|
|
|
|
Stocks edge higher following retail sales dataNEW YORK -- Better holiday sales and rising commodities prices pushed stocks to new 2009 highs.Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 29 Dec 2009 | 1:00 am Airline stocks lose altitude in midday tradingAn index of 13 U.S. airline stocks is down almost 3% as investors worry that the alleged Christmas Day terror attack on a Northwest Airlines jet could put a dent in air travel.Airline stocks were down today as investors worried that the aborted Christmas Day attack on a Northwest Airlines jet could put a crimp in air travel.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 29 Dec 2009 | 1:00 am NZ dollar emerges in firm shapeThe New Zealand dollar emerged from the Christmas long weekend firmer against the US dollar and other major currencies in quiet trading this morning.The kiwi was at US70.83c at 8am, compared with US70.54c at 4pm on Christmas Eve,...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 2:00 pm Fed to offer term deposits to banksThe US Federal Reserve plans to offer term deposits to banks as a step to prepare for an end to the exceptionally loose monetary policy used to fight the recessionSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:25 pm 12 Highest Paid People of 2009The year’s work of financial journalism would not be complete without recapping the highest paid people of 2009. From CEOs to athletes to Hollywood actors and actresses, even these recessionary times are brimming with high achievers who left the rest of the earning world in their dust this year. In fact, for some of these individuals, 2009 proved to be their personal income peak! Today we profile the 12 highest paid people of the year and discuss what led to their exalted earnings. Stephan Schwarzman: $702,440,573
Taking home top pay honors is Stephan Schwarzman, co-founder of the Blackstone Group private-equity firm. Just two years after being named on Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World list, Schwarzman took home an eye-popping $702,440,573 in total compensation (including salary, equity and bonuses) according to CNN Money. Since taking Blackstone public in 2007, Schwarzman’s net worth now stands at a towering $7.8 billion. Larry Ellison: $556,976,600
Coming in at a close second is Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. It wasn’t easy wrestling away the title of highest-paid tech CEO from Steve Jobs, but Ellison has joined the ranks of truly astonishing executive compensation in a year when executive pay, on average, fell 11%. Despite earning the type of salary ($556,976,600) that makes politicians and fellow executives envious, Ellison recently pledged to take a pay cut. According to C/Net, Oracle’s ring leader “will receive a base salary of $1 for fiscal 2010″ – down from $999,999 in 2009. The rest of his mind-blowing compensation, as you might have guessed, comes from owning 23.4% of all Oracle stock – over a billion in shares. Oprah Winfrey: $275,000,000
Often described as the most influential woman on earth, entertainment magnate Oprah Winfrey pulled in $275 million last year, according to Fox News. Like Tiger Woods (the next highest earner on our list), much of Oprah’s prodigious earning power stems from relentlessly shrewd branding of everything about herself. Simultaneously funny, inspiring, entertaining and — as witnessed by her outspoken support of Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign — controversial, Oprah has created a media empire that analysts say is among the most powerful brands in the world. With an estimated 44 million TV viewers, Oprah’s been near the top for a while now and we can expect her name to be a mainstay on lists like these for years or even decades to come. Ray Irani: $222,639,705
In an April 2009 profile, Forbes clocked Occidental Petroleum CEO Ray Irani’s yearly compensation at over $222 million, noting also that Irani’s five year compensation totaled over $740 million. The 74 year old executive derived only $1.3 million of 2009 pay from his salary, getting another #3.6 from bonuses, $33 million from “other” sources and $184 million from appreciation in company stock. This last figure is common among highly-paid executives: taking a trivial (relative to their position) salary and making their “real” money from bonuses and company stock. Few executives prospered so greatly from this approach as Irani in 2009. Tiger Woods: $110,000,000
It is a testament to the unshakable branding of Tiger’s persona that he managed to “rack up more than twice the earnings of any other athlete over the past 12 months despite being sidelined for eight months after knee surgery”, according to Forbes. How did Tiger manage to pull off such a Herculean earnings feat while injured and, recently, ensnared in a sex scandal? In a word: endorsements. Only around $11 million of this sum came from actual golf winnings. In addition to running a burgeoning golf course design business, Tiger was able to bank on lucrative endorsement deals with Nike, Accenture and Gillette while on the injury rehab trail. Madonna: $100,000,000
Ranked as the top-selling female artist of the twentieth century, pop diva Madonna raked in a cool $100 million in the last 12 months. And don’t think for a second that she’s resting on her laurels. According to the UK’s Guardian, Madonna “reigns supreme in Billboard’s 2008 Money Makers list”, ranking as the biggest-earning musician of 2008. As the Guardian reports, the bulk of Madonna’s massive recent earnings owe to her phenomenally successful Sticky and Sweet world tour, which broke records by grossing roughly £160m. While her album sales have sagged as of late, Madonna remains a financial juggernaut on the strength of undiminished demand for her live performances. Tyler Perry: $75,000,000
“Diary of a Mad Black Woman” and “House of Pain” star Tyler Perry quietly took home $75 million during the last 12 months, according to Fox News 5 Highest Paid People segment of Power Rankings. Primarily, Perry’s gigantic haul is a result of retaining full ownership of his movies and placing his name in front of every title in which he is involved. While Lionsgate Entertainment is his distributor, Perry nevertheless reaps the lion’s share of the profits from every project he invests himself into. In addition to movies, Perry has also written and toured with a dozen different stage plays. Harrison Ford: $65,000,000
The 2008 blockbuster Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull heralded a triumphant return to the big screen for Harrison Ford. Starring in the fourth installment of the cult classic, Ford’s earnings from the film came solely from his stake from the profits remaining from the $786 million in box office revenue. Largely owing to this, Ford made off with $65 million in total compensation in the last 12 months, following several years of relatively low-profile living for the grizzled Hollywood veteran. Adam Sandler: $55,000,000
