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Merkel calls Papandreou’s bluff over aid plan from EUGermany hardened its stance against a European bailout of Greece last night by effectively calling the bluff of its Prime Minister after he suggested that Athens could seek emergency cash funds from the International Monetary Fund. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:50 pm Former Anglo Irish chairman arrested in fraud investigationIrish police yesterday arrested Sean FitzPatrick, the former chairman of Anglo Irish Bank, as part of a fraud inquiry that is seen as vital to Ireland’s efforts to win back investor confidence. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 11:11 am Smith declared the winner in courtroom brawl with BGCA case that pitted two of the City’s most charismatic and combative brokers against each other and provided a window into the tribal, testosterone-fuelled world of London’s interdealer brokers ended yesterday in victory for Terry Smith’s Tullett Prebon. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 5:00 am Rio Tinto signs China mines dealRio Tinto says it has signed a deal with China to develop a massive iron ore project in Guinea.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 19 Mar 2010 | 4:19 am ECB's Trichet warns of swaps misuse (AP)AP - The European Central Bank's chief warned Friday that credit default swaps "should not be misused in a speculative manner," backing European leaders eager to curb market pressure on government debt.Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 4:09 am China tells Washington to cool yuan pressure (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 4:08 am A Slow Boat From ChinaChina said it will send an envoy to Washington to discuss the friction between the two countries over the value of the yuan. It will not matter. Too many members of Congress, CEOs of major exporters, and union presidents who use China’s trade practices as a target for their plans to save millions of jobs [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 19 Mar 2010 | 4:08 am Sir Stanley Matthews' medal cost me £20,000TV presenter Nick Hancock took a break recently to become a mortgage broker.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 4:02 am The Core Problem With Compensation: Gannett’s CEO Gets A RaiseGannett (GCI) is part of the crumbling newspaper industry. It has not gotten its online properties to nearly match the revenue of its traditional print operations, so the firm is still shrinking and has not real answer to it troubles. Gannett’s stock is off 80% over the last five years, which is much greater that [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:54 am BA strike talks into second dayTalks between British Airways and the Unite union aimed at averting strike action are now in their second day.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:50 am Investors prepare for volatile sessionStock traders steel themselves as Wall Street and European bourses face expiry of futures and options contractsSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:50 am Student loan delays 'may reoccur'The public spending watchdog criticises the Student Loans Company and warns of another year of delays.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:40 am Labour looks as if it will end as it began; with a pensions scandal.Details of the new state-sponsored retirement fund were announced this week - and they are eye-stretching.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:39 am HMRC targets property tax evadersHMRC eyes homeowners who have failed to declare their capital gains.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:37 am China banks profit growth to speed up on stimulus exitBEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - China's leading banks will likely affirm their lending will remain brisk and be more profitable this year, their immediate capital needs have been met and that souring loans are at manageable levels.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:35 am McLaren launches supercar to capture top-end market (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:35 am My Great Big, Fat Greek BailoutThe bailout of Greece has come down to a very few options: 1) Germany can bail Greece out because it is the one European nation that can afford to, 2) Germany will not bail Greece out because Germans are against the idea and any such move can be blocked by the legislature, 3) the IMF can bail Greece out, [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:31 am Google may announce China plans next Monday: reportSHANGHAI (Reuters) - Google Inc may make an announcement next Monday about whether it will pull out from China, the China Business News reported on Friday, quoting an unnamed Google employee.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:30 am BoE's Andrew Sentence encouraged by signs of pick up, but sees some risk of double dipAndrew Sentence, the Bank of England policymaker, said he saw encouraging signs of a pick up in the UK and the world economy, but warned that there was still a risk that a financial shock could derail the recovery.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:25 am Banks lift stocks; Greece woes dent euroLONDON (Reuters) - European shares rose modestly on Friday, lifted by gains in banking stocks, but concerns over Greece's large debt burden remained, keeping the euro on the back foot against the dollar.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:25 am Identity fraud 'is set to soar'Identity fraud is likely to accelerate in 2010 as organised criminals target the rich, a report says.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:17 am Euro lower at $1.3580 in European morning trade (AP)AP - The euro is lower against the dollar in European morning trade after Greece said it may turn to the International Monetary Fund for aid if the EU does not agree to a rescue package.Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:09 am Is Everything In The World Broken?: Graco Recalls 1.2 Million High ChairsMattel (MAT) toys had lead paint in them. Car companies from Toyota (TM) to Nissan to Honda (HMC) have recalled cars for defects, some of them dangerous. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Graco Harmony High Chairs. It is hard to see why the term “voluntary” was used. The screws in the front [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:07 am Indications: U.S. stock futures in tight range; Palm slumpsU.S. stock futures on Friday point to a re-run of the prior aimless session, with the market focusing on individual companies like Palm after handset maker’s light sales outlook.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 3:07 am London Markets: Lloyds Banking Group leads U.K. share advanceBanks climb in the top British share index on Friday after Lloyds says it expects to report a profit for 2010.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:57 am Blacks Leisure spurns Sport Direct approachBlacks Leisure, the ailing outdoor goods company, has rejected as "wholly inadequate" a £39m, 62p-a-share indicative takeover offer from Sports Direct, the sportswear retailer owned by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:52 am World stock markets gain after US economic reports (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:49 am World stock markets gain after US economic reports (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:49 am Pentagon may extend tanker dealineThe Pentagon may extend a deadline for bids on a new aerial-refueling tanker for the U.S. Air Force after Airbus parent EADS signals an interest in rejoining the competition.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:46 am Old White Men Keep Grip On Corporate Board RoomNinety percent of S&P 500 companies have a female board member, but few hold chairman’s positions or the top jobs on key committees. The situation is much worse at smaller firms. Only 50% of the Russell 2000 companies have a single woman on their boards, according to a survey of 30,000 director positions done by [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:45 am Lloyds forecasts surprise return to profitLloyds Banking Group, the bailed out lender which less than a month ago reported a £6.3bn loss, has made a surprise announcement that it expects to return to profit this year.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:33 am London shares rise at open (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:32 am Lloyds shares jump as bank forecasts 2010 profitThe British bank says it expects to generate a profit in 2010, thanks to improving bad-debt charges and falling costs.