European Car Sales Fly Into Reverse — an Omen for the U.S.?
Car sales in Europe fell last month for the first time in five months. It is no wonder. The economy in the region has approached the level of ruin. Most nations in the eurozone…
All Work
Douglas A. McIntyre
It Is Time for Bill Gross to Disappear
Bill Gross, the bond king, should spend less time on television and more time in his office shoring up the poor results of his PIMCO Total Return Fund. It has had $17 billion in…
It Does Not Matter Who Runs the New York Times
It does not matter who runs the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT). The clock is slowly winding down on its viability as a standalone company. The newspaper industry has been wounded too badly …
What’s Important in the Financial World (12/16/2011) RIM’s Best Chance, Zynga IPO
International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said that if the eurozone crisis in not solved, the global economy could be damaged nearly beyond belief. She reasons that the sovereign debt crisis cannot be contained. This means…
Media Digest (12/16/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
Zynga posts at the high end of its IPO range and will raise $1 billion. (Reuters) Congress reaches a tentative deal to keep the government open. (Reuters) Bill Gross’s PIMCO Total Return Fund continues to…
Europe And Asia Up On Strong US News
Share in Asia closed higher, mostly because of a strong jobs report and positive data on economic activity in the US. The Nikkei was up .25% the last trading day of the week to…
Sino-Forest Investors Urge CEO To Leave
Investors in the embattled Sino-Forest have asked the CEO to leave. Richard Chandler, the largest investor in the company said the company should not default on its $9.78 million interest rate due on 2016…
NYT CEO Robinson Leaves
The CEO of The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) left the company in a move which surprised most observers. Janet Robinson will be out by the end of the year. Chairman Arthur Sulzberger will…
RIM Delay QNX Phones Until 2012
Among the poor news from Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) about its earnings and forecast, the company said it would delay smartphones with its critical QNX until 2012. The company said the system required…
Angry Birds May Have Hong Kong IPO
Finnish weekly Tekniikka&Talous says Angry Birds may have a Hong Kong IPO next year. The company makes online games which have been particularly popular as app downloads for smartphones like the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)…
RIM Quarterly Results: A Puzzle, But Not A Disappointment
Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) posted its quarterly results. Like most of what RIM has done recently, the figures disappointed the market. They did, however, show that the RIM has not been altogether savaged…
Today’s Best Market Rumors (12/15/2011) SEC And Citi
Updated throughout the day The SEC will press to get a federal judge to approve a mortgage paper deal with Citigroup (NYSE: C) Foreign banks operating in the US have lost deposits to US…
America’s Most (and Least) Charitable States
The holiday season is a time for giving to family and friends. It is also apparently a time to give to those in need. Nonprofits rely on end-of-year donations to meet their budgets. While…
Nokia Picks Wrong Carrier for U.S. Return
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) has returned to the U.S. smartphone market. Unfortunately, its partner is also-ran wireless provider T-Mobile. That will make it very difficult for the smartphone to get adoption. Experts already have questioned…
LightSquared Is Doomed
Its struggle against the federal government to gain acceptance of its high-speed internet product is nearly over. LightSquared, the ambitious national wireless provider, is doomed. In an announcement, the company praised the National Space-Based PNT Executive…
National Retail Federation Increases Forecast Despite Harsh Economy
The National Retail Federation, the association that represents the country’s retail companies, sharply upgraded it forecast of holiday sales. That forecast is still threatened by the faltering economy and, even if it is correct,…
What’s New in the Financial World (12/15/2011) Retail Sales Rise, Nokia Launches Lumia
The National Retail Federation increased its forecast for holiday sales to 3.8%, which would mean a total of $469 billion for November and December. That is up from its earlier 2.8% prediction. The news bodes…
200 Billion Videos Watched, and Not a Dime in Sight
In October, 200 billion videos were watched online worldwide. The number is immensely impressive until the question is asked whether the online video business makes any money. Research firm comScore released its figures for video…
Media Digest (12/15/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT
Olympus may hire its former CEO, Michael Woodford, in the midst of an accounting scandal. (Reuters) Foreign investment in China drops for the first time in 28 months. (Reuters) Holiday sales continue to tick…
Nokia Returns To US With Cheap Phone
Nokia (NYSE: NOK) brought the first of its new generation of it smartphones to the US as its launched its Lumia 710 with T-Mobile. The handset will cost $50 with a subscription to the…