He might play a down-and-out loser in most of his movies (see Happy Gilmore, Big Daddy and 50 First Dates as just a few examples), but he always seems to come out on top in the end. 2009 was no exception for Adam Sandler, who rode box office hits like Bedtime Stories and Don’t Mess With The Zohan to $55,000,000 in total compensation according to Forbes. Together, these films grossed $413 million, leading to a most enviable payday for one of Hollywood’s most popular funny men. Kobe Bryant: $45,000,000
Long one of the most dynamic players in the NBA, Kobe Bryant proved this year that he could win without Shaq and his earning power is at an all-time high. According to the Los Angeles Times, Bryant’s number 8 Lakers jersey is the top seller in the NBA, edging out Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Cleveland’s LeBron James for top honors. The 11-time All-Star is sure to remain an economic powerhouse in the near future, as he is still in his prime on a Lakers team that competes year in and year out for the NBA championship. Bryant’s growing, friendly rivalry with James is another factor contributing to high merchandise sales. Nicolas Cage: $40,000,000
Nicholas Cage’s claim to high-earning fame is a “quantity over quality” approach that saw the ambitious actor commit himself to starring in six films in two years. Things aren’t all good for Cage, however. In spite of taking home $40,000,000 in the last 12 months, the ever-serious actor has fallen upon hard times in other financial respects. TheStreet.com reports Cage’s former business manager, Samuel J. Levin, as saying the star “was outspending even his large Hollywood paychecks.” As a last-ditch effort to get back to square one, Cage fired off a $20 million suit against Levin, auctioned off a dozen automobiles and a comic book collection valued at $1.6 million. Dale Earnhardt Jr: $35,000,000
Recent years have proven that not even diminished performance can slow Dale Earnhardt, Jr. down. According to Forbes, Earnhardt has been NASCAR’s most popular driver for seven years standing, despite winning only one race in the past two seasons. His merchandise sales were “twice the total of any other driver”, with additional money coming from his lucrative endorsement deals with the likes of Adidas, Nationwide Insurance, Polaris and Wrangler. With so much support and momentum behind him, Earnhardt promises to keep it a close race earnings-wise for years to come.
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:22 pm Market dips; airlines fall on security worries (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:16 pm Market dips; airlines fall on security worries (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:16 pm Market dips; airlines fall on security worriesNEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks dipped on Monday as airline shares faltered amid security worries, while losses were limited by retail shopping data indicating improved consumer spending.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:16 pm Stocks struggle to riseStocks tiptoed higher Monday afternoon, with the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq flirting with fresh 2009 highs as investors welcomed a report showing some improvement in holiday retail sales.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:15 pm Retailers' stores thinly stocked; profits won't be (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:14 pm What could go wrong in 2010At the start of 2009, who could have imagined that we'd actually have reasons to look back at the year fondly? It began with much to be worried about -- the health of Citigroup, Bank of America, AIG and other big financials; looming bankruptcies at GM and Chrysler; a stock market at its lowest point since 1997; and a labor market hemorrhaging jobs.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:13 pm Oil hits five-week high on U.S. cold, optimismNEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil rose on Monday to touch a five-week high over $79 a barrel as expectations of colder weather in the United States and signs of economic recovery boosted the outlook for fuel demand.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:11 pm Al-Qaeda wing boasts role in bomb scarePresident Barack Obama pledged to maintain pressure on those who tried to attack the US after his top counter-terrorism official acknowledged flaws in a security system that allowed a man armed with explosives to board a Detroit-bound trans-Atlantic flight on Christmas DaySource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:04 pm Market Snapshot: U.S. stocks slip into the red in thin tradingThe financial and industrial sectors weigh down the market on particularly light volume.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:04 pm Fannie, Freddie soar on blank checksShares of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac soared Monday after the Treasury Department announced what essentially amounts to a blank check for their bailouts.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:01 pm China Mobile deputy investigatedChina Mobile, the world's biggest phone company by subscribers, said yesterday its deputy chairman was under investigation for unspecified offences, adding to a string of scandals at major Chinese state-owned companies.Zhang Chunjiang...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:00 pm Stocks zigzag following retail sales dataNEW YORK -- The stock market hovered around 2009 highs in light trading today on news of improved holiday sales and gains in commodities prices.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:57 pm JPMorgan sues private banker accused of embezzling (Reuters)Reuters - JPMorgan Chase & Co has sued a former private banking executive arrested last year in Argentina on criminal charges, accusing him of stealing $2.8 million from a customer's account.Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:55 pm JPMorgan sues private banker accused of embezzlingNEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co has sued a former private banking executive arrested last year in Argentina on criminal charges, accusing him of stealing $2.8 million from a customer's account.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:55 pm Shoppers make a holiday comebackAn initial report on the holiday shopping season issued Monday showed a solid year-over-year gain, both in stores and online.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:52 pm After Hours: Amazon, Apple could see late-trading actionAmazon.com shares may stay busy in Monday's late-trading session following dayside gains on expectations of strong holiday sales at the online retailer.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:51 pm Latin American Markets: Brazil higher as steel, retail stocks advanceBrazilian stocks rise Monday, aided by gains among steel stocks as prices for most metals advanced, and by a forecast for stronger growth next year in Latin America's largest economy.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:49 pm Healthcare execs will be in demand in 2010NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. healthcare industry executives are expected to be the most sought-after in the new year, according to a monthly survey of executive search professionals released on Monday.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:42 pm Tech Stocks: Tech stocks lose early gains; Apple still upTechnology stocks see modest gains as sector leaders Apple and Amazon.com get a boost from post-Christmas trading.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:31 pm Stocks zigzag following retail sales data (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:29 pm Study: Black Markets Protect European Economies