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:29 am Lloyds expects to return to profit in 2010Lloyds Banking Group expects to swing back to profit this year from a loss of £6.3 billion in 2009, after the bad debts inherited from its merger with HBOS improved faster than expected. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:28 am Lloyds predicts a profitable 2010Lloyds Banking Group says it expects to make a profit this year - having made heavy losses due to bad loans in 2009.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:19 am DSG plans massive megastore surge as Best Buy set out stallDSG International, the owner of Currys and PC World, announced today that it would open 33 UK “megastores” by Christmas as part of a transformation in which 152 stores have closed across Europe. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:18 am Blacks snubs Sports Direct offerBlacks Leisure shuns a a £26m takeover approach from its rival Sports Direct as "wholly inadequate".Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:13 am Health care bill extends wage tax to investmentsHigh-income families would be hit with a tax increase on wages and a new levy on investments under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul bill. For the first time, the Medicare...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:07 am Business Bullet: China, Goldmans, Greece, BAThe latest news on: China, Goldmans, Greece, BASource: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:05 am Samsung, LG see growth, but know rivals are catchingSEOUL (Reuters) - Technology powerhouses Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics reinforced market optimism that strong demand recovery is in place, while cautioning that competition from global rivals is heating up.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:04 am A look at the health care overhaul billCOST: $940 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. HOW MANY COVERED: 32 million uninsured. Major coverage expansion begins in 2014. When fully phased in, 95...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 2:01 am Media Digest 3/19/2010 Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, BloombergReuters: China will send an envoy to the US to discuss the yuan. Reuters: European carriers who lost money on the Apple (AAPL) iPhone won’t do the same in their deals to sell the iPad. Reuters: The CBO said the health care plan will cut the deficit. Reuters: Google (GOOG) may announce its China plan next week. Reuters: The legal [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:59 am Lloyds Banking Group expects profit this yearLloyds Banking Group PLC says it expects to report a profit this year as provisions for bad assets are not as large as previously forecast. In a brief trading update, the...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:54 am Europe Markets: Profit-minded Lloyds lifts banks, Europe stocksEuropean shares were track to notch a fresh annual high on Friday, with Lloyds Banking Group gaining ground after the hard-hit British lender said that it expects to report a profit for 2010.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:53 am Blacks Leisure rebuffs fresh Sports Direct overturesBlacks Leisure this morning dismissed a takeover offer from Mike Ashley’s Sports Direct as “wholly inadequate”. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:47 am Identity theft up by 20pcIdentity theft climbed by 20pc during 2009.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:46 am Asian stock markets gain after US economic reportsMost Asian stock markets turned higher Friday as modestly positive reports about the U.S. economy underpinned optimism about the global recovery. Markets fluctuated earlier in the day...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:44 am China tries to cool yuan dispute with U.S.BEIJING (Reuters) - China on Friday said it was sending an envoy to Washington to try to ease trade frictions as its currency regime comes under fire, warning that threats from U.S. legislators could stifle room for progress.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:43 am Fargo floods turn farm fields into sprawling lakesIt's not easy for farmer Brian Thomas to get to town as floodwaters cover fields in the rural areas near Fargo, N.D. He must take a motorboat across a cornfield resembling a sprawling...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:38 am Health care vote likely this weekendSupport is building behind President Barack Obama's health care legislation in the House. That's the result of intense lobbying and politically targeted changes aimed at reassuring waveringSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:32 am Food experts: TV, travel have made cheese trendyThe growing popularity of an international cheese contest in Wisconsin underscores how trendy cheeses are becoming in the U.S. The 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest attracted 2,300...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:06 am Group seeks documents from Anthem Blue Cross inquiryConsumer Watchdog also asks California insurance chief Steve Poizner for public hearings on the healthcare firm's rate hike plan.A consumer group Thursday called on California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner to release all documents related to his investigation of proposed double-digit rate increases by Anthem Blue Cross for customers who buy individual policies.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Tiny amusement parks by the sea draw penny-pinching crowdsVacationers are turning to old-fashioned Ferris wheels and carousels over expensive, high-tech thrill rides. What's the appeal? Free admission. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am New Barnes & Noble CEO calls digital books 'the key to our future'The elevation of online head William Lynch as the chain contends with lower store sales and a stock fight with billionaire investor Ron Burkle is seen by analysts as an embrace of the future.Book giant Barnes & Noble Inc., in the midst of a heated stock ownership battle with Los Angeles billionaire investor Ron Burkle, has announced a major shake-up of its top management.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am California's median home sale price jumps 11.2% in FebruaryAnalysts attribute the increase, to $249,000, to more higher-end houses and fewer bank-owned properties changing hands. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Viacom, Google trade accusations over YouTubeClaims of copyright infringement cut both ways in the escalating legal battle between the two media companies.Viacom and Google, raising a slow-brewing corporate drama to the boiling point, swapped blistering accusations of piracy and clandestine actions as part of a high-stakes legal war aimed at redrawing how television programs and movies are watched on the Internet.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am How fast is your broadband? Even the feds can't be sureTwo services the FCC provides for Internet users to measure their connection speeds give dramatically different results.Federal authorities are taking a kind of national census of broadband Internet access speeds -- a nifty idea that could be a huge help in breaking the United States out of the high-speed slow lane.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am California's median home sale price jumps 11.2% in FebruaryAnalysts attribute the increase, to $249,000, to more higher-end houses and fewer bank-owned properties changing hands.California's median home price rose a robust 11.2% in February from the same period a year ago as fewer foreclosure properties sold, while the number of homes sold fell 3.8%.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Spotify CEO Daniel Ek hopes to bring music streaming service to the U.S.But the Swedish entrepreneur, whose free, ad-supported service already has 7 million users in Europe, says talks with record labels and rights holders have bogged down over details.The last time a young entrepreneur executed his promise to revolutionize music with computer software, the industry sued him for billions of dollars.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Former KB Home exec testifies he lied in stock options inquiryGary Ray, the home builder's onetime human resources chief, says he initially tried to conceal backdating involving ex-CEO Bruce Karatz from federal investigators.The key prosecution witness against former KB Home Chief Executive Bruce Karatz admitted in cross-examination Thursday that he told numerous lies about the company's stock option practices during his initial meetings with the FBI and federal prosecutors.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Stocks in narrow range after price, jobs dataNEW YORK -- Stocks are trading in a narrow range Thursday after a fresh batch of economic reports showed the economy continues to slowly regain its strength.Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am BofA seeks to pin losses on title insurerThe banking giant sues First American Corp., alleging that it failed to do proper title searches. That led to $500 million in mortgage losses, the suit says.During the subprime loan era, it's well documented that lenders took all kinds of shortcuts -- such as failing to verify borrowers' employment or income -- to sell mortgages.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am New Barnes & Noble CEO calls digital books 'the key to our future'The elevation of online head William Lynch as the chain contends with lower store sales and a stock fight with billionaire investor Ron Burkle is seen by analysts as an embrace of the future. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Viacom, Google trade accusations over YouTubeClaims of copyright infringement cut both ways in the escalating legal battle between the two media companies. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Group seeks documents from Anthem Blue Cross inquiryConsumer Watchdog also asks California insurance chief Steve Poizner for public hearings on the healthcare firm's rate hike plan. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am BofA seeks to pin losses on title insurerThe banking giant sues First American Corp., alleging that it failed to do proper title searches. That led to $500 million in mortgage losses, the suit says. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Inflation is held in check, but few jobs are createdGovernment reports offer mixed signals, with jobless claims still above the level where widespread new hiring is likely and consumer prices remaining flat. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Spotify CEO Daniel Ek hopes to bring music streaming service to the U.S.But the Swedish entrepreneur, whose free, ad-supported service already has 7 million users in Europe, says talks with record labels and rights holders have bogged down over details. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Former KB Home exec testifies he lied in stock options inquiryGary Ray, the home builder's onetime human resources chief, says he initially tried to conceal backdating involving ex-CEO Bruce Karatz from federal investigators. ...Source: RSS feed - channel BNPaperBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Inflation is held in check, but few jobs are createdGovernment reports offer mixed signals, with jobless claims still above the level where widespread new hiring is likely and consumer prices remaining flat.The picture of an economy growing modestly without producing inflation yet struggling to create jobs emerged from government reports Thursday.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 1:00 am Pemex says new Mexico fields hold 2bln barrels of oilMexico's state-owned Pemex oil company said that the new oil fields it discovered two years ago in the Gulf of Mexico could yield more than two billion barrels of oil. Pemex director...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:57 am Pemex says new Mexico fields hold 2bln barrels of oil (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:57 am Currencies: Dollar edges up vs. major rivals in Asian tradeInvestors cover positions ahead of a three-day weekend in Japan.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:41 am NZ stocks: Telecom shares slump to new lowTelecom shares sank to new a low on the New Zealand sharemarket today, while rises in Fletcher Building, Contact Energy and other leaders helped carry the market higher."Telecom is once again making all-time lows. Investors are...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:33 am Australia paves way for uranium sales to RussiaAustralia has cleared the way to sell uranium to Russia against the advice of a parliamentary committee, saying Friday it was satisfied the valuable atomic chemical would not be used in...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:28 am China 'stress tests' suggest yuan rise comingAdditional evidence that China is preparing to allow its currency to appreciate is accumulating, some analysts and media reports say, as various government bureaus conduct 'stress tests' on the effect a stronger currency.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:23 am Rio and Chinalco sign $1.35 bn Simandou iron ore project$Rio Tinto, the Anglo-Australian mining giant, has signed a $1.35 billion ($£892 million) deal with the Chinese miner Chinalco to develop a huge iron ore field in the West African country of Guinea. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 19 Mar 2010 | 12:09 am Rio Tinto, Chinalco, agree to develop Guinea iron ore fieldAnglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto and China's state-owned Chinalco have signed a non-binding agreement to jointly develop Guinea's massive Simandou iron ore project, Rio said on...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsBusiness | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:44 pm NZ dollar world's best performer over past weekThe New Zealand dollar consolidated at higher levels today and over the week was the best performing in the world, according to BNZ.The NZ dollar was at US71.52c at 5pm, little changed from US71.48c at 8am and up US71.33c at 5pm...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:39 pm Japan police recommend charges in Prius crash (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:10 pm China unveils homemade helicopterChina's first domestically developed civilian helicopter takes off on a maiden flight in the eastern province of Jiangxi.Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:10 pm Asia Markets: Indian telecom shares climb on 3G license hopesShares of Indian telecommunication companies extend their rally ahead of a crucial government auction for 3G spectrum. But analysts warn that aggressive bidding could weaken the financial profile of industry players.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:52 pm Investors, Beware: The $2 Trillion HolePensions represent a massive threat to the financial future of many cities & states.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Broker Talk: Reading Into the Fed (Broker Talk)The Fed didn't make any big moves this week. The question is when will they.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Cashier Ethics: Do I Have to Give It Back? (Deal of the Day)What to do if the cashier gives you too much change back.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm The Economics of Cheating (Money and Your Mind)A new study shows New York cabbies sometimes overcharge. Why only sometimes?
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Mind the GAAP (By the Numbers)Hough: Earnings adjustments increasingly are making companies appear too profitable.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Tax Tips: Deduct Your Commuting Costs (Tax Tips)Self-employed with a home office? You may be able to deduct these expenses.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Can You Tell When Grass Is Fake?Artificial grass looks more real than ever, but many neighbors still aren't happy.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm This Week in Business Tweets: Windex Time (Twitter Beat)Looking for meaning in Treasury yields, Dick Fuld and twice-a-year bonuses.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Remodeled Lowe's Could Fetch a Higher PriceThe chain could enjoy faster growth than its larger rival, Home Depot.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Which Sectors Spring Forward? (On the Street)We crunch the numbers to find the season's best performers.
Source: SmartMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:00 pm Peter Brimelow: Superbear Allmon is still hibernatingThe superbear, in his profitable lair, has been mostly in cash since before the crash.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:50 pm Obama prepares for final healthcare pushThe prospects for President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform legislation brightened considerably, when the independent Congressional Budget Office reported that the final bill would cut the US deficit by more than $1,300bn over the next 20 years.Source: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:41 pm Jade Software turns small profitChristchurch-based Jade Software today reported a $4.3 million fall in annual earnings before interest and tax to $800,000.Operating revenue fell 7.8 per cent to $46.2m in the year to December 31 from the previous year. Earnings...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:28 pm Asian shares mixed; China developers outperformAsian shares trade mixed after Wall Street's modest gains, with exporters underpinning the Tokyo market while property developers outperform in China.
