American Pessimism About Jobs Grows
An improvement in unemployment numbers for the past two months and an increase in third-quarter GDP should help encourage Americans about their job security. Yet that has not been the case. If anything, Americans…
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Douglas A. McIntyre
Japan Needs Reconstruction to Maintain GDP
Japan’s GDP grew at 1.5% in the quarter that ended in September. It is an impressive figure and one that shows the Asia nation’s economy has rebounded faster than expected. To keep the momentum,…
Media Digest (11/14/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes FT, Bloomberg
Italy and Greece begin efforts to prove that their sovereign debt is safe. (Reuters) Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) will make a major holiday effort to drive extra revenue. (Reuters) Appetite for Olympus shares may keep…
Google, Apple, Facebook Most Desirable Jobs (AAPL, GOOG)
New research from job trends firm Universum shows that the top three companies professionals would like to work for are Google (NASDAQ: GOOG), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Facebook. The data is from a survey…
Video Use On Tablets Tops Other PCs (AAPL)
Research firm Ooyala reports: Viewers with tablets averaged nearly 30 percent more viewing time per play than those who watched on desktops—and completed videos at double the desktop rate. Viewers with tablets averaged nearly…
The Ten Cars Americans Love The Most
The recession and high gas prices have been major forces shaping Americans lives in the past several years. When it comes to the auto market they had a profound impact on our buying decisions.…
Short Interest In Troubled Companies Rises (C, SIRI, LNKD, WFC)
After a period in which short sellers backed out of stocks in troubled companies, the have rushed into them again. The short interest in Research-In-Motion (NYSE: RIMM), battered by competition from Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL)…
Boeing (NYSE: BA) books record $18 billion order
Boeing (NYSE: BA) said it has received an $18 billion order. “Dubai-based Emirates Airline today announced an order for 50 Boeing 777-300ERs (Extended Range) plus options for an additional 20 of the popular twin-aisle…
What’s Important In The Financial World (11/12/2011) Olympus Scandal, Wii Sales
Japan has a corporate scandal all of its own, proof the larceny and bad management are without borders. An investigation into hundreds of million of dollars in concealed losses at Olympus has caused one…
Today’s Best Market Rumors (11/11/2011) Citi Sells EMI, Facebook Privacy Settlement
Updated throughout the day. Citigroup (NYSE: C) has sold EMI’s record business to Vivendi Universal and its publishing business to a group which includes Sony (NYSE: S) Facebook is near a privacy settlement with…
Roubini Say Italy May Leave Eurozone
Nouriel Roubini wrote a column for the FT in which he said Italy may have to leave the eurozone. The reason would be that Europe would not have the capital to bail the country out. This…
Nabors (NBR) Investigated By SEC–Report
Nabors Industries (NYSE: NBR) is the subject of an SEC investigation into management perks. The Wall Street Journal reports that one concern is the use of private planes by executives. CEO Eugene Isenberg received…
What’s Important in the Financial World (11/11/2011) Spain Austerity, Apple iPhone 4S Fix
Market focuses on Italy. The market’s focus on the European sovereign debt crisis has moved firmly from Greece to Italy. And Italy has little time to resolve its budget problems as investors continue to drive…
The Poor Lose the Ability to Buy Food
Because of the recession, the poor continue to lose the ability to pay for sufficient food. It is another sign that the financial situation of the lower class has become decoupled from that of…
Disney Theme Parks as a Proxy for the Middle Class
The ability to afford theme park visits is a good proxy for the financial health of the middle class. The parks that Walt Disney (NYSE: DIS) runs require the visitor to pay for airline tickets…
Administration Punts Keystone Pipeline Decision
The Obama administration must believe that environmentalists, particularly those in Nebraska, will hit the polls in force when the 2012 national election comes. The State Department said it would delay a decision about the Keystone…
Europe’s Critical Weekend
During the 2008 credit crisis, U.S. regulators worked weekends to make certain that negative news about the nation’s banking system could be offset by policy decisions before Asian markets opened Monday. Financiers tried similar tactics…
Media Digest (11/11/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg
Italy to vote on sharp budget cuts as the U.S. calls for sharper ones. (Reuters) The State Department will look for a new route for the Keystone pipeline to satisfy opponents. (Reuters) Private equity…
Starbucks (SBUX) Buys Evolution Fresh, Moves into New Business
Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) bought Evolution Fresh. The coffee company said, “Evolution Fresh is one of the only true juiceries left in the industry that still cracks, peels, presses, and squeezes its own raw fruits and…
Asia Closes Up Modestly, Europe Opens the Same
The Nikkei closed up 0.16% to 8,514 on faint hopes that the Italy situation will begin to resolve with the election of a new government. The Hang Seng was higher by 0.91 to 19,137.…