European researchers have concluded that a big enough shadow economy can protect a country from recession. The Financial Times reports: Unofficial, or “shadow”, economies can help shield European countries during a recession – but illicit activity has to be on a sizeable scale, according to report by Germany’s Deutsche Bank. Countries with a high prevalence of moonlighting builders, unrecorded cash transactions, missing invoices, tax evasion or illegal activities such as drug dealing, have seen smaller contractions during Europe’s worst downturn since the 1930s than more honest neighbours, researchers at the Frankfurt-based bank have concluded. The relationship works, however, only if the “shadow economy” is large – such as in Greece, where George Papandreou, prime minister, acknowledged this month that the public services are riddled with corruption. The “most unfavourable level of shadow market activity”, according to Deutsche Bank’s calculations, was exactly 14.3318 per cent of official gross domestic product. Support for the idea that a large informal sector can help in a downturn came from Professor Friedrich Schneider of Linz University, Austria, an expert on “hidden” or “black” economies. “People earn extra money, and nobody works in the shadow economy in order to pay into a savings account – so the money is spent on consumer goods, boosting demand,” he said. Greece’s large black economy was “welfare increasing,” Professor Schneider added. “The only loser is the state”. It’s known that shadow economies act as important buffers for developing countries. From CER: It enhances exports (and competitiveness through imports), it encourages technology transfers, it employs people, it invests in legitimate businesses (or is practised by them), it adds to the wealth of the nation (black marketeers are big spenders, good consumers and build real estate), it injects liquidity to an otherwise dehydrated market. Mercifully, the black economy is out of the reach of zealous and ignorant missionaries such as the IMF. It goes its own way, unnoticed, unreported, unbeknownst and untamed. It doesn’t pay attention to money supply targets (it is much bigger than the official money supply figure) or to macroeconomic stability goals. It plods on: doing business and helping the country to survive…As long as it is there, the countries in transition have a real safety net. Their governments are advised to turn a blind eye to it, for it is a blessing in disguise. It will be interesting to see if shadow economies have a role in creating more stable outcomes for some countries, once the global economy picks up steam again. Image: MindMillion
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:29 pm Airline shares slide after botched terror attackAirline stocks opened lower Monday after a botched terror attack aboard a Northwest Airlines flight approaching Detroit on Christmas Day disturbed the industry.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:26 pm Fed proposes creation of new exit tool (Reuters)Reuters - The Federal Reserve on Monday proposed the creation of a new mechanism it could use to withdraw money from the banking system when the time comes to tighten monetary policy.Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:26 pm Fed proposes creation of new exit toolWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve on Monday proposed the creation of a new mechanism it could use to withdraw money from the banking system when the time comes to tighten monetary policy.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:26 pm Airline stocks lose altitude in midday tradingAn index of 13 U.S. airline stocks is down almost 3% as investors worry that the alleged Christmas Day terror attack on a Northwest Airlines jet could put a dent in air travel. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:15 pm Financial Stocks: Financial sector flat but Fannie, Freddie soarBOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Shares of mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were up about 20% in afternoon trading Monday as investors reacted to news the U.S. Treasury Department will provide as much assistance as the companies need over the next three years.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:12 pm Metals Stocks: Gold edges slightly higher on weaker dollarGold futures rise for a third session, consolidating atop $1,110-an-ounce mark, as a weaker dollar and political tensions in Iran enhance the metal’s profile as an investment alternative. The copper contract makes the biggest gains on a percentage basis.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:08 pm Japanese finance minister Fujii in hospitalMr Fujii, 77, is a close ally of Mr Hatoyama and one of the few cabinet members with government experience. Although he is not expected to stay in hospital for long, questions are bound to be raised whether he will be able to continue servingSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:07 pm Wall St set to reach high for the yearUS equities moved higher on Monday to reach peaks for the year, although the final week of December began on a quiet note.The S&P 500 opened in positive territory and after rising as much as 0.4 per...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:06 pm Wall St set to reach high for the yearUS equities were trading modestly firmer at mid-morning on Monday, and were at new highs for the year as the final week of December began on a quiet noteSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:06 pm AT&T Temporarily Stops Selling IPhones in New York City
AT&T has temporarily stopped selling iPhones on their website to customers in New York City. The Consumerist has more: AT&T has apparently found a workable solution to the reported data congestion in New York City. They’ve quietly stopped selling the iPhone from their web site to customers in the New York metropolitan area. The iPhone is still available in Apple ant AT&T stores in and around New York City. Just not online. Why? (When Consumerist asked one customer service rep, she said that) “the phone is not offered to you because New York is not ready for the iPhone. You don’t have enough towers to handle the phone.” Update: In a written statement, AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook told Consumerist that “We periodically modify our promotions and distribution channels.” We have requested additional details, and will add them when and if they become available. Second update: The current line: “Due to increased fraudulent activity, the Apple iPhone may not be available to purchase online in certain ZIP codes.” AT&T needs to get their story straight. And what is the real story here?