Source: MarketWatch.com - Top Stories | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:22 pm Student aid linked to health care gets a trim (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:04 pm Securities Commission charges Capital + Merchant directorsThe Securities Commission says it has laid criminal charges and issued civil proceedings against directors of the collapsed Capital+Merchant finance company. Directors Neal Nicholls, Owen Tallentire, Colin Ryan and Robert Sutherland,...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 8:30 pm MacKenzie dairy developers "gaming" consent process, says MinisterThe companies behind a bid for factory farming in the MacKenzie Basin are "gaming" the resource consent process, says Environment Minister Nick Smith.Smith said the companies have applied for separate consents to use water, discharge...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 8:00 pm Israel strikes Gaza in retaliatory attackWarplanes target six sites in the Gaza Strip in apparent retribution for a fatal rocket fired by Palestinian militants in the territory the day beforeSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 7:51 pm YouTube ‘knew of copyright violations’YouTube executives were aware early on in the video sharing website’s history that large amounts of copyrighted videos were being uploaded to it, with even one of itsfounders ‘blatantly stealing’ videos from other sources, according to internal evidence unsealed by a US courtSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 7:24 pm Forestry firm fined over logging debrisNew Zealand's largest forestry management company, PF Olsen, has been fined $80,000 in the Tauranga District Court for two offences involving the collapse of piles of logging debris into a stream during heavy rain.The successful...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 7:00 pm JPMorgan also used accounting gimmickJPMorgan Chase recorded some repurchase trades as sales, the same accounting gimmick that spawned Lehman Brothers’ now-infamous “Repo 105s”, suggesting that the failed bank was not alone in its interpretation of a new accounting ruleSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:54 pm No losers from tax cuts package, say economistsAll taxpayers should be the same or better off as a result of a tax package cutting income tax rates at every level of income while raising GST, the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research said today.NZIER assumes that the...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:46 pm Greenspan refutes housing bubble claimsAlan Greenspan will offer his most sophisticated defence so far of his role as chairman of the Federal Reserve in the build up to the 2008 financial meltdown, hitting back at claims that the Fed’s low short-term interest rates were the cause of the US housing bubbleSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:32 pm One jobs bill down ... what happens next?Now that it's taken its first baby step towards creating jobs, Congress is looking at more measures to spur employment.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:24 pm Who wins when Google leaves China?The big question in China isn't why Google is leaving but who will take its market share.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:16 pm Softer, gentler car incentivesIf you're shopping for a car these days, you might wonder, "Where have all those massive cash rebates gone?"Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:05 pm ITV proves generous payer after surging back from big lossesITV's new chief executive will pocket £16.8 million if he hits all his performance targets by 2015, according to the broadcaster's annual report released today. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:01 pm Mobile tapping to curb City cheatsThe mobile phone — the favourite tool of the City cheat — could be subject to regulatory supervision to help to tackle insider dealing. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:01 pm Sir Fred’s pension trumped by RBS deputyGordon Pell, the outgoing deputy chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland, is walking away with a bigger pension than that of Sir Fred Goodwin, the bank’s disgraced former boss. Source: Latest Business News from Times Online | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:01 pm Bill aims to see investors benefit from regulator actionLabour MP Lianne Dalziel has drafted a bill to ensure investors benefit from action taken by regulators against investment companies.The Illegal Contracts (Unlawful Limitation on Regulator's Powers) Amendment Bill aimed at ensuring...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:00 pm 3 ways to use your tax refundQuestion: I'm trying to figure out what to do with my $500 tax refund. I'm looking to save for the long-term rather than waste it on a TV. Any suggestions? -- Chez, Colorado SpringsSource: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:57 pm Cop cars of the futureThree carmakers vie for tomorrow's law enforcement market.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:55 pm Money spidersFeeding tourists tarantulas helps street childrenSource: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:54 pm Amateur pursuitCan richer sports learn from Gaelic games?Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:51 pm Farmville vs. HaloTrip Hawkins says it's Farmville vs. Halo, and the winner could shape the next generation of game play.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:48 pm City Diaries'Raising VAT to 20% would be a brave move'Source: BBC News | Business | World Edition | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:47 pm Viacom, Google accuse other of YouTube hypocrisyNEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Viacom Inc accused Google Inc of turning a blind eye to illegal video clips on its YouTube site in a bid to attract viewers, according to court documents released on Thursday.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:41 pm Gabelli's son wins dismissal of much of SEC case (Reuters)Reuters - The son of prominent investor Mario Gabelli has won the dismissal of large parts of a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit alleging securities fraud related to market timing.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:40 pm Tiny amusement parks by the sea draw penny-pinching crowdsVacationers are turning to old-fashioned Ferris wheels and carousels over expensive, high-tech thrill rides. What's the appeal? Free admission.In the midst of one of the worst recessions in decades, tiny beach-side amusement parks along the California coast are reporting robust business and big crowds while most of the state's big theme parks have seen shrinking revenue.
