interest movements in the two weeks that ended on January 13. Earnings seem to indicate that the cost of obtaining new wireless subscribers, particularly through sales of the Apple iPhone have…
Short Sellers Up Bets Against Banks
Based on Nasdaq and NYSE data for the two weeks which ended January 13, short sellers increase their bets against the big four banks Shares short in B of A rose 18.5% to 186.1…
The Best-Selling Cars of All Time
The most successful car in history may be the Ford Model T. While other models may have sold more vehicles, Ford managed to sell nearly 17 million cars from 1908 to 1927 — a…
Short Sellers Increase Bets Across the Board
For the first time in a long time, short sellers have increased their bets that the stock prices of most large companies and in most large sectors will fall. The NYSE and Nasdaq released…
Netflix: Consumers Forgive Faster Than Wall St.
Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) added 220,000 subscribers who stream content, reaching a total of 21.67 million at the end of the year. Many customers appear to have forgotten the price increase in September. Wall St. believed…
IMF: Iran Oil Export Halt Could Raise Crude by 30%
The International Monetary Fund says the nations that would set sanctions against Iran’s oil exports will pay for their convictions with crude prices that could rise as much as 30%. Brent crude would be…