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:06 pm Celebrating success: That's so crazy it just might work ...People have all sorts of unusual ideas for businesses. Some will be consigned to the annals of history pretty quickly. But others will succeed. After all, the inventors of the telephone and electric light were probably seen as cranks...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:00 pm Movers & Shakers: Monday's biggest gaining and declining stocksMarketWatch's daily rundown of major gainers and decliners in the U.S. stock market.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:56 am JPMorgan sues ex-private banker for theftNEW YORK, Dec 28 (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co said it has sued a former private banking executive arrested last year in Argentina on criminal charges, accusing him of stealing $2.8 million from...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:54 am Idaho AG: Cheated homeowners get $19K settlement (AP)AP - Attorney General Lawrence Wasden says Idaho homeowners who were duped into paying a New Jersey company to help them modify their mortgages will get more than $19,000 in a settlement.Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:53 am AT&T site not selling iPhone to NYC residentsSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Buying the popular Apple Inc iPhone has become more difficult for residents of the Big Apple.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:53 am Reality board game craze hits ArgentinaWhile the world has been devouring reality television shows, many Argentines have been opting this Christmas for reality board games, such as Eternal Debt, involving the International Monetary FundSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:52 am Currencies: Dollar slides a third day; debt in focusThe dollar declines for a third session against the euro, as traders focus on the massive amounts of debt the U.S. government is taking on -- including $118 billion in fresh Treasury auctions on tap for this week.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:51 am Fannie, Freddie exec pay suggests stock worth zeroShares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac surge after the government announced unlimited taxpayer support for the mortgage giants, but an analyst says the case for the stocks' valuelessness remains intact.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:50 am European stocks rise amid post holiday optimism (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:48 am MarketWatch First Take: Bailing out of airline stocksIt was all terribly predictable, the sell-off in airline stocks in the first trading session after the botched terrorist act on a Detroit-bound Northwest jet.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:47 am UPDATE 1-Pilgrim's Pride exits bankruptcy under JBS dealNEW YORK, Dec 28 (Reuters) - U.S. chicken producer Pilgrim's Pride Corp said on Monday that it has emerged from bankruptcy protection, just over a year after beginning the process.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:46 am Retail holiday sales improve upon 2008 disasterMONTREAL/CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. retailers performed better during the key holiday shopping season this year after a historically dismal 2008, performing in line with dampened expectations, according to data released on Monday.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:45 am Halted iPhone sales in NYCWhy did AT&T Wireless halt online sales of Apple iPhones in New York City the weekend after Christmas? None of the answers AT&T has given so far make much sense.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:44 am Ice party in Minnesota? You betcha!The International Eelpout Festival, held near Walker, Minn., offers merrymaking for -- and by -- entrepreneurs.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:40 am Overview: risk appetite shows no sign of slowingGlobal stock markets extended their year-end rally on Monday as a recent improvement in risk appetite showed few signs of abating, although volumes were predictably light.Activity in the currency, bond...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:40 am IPO Filing: Excel Trust, A REIT Soon-To-Be (EXL)There was an interesting filing for an initial public offering that was put in at the SEC after most investors, brokers, advisors, and traders had already headed home either for Christmas of for the day off as an official holiday. Excel Trust, Inc. filed to come public via an initial public offering. No IPO terms [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:38 am Drugstore.com will buy Salu Inc. for $36 millionOnline health and beauty retailer Drugstore.com Inc. said Monday it will buy Salu Inc., the operator of SkinStore.com, for $36 million. Drugstore.com said the deal will make it one of...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:31 am UPDATE 1-AT&T site not selling iPhone to NYC residents* AT&T website not offering iPhone to New York zip codesSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:27 am Greece's Antenna to buy News Corp's Serbian stakeATHENS, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Greek media group Antenna said on Monday it agreed to buy the 49 percent stake that News Corp owns in private Serbian television operator Fox Televizija.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:15 am CRL Urges Fed to Ban Mortgage Kickbacks that Cost Homeowners BillionsSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:13 am LG joins rush to e-reader marketWorld’s second biggest flat-screen maker joins the rush among Asian manufacturers to make e-paper displays – specialised flat screens used in the the fast-growing electronic reader marketSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:09 am Karachi blast kills 30 on Shia holy dayAt least 30 people are killed and up to 70 injured in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi when a suicide bomber attacks a procession of Shia Muslims marking the holy day of AshuraSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:07 am Watchdog slams prisons over Magnitsky deathMoscow Public Oversight Commission accuses authorities of denying lawyer urgent medical care to coerce him to commit perjurySource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:03 am Clear Channel completes $2.5 billion debt saleNEW YORK (Reuters) - Debt-laden radio company Clear Channel on Monday said its outdoor unit completed raising $2.5 billion in the high-yield debt market, removing concerns about the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:02 am Russia says agrees terms on 2010 Ukraine oil transitMOSCOW, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Russia and Ukraine on Monday agreed on the terms of a new deal governing the transit of oil exports to Europe, a spokeswoman for Russia's energy ministry said.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:01 am Security incidents unlikely to have effect on airline stocksTwo weekend security incidents aren't expected to have much effect on airline stocks. Investors instead are likely to focus on an improving economy when trading resumes.A failed attack on a Northwest flight on Christmas Day and...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 11:00 am Clear Channel completes $2.5 bln debt saleNEW YORK, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Debt-laden radio company Clear Channel on Monday said its outdoor unit completed raising $2.5 billion in the high-yield debt market, removing concerns about the company's short-term...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:59 am Iran divide deepens after arrestsAt least three allies of Mir-Hossein Moussavi, the opposition leader, and two aides to Mohammad Khatami, the former president, have been detained, while several reform-minded clerics in the holy city of Qom, were also heldSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:57 am US Crude Outlook - Differentials steady on slow holiday tradingHOUSTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. cash crude market this week may see limited holiday trading featuring support for physical grades amid declining inventories and improving product demand, analysts...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:53 am Crude Prices Headed North (OIH)(USO)(OIL)Crude oil futures rose to their highest point in seven weeks this morning, trading above $79/barrel. Cold, snowy weather in the Northeast and the Midwest are the likely suspects for the increase because traders have always taken weather into account in their transactions. The markets are watching the crude related ETFs: the Oil Services HOLDRs [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:46 am Security fears hit airline sharesShares in major US airlines are hit following the apparent attack on a Detroit-bound flight at the weekend.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:38 am A look at economic developments around the globe (AP)AP - A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Monday:Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:33 am Chicago Fed Midwest factory activity near one-year highNEW YORK (Reuters) - The Chicago Federal Reserve Bank said on Monday its Midwest manufacturing index rose in November to the highest in nearly a year in a broad-based expansion that covered all of the major industry sectors.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:23 am Sergei Magnitsky: independent investigation into death of lawyer slams RussiaAn independent investigation into the treatment of a Russian lawyer who died in jail after accusing officials of corruption and theft has slammed the Moscow legal and prison authorities.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:22 am European stocks push up to 15-month highsEuropean equity markets were broadly higher on Monday as investors made the best of thin trading conditions to extend an end-of-year rally.Over the last five sessions, the FTSE Eurofirst 300 index has...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:16 am Mr. Sunshine's happy economic outlookEconomics is known as the dismal science, but not every economist is a pessimist.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:12 am Moffett Discusses Media, Internet, `Lost Decade’Source: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:06 am Chinese Currency To Remain StableBy Daniel Costello In an interview published by the Xinhua news agency on Sunday, Wen Jiabao, China's premier, pushed back on mounting international pressure to revalue China's currency. In recent weeks, the US and the European Union and also developing nations such as Brazil and Russia have joined together in pushing China to appreciate its currency, which would have the effect of boosting foreign imports to China and stemming the explosive Chinese export market. Mr. Wen said some of the demands for China to let its currency appreciate were an effort to contain the country's development. He repeated his oft-made assertion that a stable renminbi has helped fuel the global economic recovery. "We will not yield to any pressure of any form forcing us to appreciate. As I have told my foreign friends, on one hand, you are asking for the renminbi to appreciate, and on the other hand, you are taking all kinds of protectionist measures," he said. China dropped its formal dollar peg in 2005 and has since allowed the renminbi to trade within a narrow band. Since the middle of last year it has operated a de facto peg. This has meant that the renminbi has depreciated about 9 percent against the currencies of its main trading partners since early this year, while the Chinese economy has rebounded quicker than any other major economy. » E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us Source: NPR Blogs: Planet Money | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:06 am iPod Touch a holiday hitJudging from data released Monday morning by Flurry Analytics, Apple's (AAPL) iPod touch was one of the hot gifts this holiday season.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:04 am NPD’s Cohen Discusses Post-Holiday Retail Sales: AudioSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:01 am The top 10 things we've learnt in 20091) Ponzi was not a character from 1970s sitcom 'Happy Days' but one of the world's first financial engineers. While Bernie Madoff was, optimistically, sentenced to 150 years in jail this March, he proved that any schemer can run a...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 10:00 am Davidowitz Says 70% of Retail Will See Negative Sales: AudioSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:59 am Retail holiday sales improve upon 2008 disaster (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:59 am Chandler Says Dollar Strength Result of Short Covering: AudioSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:56 am What’s Filling In for Steve Jobs Worth?