Source: L.A. Times - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:40 pm Dunne tips property tax change, lower personal taxRevenue Minister Peter Dunne has added further weight to widespread expectations the tax system on property investment is to be changed, and personal taxes are to be lowered.Speaking to the International Fiscal Association conference...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:30 pm Tullett triumphs in staff poaching caseTullett Prebon, the inter-dealer broker, yesterday won its long-running legal battle with BGC partners when the High Court ruled that its US rival unlawfully conspired to hire Tullett employees.Source: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:29 pm Health reform: Where's the money?Democrats pushing for health care reform are closer to the finish line than ever, but it's not over yet. And the question of cost will remain a central issue in coming days.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:27 pm Palm revenue forecast lower than analyst estimatesNEW YORK (Reuters) - Palm Inc warned that revenue for the current quarter would be far below Wall Street's expectations, after tepid demand for its smartphones left wireless carriers with piles of excess inventory.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:14 pm Lehman says Barclays got $13 billion windfall in saleNEW YORK (Reuters) - Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc fired new allegations at Barclays Capital Inc on Thursday, saying the British investment bank got a $13 billion "windfall" profit from its deal to buy Lehman's U.S. brokerage in September 2008.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:14 pm Student loan reform shares health care fateWhen the House votes on a health care package this weekend, it will also consider a proposal to make federal government the one-stop-shop to get cheap student loans.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:08 pm Rival warned regulators over LehmanSecurities and Exchange Commission and Federal Reserve officials were warned by a leading Wall Street rival that Lehman Brothers was incorrectly calculating a key measure of its financial health months before its collapse in 2008, people familiar with the matter saySource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:06 pm Will March Madness get crazier?Who's going to win this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament? Your guess is as good as ours. Probably better, actually.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:04 pm SFO says finance company decisions by end of MarchThe Serious Fraud Office (SFO) expects to know by the end of the month what further action it will take on various finance companies under investigation.Yesterday, the SFO said it had started an investigation into Capital + Merchant...Source: nzherald.co.nz - Business | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:00 pm Why Delia and Heston have been added to essential range at WaitroseSource: Finance and Business. Latest breaking news, stocks and shares from the UK and world | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:52 pm Palm's phone sales slump and its stock dives (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:35 pm Write-Offs: 03.18.10 From the cameraman: 'Oozing confidence, power, a tan and a strong musk.' $$$ Heidi Moore: The Big Short Gets the People Right and the Finance Right [TBM] $$$ Blackstone prez to host ‘private’ Pelosi fundraiser (I just want you to appreciate the graphic). [NYP] $$$ Hedge fund matchmakers cannot escape scrutiny [Reuters] $$$ Wall Street, Obama Parting Ways (according to Charlie Gasparino) [FBN] $$$ Cuomo Expands Pension Probe [WSJ] 
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:30 pm Let It Be Known, Larry Summers Does NOT Appreciate Being Referred To As A ‘Little Punk’
Sayeth Mr. Summers:
You can call him a misogynist, a diet coke fiend, hell you, can even call him a narc (since it’s true). When you start in with the “little punks,” you go too far. Summers Slams Boehner’s ‘Punk Staffers’ Comment [NYT via DI]
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:20 pm Dow gains for 8th straight day; Palm sinks late (Reuters)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:04 pm Stocks end mixed after price, jobs reports (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:03 pm Summary Box: Dow posts 8th gain on mixed data (AP)AP - DOW EXTENDS ITS RUN: The Dow Jones industrial average rose for the eighth straight day, its longest streak of gains since August.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 4:00 pm Dow win streak rises to 8Buying in select blue chips Thursday propelled the Dow to its eighth straight gain and the highest close in nearly 18 months, but the broader market churned as investors showed some reluctance after the recent rally.Source: Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:58 pm How the major stock indexes fared on Thursday (AP)AP - Major stock indexes ended mixed Thursday on more evidence that the economy is regaining strength at a slow pace. The Dow Jones industrial average rose for an eighth straight day, its longest unbroken climb since August. Reports indicated that inflation remains in check and manufacturing is growing. The government said, however, that first-time claims for unemployment benefits only inched lower.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:56 pm Ever Wondered How They Deal With The Naughty Finance Execs In North Korea?Wonder no longer. Just messing, they kill them.
North Korean finance chief executed for botched currency reform [The Guardian]
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:50 pm India urges US 'leadership' on WTO (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:49 pm Fed officials warn against loss of bank oversightWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Four top Federal Reserve officials urged Congress on Thursday not to strip the U.S. central bank of the authority to supervise small banks, saying they would lose an important finger on the pulse of the economy that helps them guide monetary policy.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:36 pm Alan Greenspan Admits Some Balls Were Dropped During His Tenure At The Fed
Threw this in there too:
Also:
Having said all that? Lest any of you pipsqueaks (Benji) even think about daring to pin one iota of blame for all this shit on him? THINK AGAIN. There was nothing that could’ve been do done.
Let the haters hate. The Oracle has drinks to make and baths to take. Greenspan Concedes Fed Failed To Gauge Bubble [NYT]
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:15 pm Book Review: The Next Big Thing
The closest I come to actually doing this is virtual farming virtually via MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games). Hey, you gotta start somewhere. In a trend marketer’s view, I’m actually fantasizing about Traditionalizing (going back the tradition). Instead of acting on my fantasy, however, I am Gender Blending (playing video games, traditionally a male past time) and Coming Together (playing video games in a group). Long before I started yearning for tradition or playing MMOGs, someone discovered that these sentiments were, in fact, widespread trends. They analyzed those trends. They helped companies build a strategy around them, so that those companies can now target people like me with relevant products. Meanwhile, the same trend marketers are busy uncovering next year’s trends. William Higham is one such trend marketer. In The Next Big Thing: Spotting and Forecasting Consumer Trends for Profit, he has written what could be the definitive guide for companies seeking to find and exploit consumer trends. The book is divided into six very rich parts. Here’s a brief summary: Part 1: Covers what trends are (long-term changes in consumer behavior), how they impact global commerce, and the opportunities and threats they present to a company. Part 2: Describes what trend analysis is, why you need it, and how to formalize it into a trend marketing function. Part 3: Details the forces that cause trends and where they happen. It educates you on the difference trends and fads. Part 4: Teaches you how and where to identify trends. Part 5: Tells you who creates trends, how they progress, what trends grow fastest, what influences the trajectory of a trend, and how to predict the development of a trend. Part 6: Instructs how to integrate trends into your company strategy. As the summary above may indicate, The Next Big Thing is a very detailed book. Yet that detail reflects depth rather than digression. Higham leaves you with a comprehensive understanding, not just an overview, of trends. Comments Throughout the book, Higham uses an impressive number of examples to support his points. He integrates his encyclopedic knowledge of trends and branding into a story of what trends are, how they work, and how companies can harness them. You learn about the contexts trends operate in. Instead of being a vaguely defined mystery, trends become something more predictable, more of a science. Even the drier parts of the book–there were several–held gems. For example, there is a chapter devoted exclusively to using statistical data. That’s not very exciting, but, among other things you do learn how to recognize when marketers are manipulating data for their own advantage. Why I recommend this book Our world today is crowded and wired. We cycle through trends rapidly, making it hard for companies to stay informed enough to remain competitive. Even so, the study of trends is still a very new discipline, outside of fashion. This is the first book to break them down into understandable parts. In addition, you learn to see things through a trend expert’s eyes. When I was reading the book, the knitting clubs and plate-breaking cafe I’ve come across started to make sense. They weren’t anomalies. They were signs of widespread trends. Even human history and culture starts to take on a different hue through a trend analyst’s eyes. This new perspective, along with the thoroughness of the book, made The Next Big Thing a truly valuable read. If you need to understand and incorporate trends into your business, want to understand how trends work, or simply enjoy a well-researched book on a fascinating subject, do not miss The Big Picture.
