Archive for January, 2009
Jan
29
2009
 
Controlling input costs will improve chances of profits in 2009Posted by: wcfcouriernewsfeed in Cedar Valley BusinessWATERLOO — A gloomy profit outlook this year has grain farmers looking for every avenue to cut costs.
Jan
29
2009
Wall Street’s $18.4B Bonus: ‘Sense of Entitlement Clearly Has Not Been Beaten Out’Posted by: yahootechticker in Yahoo Tech TickerThe cataclysm on Wall Street did not stop New York City-based employees from collecting $18.4 billion in bonuses for 2008. Sure, that pool is down 44% from the prior year but still represents the sixth-largest bonus haul on record, acco
Jan
29
2009
Is Gridlock Still Good? House Stimulus Vote Sets Stage for Test of ’90s MantraPosted by: yahootechticker in Yahoo Tech TickerThe era of bipartisanship in Washington appears over before it ever began. On Wednesday, the House passed Barack Obama’s $819 billion fiscal stimulus package, as expected. Unexpectedly, the bill passed with nary a single Republican vote
Jan
29
2009
Advice for a Dicey Market: Play Defense, Avoid Financials, Basic MaterialsPosted by: yahootechticker in Yahoo Tech TickerStocks slipped early Thursday as traders reevaluated the rationale behind the market’s longest winning streak since late November. Specifically, traders questioned whether financial stocks can continue to lead the market, as has been the case in recent da
Jan
29
2009
Yahoo’s Share of Search Market Has StabilizedPosted by: yahootechticker in Yahoo Tech TickerFrom Silicon Alley Insider, Jan. 29, 2009:After Yahoo’s earnings on Tuesday (YHOO), we repeated our usual refrain: Yahoo’s search revenue is growing, but Yahoo is still losing share of search queries, and queries are the real long-term value driver. Losses on your investments are painful, but they can cut your taxes — provided they’re not in a retirement account. If you’re laid off, you’ll qualify for health coverage through your old employer, thanks to federal legislation. But affording the coverage is another matter. As lenders tighten credit requirements, getting a good interest rate — or a loan at all — requires that you understand how the scoring system works.
Jan
28
2009
SCHIP: The Creeping Nationalization of Health CarePosted by: realclearmarkets in RealClearMarketsAlthough the economic stimulus package is getting most of the headlines this week, it’s not the only fiscal debate playing out in Congress. Equally important for the American economy in the long run is the Senate debate over the reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), originally enacted in 1997 as an addition to Medicaid. It expires on March 31, potentially stranding over 7 million children without health insurance—which is why Congress will not let it lapse.
Jan
28
2009
The recession is kinder to some than othersPosted by: theequitykicker in The Equity KickerWe are in the midst of earnings season right now and different companies are faring very differently:
The overall position is, I think, that it is better to be in the web than in software, and better to be in software than in hardware. This is because the lowest layers of the stack are commoditised already, software is starting to get there and web based services have yet to really begin that painful process. My guess is that they will though - and then the attention will move somewhere else - e.g. shared data services. I have focused on revenues in people’s results as a proxy for overall market size, which I think is the best single indicator. Profitability is important too though, is more influenced by company specific factors. The Central Bank leaves its key rates unchanged and plans to keep them low to help the economy. Financial stocks jump more than 10% on reports that the Obama administration is close to a plan to buy bad assets from banks. Tech shares continue to surge. With the latte giant reeling from overexpansion and a softening economy, the doughnut maker took aim at its upscale rival. Now McDonald’s has joined the coffee fray as well. Can Starbucks pull through?
Jan
28
2009
The False Death of Trickle-Down Econmics, Part IIPosted by: realclearmarkets in RealClearMarketsLast October, this column addressed the notion of trickle-down economics. The aforementioned concept has to do with the basic belief that the economic gains made by the rich accrue to those not rich. Economic thinkers from Paul Krugman to Jared Bernstein to Jonathan Chait (Chait refers to thinking here as the “Big Con”) have dismissed the idea that the above is real, but as the referenced column from October showed, trickle-down economics quite simply is. Indeed, all it took to prove this point was to collect media accounts showing how economic uncertainty for the well-to-do in our midst had greatly impacted those not as well-to-do. This revealed itself everywhere from the retail sector to tips given at restaurants to charity. Congress hands President Obama his first legislative defeat, as House Republicans kill legislation to delay the Feb. 17 switch from analog to pure-digital television. But with a mere three weeks to go and lots of slop-time in the bill, it might merely have made matters more messy and confusing. The Central Bank leaves rates unchanged but will buy more assets from banks to keep credit flowing. Stocks rally on reports that the Obama administration is close to a plan to buy bad assets from banks. |
|