If you have to fill in for Steve Jobs, you might as well be handsomely rewarded. That’s exactly what happened to Apple COO Timothy Cook, who received a $12.3 million stock bonus this year. The Silicon Alley Insider has the story: Apple COO Timothy Cook ran the company brilliantly during CEO Steve Jobs’s six month medical leave this year and thanks to Apple’s surging stock price, he’s been duly rewarded for it, according to an Apple filing with the SEC. After earning stock awards worth $7 million and $6 million in 2007 and 2008, respectively, Tim walks away from 2009 with a $12.3 million stock award to go along with a raised salary (up to $800,000 from $700,000) and a nice cash bonus of $800,000. Tim’s total 2009 compensation: $14 million. As usual, Steve Jobs took a $1 salary and a $1 bonus. (His 5.5 million shares of Apple stock performed pretty well, though.) Unlike Wall Street bonuses, Cook’s bonus sounds reasonable and deserved.
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:56 am Yu on Currencies, Wood on Fed, Wirth on GDP Growth: AudioSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:55 am Thailand deports Hmong asylum seekersThailand began to deport more than 4,000 ethnic Hmong asylum seekers back to Laos, defying intense pressure from the United Nations, the US and human rights groups who say the group could face persecution on their returnSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:39 am Further oil price rises predicted on US demandThe price of oil inched closer to its highest level in more than a month as traders bet that figures to be released this week would show demand was rising in the US.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:36 am Mixed Tech-Leader Short Selling, Only Partial Tell (AAPL, AMZN, CSCO, MSFT, GOOG, YHOO, INTC, ORCL, QCOM, RIMM, QQQQ)We have seen what appears to be a mixed bag of shares listed in the short interest of the most active NASDAQ tech stocks traded day in and day out. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) all saw decreases [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:22 am TSA Implements New Air Travel Restrictions, Thanks to Detroit Bomber
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab may have failed at bombing Northwest Flight 253 on Christmas Day, but he succeeded in creating big headaches for holiday travelers. In response to the attempted bombing, the TSA has implemented new security measures for domestic and especially international flights. MSNBC has more: While domestic passengers “should not expect to see the same thing at every airport,” TSA said heightened security procedures would include increased vigilance and visibility that may — or may not — take the form of gate screening, added presence of law enforcement officers and canine teams, and other activities. International travelers, however, are sure to notice a difference. New security measures for international flights heading toward the U.S., TSA said, will require increased gate screening “including pat-downs and bag searches” and a variety of in-flight restrictions. “During certain portions of the flight,” passengers may be asked to put away their personal items, turn off electronic equipment, keep blankets, pillows and personal items off their laps, and stay seated, the agency said. Virgin Atlantic Airlines is telling travelers heading to the U.S. that there will be “extra screening of passengers and hand baggage at the gate immediately before boarding.” Air Canada posted notice that, under the TSA-imposed rules, “during the final hour of flight customers must remain seated, and will not be allowed to access carry-on baggage, or have personal belongings or other items on their laps.” And Canada’s WestJet notified passengers that these and other new procedures, such as the limit of one carry-one bag per passengers, are scheduled to be in effect until at least December 30. In a memo sent to airlines (but not posted on the TSA Web site), airlines flying to the U.S. are instructed to turn off any in-flight entertainment systems with embedded maps or GPS programs showing the plane’s exact location. Pilots and crew members are also told not to make announcements identifying landmarks below. Changes in carry-on luggage rules are also causing confusion. Until Saturday, most airlines allowed passengers to board with a standard-sized carry-on bag, plus one additional bag usually described as a laptop-bag, purse or briefcase. Those rules still stand for domestic flights and flights leaving the United States. On incoming flights, however, passengers can board with just one small carry-on item. In other words, the new rules are forcing travelers to be even more patient than usual. Schedule in some extra time if you’re flying anywhere in coming weeks.