Source: Business Pundit | 18 Mar 2010 | 3:06 pm The Palm Bunt (PALM)Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) rose ahead of earnings on short covering with shares posting an unofficial close of $5.65 for a 5.2% gain. The troubled smartphone maker reported earnings at -$0.61 EPS vs -$0.42 EPS expected from Thomson Reuters. The company also noted that non-GAAP revenues were $366.0 million versus closer to $316 million expected. If [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 18 Mar 2010 | 2:25 pm Final note: Don't blame GreenspanIn this final note, Kai Ryssdal takes a look at a research paper written by Alan Greenspan. The former Federal Reserve Chairman says the low interest rates he set while running the Fed had nothing to do with the housing crash.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 2:18 pm Burger King Raised to `Buy' at Deutsche Bank: AudioSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 2:04 pm What’s Left of Delta Petroleum After the Sale? (DPTR)Delta Petroleum Corporation (NASDAD: DPTR) is one of the top market gainers today on news that the independent oil and gas exploration and development company entered into a non-binding letter of intent for a partial sale. The agreement is with Opon International LLC to sell a 37.5% non-operated working interest, in the Vega Area assets [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:48 pm At Least Europe Knows How To Deal With Dangerous Hedge Fund ManagersIn the UK, record their cell phone calls. In Germany, treat them like the terrorists they are. By tailing their cars, and going through their trash.
‘Sinister’ German Spy Plan Aimed at Hedge Funds, Analysts Say [BW]
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:30 pm Berlin shifts stance on IMF role in GreeceGermany is leaning towards involving the International Monetary Fund should Greece call for help to stem its budget crisisSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:11 pm Greenspan On The Housing Bubble: Not My FaultBy Jacob Goldstein According to Alan Greenspan, Alan Greenspan did not create the housing bubble and could not have prevented the economic calamity that followed the bubble's collapse. These (perhaps unsurprising) revelations come in a paper Greenspan will present at a conference tomorrow. In Giant Pool of Money fashion, Greenspan points to a rise in global savings in the first years of the 21st century as a key driver of the bubble. But, contrary to what others have argued, he says that the low interest rates maintained by the Fed during those years were not an important factor. The Fed sets the rate for overnight loans between banks; the key rate for housing is for 30-year mortgages. And those 30-year rates were not linked to the Fed rate during the years when the housing bubble inflated, he argues. "To my knowledge, that lowering of the federal funds rate nearly a decade ago was not considered a key factor in the housing bubble," he writes. What's more, he suggests, there's no good way for a central bank to prick a bubble while it's inflating without creating major economic problems. At some rate, monetary policy can crush any bubble. If not 61/2%, try 20%, or 50% for that matter. Any bubble can be crushed, but the state of prosperity will be an inevitable victim. ... Unless there is a societal choice to abandon dynamic markets and leverage for some form of central planning, I fear that preventing bubbles will in the end turn out to be infeasible. Greenspan does think that certain changes may help reduce the risks of similar crises in the future. But they're not rooted in monetary policy. Instead, he argues, banks and other financial institutions should be required to hold more capital and rely less on borrowing. For more on what's in the paper, read coverage from the WSJ and the Economist. » E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us Source: NPR Blogs: Planet Money | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:04 pm Quinn on Regulation of Bank-Sponsored Securitizations: BLAWSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:01 pm Presented By:Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:00 pm Let’s Have A Serious Discussion (About Tiger’s Texts)
* “Where do you want to be bitten” * “How about a quickie before i go:)” * “Do you ever hook up with other guys or girls” * “Let me know when your about 20 out i will order dinner. And what would you like to eat” * “I want to treat you rough. Throw you around, spank and slap you” * “I like when you do that to me” * “No turkey unless it’s a club sandwich” * “I know you have tried every positing imaginable but what turns you on besides a dp” * “Ok. I would like to have a threesome with you and another girl you trust” * “Have you ever had a golden shower done to you” [her response/question] “Just morbid curiosity” [her response/question] “Never done it. I think i would get stage freight” * “Does that excite you at all or no” So, obviously “sic” throughout but not really “sick.” Emoticons? INTERROGATIVE STATEMENTS? EQUIVOCATING? 1) Lame 2) 14 years-old and scared to just say it 3) Guy who does the recordings for MoviePhone (“If that excites you at all, press one; if no, press two”). Notable hedge fund managers have sent much worse to their underlings (you would’ve gotten big points in you know who’s book for the golden shower text if you hadn’t a) posed it as a mere inquiry like you were literally just curious and b) proceeded to say the whole idea of it makes you nervous, which sickens him). Some of the messages are good but by good I mean standard and nothing to slap an XXX-rating on, much less act as though you haven’t sent or received yourself. I don’t think I’m off-base here and I’d like someone to back me up or prove me wrong. Feel free to offer comparative analysis (ex. these have nothing on Lenny Dykstra’s promises to choke women out with Twizzlers; you woke up to an SMS from your boss– no names necessary– telling you he was going to use your ass as the cap for his whiteboard marker, etc). **Having said all that, “No turkey unless it’s a club sandwich” is spectacular and I hope you all incorporate it tonight.
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 1:00 pm Greece ups stakes in quest for EU helpBRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece raised the stakes on Thursday in its quest for EU help to tackle its debt crisis, saying it cannot achieve promised deficit cuts if its borrowing costs remain so high and may have to call in the IMF.
