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The US Government Now Employs More than 15% of Workers in Most States
Friday, August 6, 2010 - 11:35am | 269Read More...The number of government employees in Washington DC is 38% when all federal, state, and local workers are taken into account. That is really no surprise. Most of the people are on the US payroll. It is surprising that in most states more than 15% of people work for the government. More that a...
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Forget US Unemployment–Spain Is Now More Than 20%
Friday, July 30, 2010 - 8:47am | 144Read More...US unemployment may be close to 10% and the President’s midterm budget review may say that the jobless rate will be above 9% until 2012. Many economists believe the figures are not sustainable if the US is to continue its economic expansion. The number of people out of work has pushed down GDP...
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The Budget Director Leaves: Changing Widgets At The White House
Tuesday, June 22, 2010 - 10:33am | 97Read More...White House Budget Director Peter Orszag is about to resign, perhaps to get married and have a less hectic life. He will certainly get a job in the private sector that will pay him several times what he makes today. The budgets and the results of the government’s spending have not been popular....
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Greenspan's Case that U.S. Borrowing Power Will Disappear
Friday, June 18, 2010 - 1:20pm | 268Read More...Alan Greenspan still occasionally shows up on the global stage to sell a new book or defend his legacy as Fed chairman. He must find it irritating that his predecessor Paul Volcker has become such an important figure in US financial reform. Greenspan’s opinions on the matter are almost never aired...
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Sony CEO Makes $8.8 Million For Driving Company Into The Ground (247wallst.com)
Friday, June 18, 2010 - 1:11pm | 199Read More...Sony (NYSE: SNE) CEO Sir Howard Stringer spends his time jet setting among his offices and homes in Tokyo, New York, and his native Wales. Sony has lost money two years in a row as he has made his rounds from place to place. Today, the company disclosed that he made $8.8 million last year for his...
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Barnes & Noble, Hurt By Kindle, Offers Incentive (AMZN, SNE, BKS, AAPL)
Friday, June 4, 2010 - 9:29am | 185Read More...There are many estimates of the size of the e-reader market and which companies have the most market share. Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN) claims it has sold “millions of Kindles” and that the device is the most popular item on its well-visited e-commerce site. Most researchers who cover the e-reader...
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McDonald’s Recalls 12 Million “Shrek” Glasses (MCD)
Friday, June 4, 2010 - 8:27am | 189Read More...McDonald’s (NYSE: MCD) describes its collaboration with the producers of the animated “Shrek” movie, which appeals to youngsters, as a way “to encourage kids around the world to make balanced eating choices. ” It is also part of the largest fast food chains “commitment to responsible marketing for...
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Ford’s Big China Recall (F, TM)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 - 1:08pm | 222Read More...Ford Motor (NYSE: F) has announced that it will recall 236,642 Focus cars in China, one of the largest recalls in the history of the People’s Republic. China is now the world’s largest vehicle market, and one of the most competitive so quality reputation is critical. This year may set a record for...
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China Workers Strike, Labor Issues Move Beyond Europe
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 10:38am | 192Read More...China’s financial sovereign interests are worried about Europe, and there are rumors that they may sell debt from the region if it does not stabilize. Part of the trouble in the Eurozone is that public employees are striking to resist the pay cuts that come with austerity. That, in turn, could...
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Lumber Prices Have Crashed On Weak Outlook For Builders (WY, LUK, MAS, LPX, IP, FBR, TOL, KBH, LEN, PHM))
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 10:14am | 246Read More...On May 17th and May 25th, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange stopped trading in lumber futures because the contract price had fallen by the maximum allowable amount of $10. On the 25th, lumber was halted at a price of $225/thousand board feet, which is the price that the contract opened at again this...
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The French Question Euro Bailout
Friday, May 28, 2010 - 9:40am | 178Read More...The German’s are known for being sticklers about rules. The French not so much. But, Pierre Lellouche, France’s European minister, told the Financial Times that the bailout of Greece and the $1 trillion safety net fund, which have made it difficult for weak nations like Spain to raise money,...
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Will RIM’s New Operating System Save Its Market Share? (RIMM, AAPL, GOOG, MSFT, NOK)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 9:23am | 176Read More...Research-in-Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) will release a new operating system which it says will allow its customers to move around the internet more quickly and make its screen dynamics easier for consumers to use. That should help RIM expand beyond its core business user base along with its earlier...