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:17 am 10 jobs that will get a raise in 2010Farewell and good riddance to 2009, a year in which a whopping 85% of big companies did away with across-the-board annual merit raises, according to a survey by Deloitte & Touche. Surprisingly, executives fared somewhat worse than the rank and file, with 66% of senior managers seeing either no increase in their pay or a salary reduction, versus 54% of employees in the same boat.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:00 am 'Clean and green' is a fantasy that sets us up to failThere's a Kiwi slogan that rolls easily off the tongue, a way of describing our beautiful countryside, farms and our love of the outdoors - "clean and green".We hear it said with pride. We also hear it used in a critical way,...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:00 am Editorial: A better year as a matter of opinionThe daily editorial used to be the only column of a newspaper that offered an opinion on the issues and events it reported. These days, many columns offer opinions of all sorts from commentators invited to share their thoughts. But...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:00 am Eight things to watch out for as year unfoldsNo one can complain that the past two years have been light on drama. We had the worst financial crash in living memory, and some of the biggest banks in the world effectively came under state control.Unless Tiger Woods is voted...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:00 am Support grows in US for law to force breakup of banksA one-page proposal gaining traction in the United States Congress could turn the clock back on Wall Street by 10 years, forcing the breakup of banks, including Citigroup.Lawmakers in both parties, seeking to prevent future financial...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:00 am A coming of age for the wealth industryEntering a new decade, it's always tempting to crystal ball gaze about the changes we expect over the next 10 years. Committing oneself to print on the subject may be a bit high-risk, but as we reach 2010 it seems to me that our industry...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 9:00 am Opening Bell: 12.28.09
UBS Case Whistleblower Seeks Prison Postponement (Reuters) Bill Gates Takes Noel's Place In Mustique (NYP) New Hedge Funds Gain Momentum (WSJ) In the FT's parallel universe, Goldman Sachs boss is the hero of 2009 (The Guardian) Madoff Son Of A Gun (NYP)
Does Golden Pay for the CEOs Sink Stocks? (WSJ) After Bailouts, Washington's The Boss (WSJ) And look who decided to show up: 
 Source: Dealbreaker | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:55 am Russia dispute 'could cut EU oil'Russia has warned a price dispute with Ukraine could cause it to cut oil deliveries to three EU countries, Slovakia says.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:49 am Northern Rock shareholders have compensation appeal rejected by Supreme CourtNorthern Rock's former shareholders have been dealt another blow in their bid for compensation by the Supreme Court, which has rejected their application to press ahead with a case against the Government.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:43 am Amazon shares up after Kindle boosts e-book salesNEW YORK (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc shares rose on Monday after it posted strong growth in holiday season orders and said its customers bought more e-books than physical books for the first time ever on Christmas Day, thanks to its hot-selling Kindle electronic book reader.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:38 am Amazon shares up after Kindle boosts e-book sales (Reuters)Reuters - Amazon.com Inc shares rose on Monday after it posted strong growth in holiday season orders and said its customers bought more e-books than physical books for the first time ever on Christmas Day, thanks to its hot-selling Kindle electronic book reader.Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:38 am Oil and corn rise as winter bitesCrude oil and corn prices rose in thin holiday trading on Monday, helped by cold winter weather in the US. Crude oil prices traded above the $78 level on Monday with Nymex February West Texas Intermediate...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:36 am Christmas sales jump but retails experts warn of tough times aheadDespite the strong figures, experts say any signs of a recovery could be a false dawn, with the increase in VAT just days away.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:34 am Schumer on Wall Street Bonuses; Health Care, Stimulus: VideoSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:29 am Holiday Bonus, Anyone?
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:24 am New restrictions add to air-travel headachesNew security restrictions swiftly implemented following a botched attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day are making air travel more burdensome and could discourage some business fliers, key customers...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:22 am JP Morgan may scrap £1.5bn London HQ plan over Labour's attacks on CityJamie Dimon, chief executive, warns Alistair Darling in an angry phone call that the investment bank could scrap Canary Wharf project.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:20 am Sir Richard Branson: 'we need a low-carbon world capable of growth, otherwise society will fall apart'Virgin Atlantic owner calls for airlines to set an example, warning that society could fall apart without a low-carbon world capable of growth.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 8:10 am How emerging markets came out on top in 2009Investor sentiment this year was dominated by fear for the first three months, but March saw the nadir of this emotion and greed was back in charge. World markets have rallied since these lows, but by far the best investment has been in emerging markets. This is partly because they suffered from a stronger sell-off in 2008, but it is also down to the fact that these economies will return to growth faster than Europe and the US.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 7:56 am Airline shares weaker amid renewed terror concerns (Reuters)Reuters - Airlines shares were broadly lower on Monday after a Nigerian man was charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 7:41 am Airline shares weaker amid renewed terror concernsCHICAGO (Reuters) - Airlines shares were broadly lower on Monday after a Nigerian man was charged with trying to blow up a Northwest Airlines plane on Christmas Day.Source: Reuters: Business News | 28 Dec 2009 | 7:41 am Pros and Cons of Prepaid Tuition Plans (The Motley Fool)The Motley Fool - Prepaid tuition programs are exactly what the name implies: the chance to pay now and buy a certain number of educational credits/years of college at today's tuition rates. Or so the promotional materials like to say.Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 7:41 am Asian stocks buoyed by hopes of growthHopes that global economic recovery next year will drive demand for computer and technology products, led to a strong rally in Asian technology shares on Monday.Spurred on by data from Japan that showed...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 7:39 am Top Day Trader Alerts (AAPL, AMCS, IBM, CGEN, UAUA, FNM, FRE, VICL)We have compiled Monday’s top pre-market day trader and active trader alert stocks. There is a link to each story for more detail and analysis at VSInvestor.com: Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) is hitting new highs, again. AMICAS, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMCS) is up big on a going-private deal. International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) is up by under 1% [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 6:47 am Council's staff forego pay riseStaff at Tandridge District Council give up an agreed 2.8% pay rise to help their employer cut costs.