Source: Reuters: Business News | 18 Mar 2010 | 12:58 pm Moscow’s ‘nuclear doctrine’ under fireA top Pentagon official has expressed concern at what she describes as Russia’s increasing reliance on nuclear weapons, a trend the US says is at odds with its arms control agendaSource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 12:53 pm BioHealth Business Daily (APPA, ARIA, MDVN, OSIP, SOMX, TEVA)[[[[[[[[[[ These are some of the top movers in the world of BioHealth investing. It is usual that drug companies and biotech stocks have major volatility around news and these are examples of that today. The big movers so far are AP Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: APPA), Ariad Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ARIA), Medivation, Inc. (NASDAQ: MDVN), OSI [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 18 Mar 2010 | 12:50 pm Milan swaps case puts banks in hot seatOther cities sitting on derivatives ‘time bombs’ are watching closelySource: Financial Times - US homepage | 18 Mar 2010 | 12:50 pm Congressman Boehner Suggests Bankers Grow A Pair Before Heading To DCA lot of people on Wall Street have expressed issues with the Chris Dodd’s little proposed bank-reform bill. That’s fine, and House Minority Leader John Boehner doesn’t begrudge them their concerns. He doesn’t much like the thing either, and everyone should fight it tooth and nail. But if he may, Boehner would like to offer some advice for any bankers trying to get their way. Stop being such pussies. Don’t take shit, prisoners or no for an answer.
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:45 am A future with Google-powered electionsPoliticians will spend billions holding onto their offices or getting elected for the first time this fall. There's a whole industry dedicated to getting a slice of that pie, and a new kid on the block. Brett Neely reports.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:25 am A firm that guarantees employmentFrank Koller talks with Kai Ryssdal about his new book "Spark," and manufacturer Lincoln Electric's unique program that promises workers won't get laid off for economic reasons if they meet the company's performance standards.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am College athletes' score doesn't add upMillions will watch the NCAA basketball tournament, and it will generate a lot of wealth. But commentator Jon Wertheim says March Madness also also lays bare one of the great hypocrisies in sports.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am Why you should care about FoursquareCNET reporter Caroline McCarthy talks with Kai Ryssdal about what Foursqaure is, and whether it has the potential to become the next Facebook.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am Universal lowers CD prices to up salesCD sales are down almost 16% this year as fewer people buy Compact Discs. But one major label has plans to try and sell more CDs. Rico Gagliano reports.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am Winnebago profits, but is still cautiousWinnebago posted its first quarterly profits in more than a year. What's that mean for the iconic maker of recreational vehicles? Alisa Roth reports.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am A cap and trade system for peopleSenators John Kerry, Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman shared the major features of legislation they're preparing to roll out soon with some big business execs. Included in the plan is a tax that encourages consumers to limit their emissions too. Mitchell Hartman reports.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am Do the health reform numbers matter?The Congressional Budget Office released a slew of numbers on what the health care overhaul would cost: $940 billion over 10 years and more than a trillion in deficit reductions over the decade after that. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.Source: Marketplace | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:17 am FTSE 100 shares in the red (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:09 am Filtering Rumors of the Fed Rate HikeThe stock market has become the marketplace of rumors. Now it seems the same is true for the bond market as well. Rumors have been floating around that the Fed may raise the discount rate again (as soon as today) on another off-FOMC meeting basis. This is not the critical Fed Funds level set at [...][[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
Source: 24/7 Wall St. | 18 Mar 2010 | 11:05 am Do A Lot Of Hedge Fund Managers Who Lose 86 Percent In A Month Try To Hush It Up From Investors?
That’s right ladies! You could go with the fund that would only lose you 20 percent a month or even, you know, make you money, if you’re into that sort of thing. Or you could go with the guys at Ebullio, who’ll lose you, let’s just say a lot more than that, but be honest about it. (Except of course when they’re accidentally sending out letters saying they only lost 0.01% when they actually lost 70, like they did in January. But that was their b, and they came clean about it, too). Totally your call. Ebullio: We messed up, and we’re sorry [FTAlphaville]
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:15 am European equities stumble on profit-taking (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:06 am Graco Issues High Chair Recall
Baby goods company Graco is recalling its 2010 Harmony high chairs. 24 children have been injured after their Graco Harmony high chairs tipped over or became unstable. The screws and plastic brackets holding the legs onto the chair came loose or cracked, making the high chair unsafe. The recall affects 1.2 million Graco high chairs in the US, and about 35,000 in Canada, according to the Graco recall notification. Graco wants you to stop using the high chair immediately and obtain a repair kit from them. You can also call (877) 842-3206 if you’ve been affected. See the entire recall notice here.
Source: Business Pundit | 18 Mar 2010 | 10:02 am Google TV: Coming Soon to Your Living Room
Google, Intel and Sony are collaborating on a new TV format called Google TV. Google TV will integrate Web and TV via a set-top box and new TV format. You’ll be able to browse between Web services and TV seamlessly, using your smartphone or a keyboard-equipped remote control. Google search, of course, will be integrated throughout. The New York Times has the story: The Google TV software will present users with a new interface for TVs that lets them perform Internet functions like search while also pulling down Web programming like YouTube videos or TV shows from Hulu.com. The technology will also allow downloadable Web applications, like games and social networks, to run on the devices. The partners will face a crowded field. In addition to the makers of traditional cable and satellite set-top boxes, Cisco Systems and Motorola, many others have entered the game, including Microsoft, Apple, TiVo and start-up companies like Roku and Boxee, which already stream video from Netflix, MLB.com and other Web sites directly to television sets. Yahoo is also promoting a TV platform that uses small software programs called widgets to use certain Web services. Some existing televisions and set-top boxes offer access to Web content, but the choice of sites is limited. Google intends to open its TV platform, which is based on its Android operating system for smartphones, to software developers. The company hopes the move will spur the same outpouring of creativity that consumers have seen in applications for cellphones. Google is expected to deliver a toolkit to outside programmers within the next couple of months, and products based on the software could appear as soon as this summer. Today’s set-top boxes make it easy enough to watch YouTube, rent videos, listen to music, and search the Web. However, there’s no standard or mass market set-top box–yet. This could be because their interfaces are clumsy, which a good interface and widget setup could solve. Google and its competitors want to stake out this mass-market space. Ultimately, our TVs will probably turn into giant Internet receivers. Google wants to have its interfaces and ads in front of you when that happens.