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 6:46 am Today’s Best Market Rumors (12/28/2009)Updated throughout the day. Shoppers may have spent a little more this holiday season than last (CNBC) JAL may file for Chapter 11 (Reuters) Cascade Bancorp (NYSE:CACB) withdrew a $93 million common stock offering (Portland Business) Internet phone company Jajah is being bought by Telefonica for $207 million. (FT) Douglas A. McIntyre Posted in Rumors Tagged: CACB[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 6:44 am JAL Could Be First Huge Airline Chapter 11 In YearsBy Douglas A. McIntyre A number of media, including the Nikkei business daily, are reporting that the Japanese government is considering taking its huge flagship carrier JAL into bankruptcy. The news follows recent proposals by both American (NYSE:AMR) and Delta (NYSE:DAL) over the last several weeks to put $1 billion into JAL. Their motivation: to get [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 6:32 am Stimulating By SavingBy John Tamny of Forbes In his essential book The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith observed that “Capitals are increased by parsimony, and diminished by prodigality and misconduct.” Or, put more simply, self-interested savers are an economy’s ultimate benefactor. More modernly, Joseph Schumpeter noted that there are no entrepreneurs without capital. Innovative concepts are just that until [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 6:27 am Morning Report: Holiday Sales Not Too Bad; Detroit Pushes FarmingBy Daniel Costello After an uncertain holiday season for struggling retailers, early sales figures coming out of the nation's malls, big-box stores and supermarkets showed improvement in several retail categories. Total retail sales from Nov. 1 to Dec. 24 improved 3.6 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to data released Sunday by SpendingPulse, an information service of MasterCard. That figure includes traditional holiday categories such as apparel and electronics as well as outlets such as grocery stores, furniture sellers and drugstores. The results don't necessarily point to a strong retail turnaround. The sales increases were generally modest and last year's holiday figures were so dismal that this year had very few places to go but up. Two new studies are raising questions about the benefits of paying the C-suite more money. The first study, led by corporate-governance expert Lucian Bebchuk of Harvard Law School, looked at more than 2,000 companies to see what share of the total compensation earned by the top five executives went to the CEO. The researchers call this number--which averages about 35 percent--the "CEO pay slice." It turns out that the bigger the CEO's slice of the pie, the lower the company's future profitability and market valuation In a second study, finance professor Raghavendra Rau of Purdue University and two colleagues looked at CEO pay and stock returns for roughly 1,500 companies per year from 1994 through 2006. They found that the 10 percent of firms with the highest-paid CEOs produce stock returns that lag their industry peers by more than 12 percentage points, cumulatively, over the next five years. Companies at the top of the pay pile, Prof. Rau concluded, award their CEOs an annual average of $23 million--but leave their shareholders poorer (relative to other companies in the same industry) by an average of $2.4 billion per year. Each dollar that goes into the CEO's pocket takes $100 out of shareholders' pockets. And down-on-its-luck Detroit appears to have a new urban renewal plan: farming. Large gardens and small farms -- usually 10 acres or less -- have cropped up in thriving cities such as Berkeley, where land is tough to come by, and struggling Rust Belt communities such as Flint, Mich., which hopes to encourage green space development and residents to eat locally grown foods. In Detroit, hundreds of backyard gardens and scores of community gardens have blossomed and helped feed students in at least 40 schools and hundreds of families. One of the largest in the area, Hantz Farms, is unique. Although company officials declined to pinpoint how many acres they might use, they have been quoted as saying that they plan to farm up to 5,000 acres within the Motor City's limits in the coming years, raising organic lettuces, trees for biofuel and a variety of other things. » E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us Source: NPR Blogs: Planet Money | 28 Dec 2009 | 5:59 am European stocks climb after Asian gains (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 5:24 am German DAX index climbs above 6,000 points (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 28 Dec 2009 | 5:13 am 'Record high' Boxing Day shoppingThe number of people who went shopping on Boxing Day was at its highest since records began, it emerges.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 5:06 am Aussie and Kiwi dollars push higherInvestors continued to seek out yield in currencies markets on Monday, as the year-end rally in risk appetite continued.Currencies supported by higher-yielding interest rates were the winners as conditions...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 4:55 am Japan data ease double-dip fearsStrong economic data from Japan released on Monday helped ease fears that the country would suffer a double-dip recession and lifted the Tokyo stock market to a 14-month high. Industrial production last...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 28 Dec 2009 | 4:54 am Job Cuts Outstrip Berkshire Hathaway Shares (BRK-A, BNI)There was an interesting filing out during the Christmas holiday showing that Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) weren’t in the holiday spirit for much of 2008. There were 21,000 fewer employees at Berkshire Hathaway entities in 2009 compared to 2008’s 246,000 employees. Bloomberg called this “a slump at its manufacturing and retail units.” [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 4:52 am It Pays to Elaborate on Facebook
Source: Business Pundit | 28 Dec 2009 | 4:30 am Oil price goes above $78 a barrelOil prices climb to more than $78 a barrel in post-Christmas trading, reaching the highest levels for nearly a month.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 4:28 am Number Of Car Dealers Down By More Than 10,000 Since 1970There were 30,800 car dealerships in the US in 1970. There were 20,770 in the country in 2008 and that was before hundreds of locations where closed by large car companies, particularly GM and Chrysler. The dealership count could be down by as much as 40% from 1970 if those closings are included. Employment by car dealers [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 3:37 am A Very Sharp Rise In Mortgage Rates May Damage Housing RecoveryIt is not clear whether there is a housing recovery underway in the US. Home sales have, in some cases, picked up. Most of the activity has been due to low mortgage ratesm which have been below 5%, and new homeowner credits created by the government of as much as $8,000. There is evidence that foreclosures and defaults, [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 28 Dec 2009 | 3:14 am 'Britons waste £85 at sales'Britons waste more than £85 each year buying items in sales that they never wear or use, a survey showed.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 28 Dec 2009 | 2:44 am New rise in Japan factory outputJapanese factory output rose in November for the ninth month in a row, up 2.6% from October, official figures show.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 2:08 am Tech changes 'outstrip' netbooksNetbooks are being superseded by more powerful alternatives, say industry watchers.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:32 am Fed exit strategy: let banks set up CDsWASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve today proposed allowing banks to set up the equivalent of certificates of deposit at the central bank, a move to help the Fed mop up money pumped into the economy to prevent inflation from taking off later.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:19 am Retailers get a modest gift this holiday seasonSales rise 3.6% from last year's dismal pre-Christmas period, and online spending jumps a robust 15.5%, SpendingPulse data show.After a holiday season marked by uncertainty and discounts, early sales figures coming out of the nation's malls, big-box stores and supermarkets showed improvement in a range of retail categories.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:00 am 2010 predictions: Another turbulent year ahead for mediaOur crystal ball says: Jay Leno will leave prime time; MGM will finally be sold; Disney will discover video games; and maybe somebody will figure out how to make money on online content.If there was still any debate in the media world over which is king -- content or distribution -- it was settled in 2009.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:00 am PG&E ballot measure is a stealthy power playThe proposed Taxpayers Right to Vote Act illustrates what California's initiative process has come to. It's a plaything of powerful interests using deception to line their pockets.On the face of it, nobody should find anything objectionable to the Taxpayers Right to Vote Act , a proposed initiative now awaiting certification to go on the state ballot.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:00 am Holiday box-office take is highest in recent historyMoviegoers buy an estimated $278 million worth of tickets over the three-day weekend.A big year at the box office is ending with a bang, with a broad array of popular films combining for the biggest moviegoing weekend in recent history.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 28 Dec 2009 | 1:00 am Rent a live Christmas tree: A new service offered in Los AngelesAn LA firm has come up with a way of easing environmental consciences over Christmas - by renting out Christmas trees.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 28 Dec 2009 | 12:57 am Companies With Internal Growth DeliverAcquisitions may make headlines, but they're not investors' best bets.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm StockScope: Preparing for 2010 (StockScope)Today's picks from around the web look at retail sales, IBM and 3D glasses.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Holiday Sales Push Stocks Higher (Market Update)Positive signs for holiday sales boosted retailers and led to modest market gains.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Reasonable Financial Resolutions for 2010 (Tradecraft)Return to real estate, think outside the box and other mantras for the new year.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm A Look Ahead: Forecasts From Every Corner (Pundit Watch)What to expect when you're expecting recovery, according to the experts.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm An Investment Tip for the 2010s (By the Numbers)Don't just hope for returns. Demand them.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Health Care Industry Monitors Reform Bill (On the Street)Waiting for the House and Senate to reconcile.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Stock Picks: AMZN Up, DAL Down (Market Movers)Investors like Amazon's Kindle sales, while Delta sinks on security worries.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm 7 Ways Financial Services Could Change (On the Street)Is regulation really on its way? A look at the coming industry shake-up.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm 10 Ways to Save Money in 2010 (Deal of the Day)How to avoid higher credit-card rates, pricier phone plans and other pitfalls.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 27 Dec 2009 | 10:00 pm Glasgow airport plans expansionGlasgow airport announces a £25m expansion plan to improve facilities for passengers over the next two years.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:59 pm House price increase 'slows down'Growth in house prices in England and Wales slowed in December to just 0.1% as demand from new buyers fell, a survey suggests.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:30 pm Pound may fall below parity with euro, economists warnEconomists have warned that the pound is on the brink of sinking below parity with the euro due to the Government’s unconvincing plans to tackle Britain’s £178 billion budget deficit. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm First in line: Blame it on Rio . . .The multiple “transgressions” of Tiger Woods may not be doing much for the golfer’s personal commercial value, but the pulling power of the game of golf looks set to be richly enhanced by the recent announcement that golf will be included in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro — for the first time since the 1904 Olympics in St Louis. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm Scarcity of buyers breaks the back of Britain’s housing market recoveryA lack of new buyers caused a significant setback for the housing market this month, raising the prospect of further falls in house prices next year, according to Hometrack, the property data company. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm Paul Marshall of Marshall WaceMarshall Wace, one of Europe’s most high-profile hedge funds, has come back fighting in 2009 with much of the credit, and the rewards, attributable to Paul Marshall, its co-founder. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm Retailers buoyed by record numbers of Boxing Day shoppersCould it be slightly milder weather, a looming VAT rise, a Saturday Boxing Day, or even, some experts dared to suggest, the green shoots of economic recovery? Ask in Selfridges, and you may even speculate that it was a stampede of the more elusive male shopper. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm Hertz owner’s top bid for British Car AuctionsBritish Car Auctions, Europe’s largest second-hand vehicle trader, has been sold to Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, a US private equity company that owns the Hertz car rental chain. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm ‘One size fits all’ model will not work in upturnHas the digital age, social media and ever-increasing customer expectations put a spanner in the works for customer relationship management (CRM)? Do consumers value service or is it all about price? Service through digital and traditional channels is a key battleground for customers, with poor service being punished with increasing customer defection. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm It’s the good, the bad and the ugly in 2010In my youth The Great Escape always seemed to be on television at Christmas. For Gordon Brown it might be apt if it is screened again this year. To judge from the opinion polls, it would indeed be the great escape if he were re-elected. Yet a week is a long time in politics and there is much time ahead in which the political landscape could change. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm Army of slimmers gives weight-loss site big chanceAnyone could come up with the idea of setting up a weight-loss and healthy living social networking site. But it takes a stroke of genius to hit upon a compelling business model to support it: getting your customers to do the work for you. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm BNP Paribas seeks its turn in the spotlightFrench banks have had a good financial crisis. Aside from a few wobbles, its lenders stood firm in the turmoil, in contrast to the bombed-out banking sectors in Britain and the US. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 27 Dec 2009 | 5:01 pm Failed attack likely won't crash airline stocks (AP)AP - Two weekend security incidents aren't expected to have much effect on airline stocks. Investors instead are likely to focus on an improving economy when trading resumes Monday.Source: Yahoo! News: Business | 27 Dec 2009 | 4:07 pm Failed attack likely won't crash airline stocks (AP)AP - Two weekend security incidents aren't expected to have much effect on airline stocks. Investors instead are likely to focus on an improving economy when trading resumes Monday.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 27 Dec 2009 | 4:07 pm Property firms draw up 'living wills' to survive market crashUK's biggest commercial property companies list assets to be sold swiftly if there is another crash.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 27 Dec 2009 | 12:12 pm Lord Mayor denied knighthood after backing bankers' bonusesThe Government is to distance itself further from the City by breaking with tradition and declining to knight the Lord Mayor of London, Ian Luder.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 27 Dec 2009 | 12:04 pm 2010 could blue chips' year as caution returns (AP)AP - Investors are about to get picky.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 27 Dec 2009 | 11:47 am
|