Source: Business Pundit | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:50 am American Dairy Chairman Leng You-Bin buys shares (AP)AP - American Dairy Inc., which produces and distributes infant formula, milk powder and soybean, rice and walnut products in China, said Thursday that Chairman Leng You-Bin bought approximately $1 million of its common stock.Source: Yahoo! News: Stock Markets News | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:44 am Pimco’s El-Erian: Surveillance With Prewitt and KeeneSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:02 am Brusuelas: Surveillance With Prewitt and KeeneSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 9:01 am Don’t Drink The Water: Greece And The IMF
Greece CDS has traded wider this morning on comments from the Prime Minister that his government might seek aid from the IMF. This has been taken to suggest that the rest of the EU has still not yet come to internal agreement about how to handle Greece’s debt woes. That several EU countries view an IMF-led package for an EMU member as, if not a mortal embarrassment, then at least something resolutely not to be wished has raised fears that these countries, via their influence at the IMF board level, might close off even this avenue of assistance to the Greeks. Iceland might be able to tell Greece a thing or two about trying to keep an IMF program on track while suffering the wrath of several EU members. To the extent, though, that Greece does end up getting IMF money rather than bilateral EU money, much of the commentary on the subject treats these sources of support as six of one vs. a half-dozen of the other. Experience with Emerging Markets bailouts suggests a brief corrective to this view. IMF loans are both de jure and de facto super-senior claims. Despite quite of lot of investor complaints during the IMF’s lending heyday of the late 90s (“where in the bond indenture’s negative pledge does it say except for IMF loans?!!”), sovereigns that have entered into default or pursued restructurings have afforded this super-senior treatment to their IMF debts. In the history of the IMF, only a very few countries – typically woeful failed states (e.g. Liberia) or cartoon-villain Trashcanistans (e.g. Sudan) have defaulted for more than a symbolic nanosecond on the IMF. And the IMF, for its part, has only voluntarily reduced claims in the context of the HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Countries) initiative, and even then kicking and screaming and only with compensation from deep-pocketed members. The standard for bilateral debts, on the other hand, is “comparability of treatment.” In practice that has meant treatment sometimes better that private debts, often very similar in NPV terms (but different in precise terms – more maturity extension and coupon reduction , less haircuts), and sometimes worse (maturity extensions without any burden-sharing from the private sector in cases where there is a political motive for support). Therefore, private-sector creditors of Greece should, ceteris paribus, prefer that Greece get bailed out by bilateral loans rather than IMF loans. The latter money could lead to effective subordination of Greek bonds. Of course, this only matters if the market believes that a bail-out doesn’t solve Greece’s problems once and for all. Unfortunately (for both Greece and its creditors), to look at the shape of the CDS curve, the market doesn’t take this sanguine view.
Source: Dealbreaker | 18 Mar 2010 | 8:50 am Teva Pharmaceuticals Buys Ratiopharm
Teva Pharmaceuticals, one of the biggest generic drug companies in the world, will acquire leading European generics company Ratiopharm for $5 billion. The New York Times reports: “This transaction is perfectly aligned with our long-term strategy in which Europe is an important pillar and growth driver,” the chief executive of Teva, Shlomo Yanai, said in a statement. “Ratiopharm will provide us with the ideal platform to strengthen our leadership position in key European markets, most notably in Germany, as well as rapidly growing generic markets such as Spain, Italy and France.” Ratiopharm had global sales of 1.9 billion euros in 2008, nearly half of which were in Germany, according to the company’s Web site. But Ratiopharm also sells its products in more than 30 other countries, including established markets like Spain and Canada and emerging economies like Russia. Over all, it is the world’s fifth-largest maker of generics, accounting for 3 percent of the global market, a report last year from BCC Research said. For its part, Teva has been aggressively expanding its global leadership in generics, in part through acquisitions. Two years ago it acquired Barr Pharmaceuticals, an American company, for about $7.5 billion. And Teva has indicated that it planned additional deals. In winning Ratiopharm, Teva topped the world’s biggest maker of brand-name drugs, Pfizer, and Actavis, a generic maker based in Iceland. Ratiopharm’s parent company, VEM Vermögensverwaltung, put the company up for sale last year after the suicide of Adolf Merckle, who founded Ratiopharm in 1973. The pharmaceutical industry has been seeing a lot of M&A during the past 6 months. I wouldn’t be surprised if drugs, even generics, soon come from only a handful of companies (a smaller handful than they already come from).
Source: Business Pundit | 18 Mar 2010 | 8:44 am Boehner To Bankers: 'Don't Let Those Little Punk Staffers Take Advantage'By Jacob Goldstein John Boehner, the House Republican leader, told a crowd of bankers to make their views known to lawmakers and Congressional staffers who are working on finance reform, Marketwatch reports. Speaking at a American Bankers Association conference yesterday, Boehner said: Don't let those little punk staffers take advantage of you, and stand up for yourselves. ... All of us are hearing from our friends and constituents on lack of credit, you can't get a loan. The more your government takes and taxes, the more regulations you have to comply with, the more cost you have there and less amount you are going to have available to loan to customers. Boehner said the Senate bill is likely to be much more conservative than the bill the House passed in December, which could mean the two chambers will be debating the legislation for a long time before anything gets passed. Also at yesterday's bankers meeting, a senior bank regulator criticized the finance bill that Chris Dodd released on Monday. John Dugan, the comptroller of the currency, said Dodd's bill puts consumer protection above regulations that are supposed to ensure that banks are financially secure, the FT reports. "In every case consumer protection has the edge and will trump safety and soundness and I think that is backwards," Dugan said. He also said the bill should give federal regulators more power to overrule state-level regulations. The bankers association has argued that giving too much power to the states could lead to a "patchwork quilt of regulation," where banks have to follow different rules in each state. » E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us Source: NPR Blogs: Planet Money | 18 Mar 2010 | 7:50 am Rep. Van Hollen: Surveillance With Prewitt and KeeneSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 7:25 am Stretch on Greece, Currencies; Ladwa on Stocks: First WordSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:59 am Ricardo Hausmann: Bloomberg On the Economy With Tom KeeneSource: Bloomberg - All Podcasts | 18 Mar 2010 | 6:56 am When Gmail Gets Too Smart
Source: Business Pundit | 18 Mar 2010 | 5:35 am
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