May 16, 2008
Good Day, Bad Day
New Windows, puffed rice
May 16, 2008
BA Flies High, Yahoo Fights Back
Annual profit doubles at British Airways as the carrier woos trans-Atlantic business fliers. Yahoo and Carl Icahn lock horns over Microsoft. And a smoking ban in Britain is taking an especially steep toll in Little Cairo.
May 15, 2008
CBS Nabs CNet, GE Unplugs
CBS buys tech site CNet to become a major Internet player. GE is reportedly looking to sell its 100-year-old appliance business as it switches to higher-margin sectors. And North Carolina feels the love, again, in a real estate firm’s rankings of America’s most livable cities.
May 14, 2008
Clear Channel Settles, Sony Likes Games
Clear Channel agrees to be bought out at a reduced price, after a legal settlement with the financiers. Sony sees profits ahead for its struggling PlayStation 3 unit. And studying in Paris is going the way of the slumping greenback . . .
May 13, 2008
Good Day, Bad Day
An air of optimism, good skin
May 13, 2008
Challenging IBM, Raising Credit
Hewlett-Packard agrees to buy IT services firm EAD to compete against IBM. French bank Credit Agricole looks to raise up to $9.1 billion after more writedowns. And soaring corn prices are changing planting habits, but maybe not in the way you’d think.
May 12, 2008
Good Day, Bad Day
The next small thing, liquid assets
May 12, 2008
Best Columns: Emerging myths, 401(k) fouls
Emerging markets are popular because “faster economic growth means higher returns,” says The Economist in an editorial. Only it doesn’t. The world of the 401(k) plan “is far from ideal,” says Andrea Coombs in MarketWatch.
May 12, 2008
Sprinting Away, Beating Bad Loans
Sprint has a worse-than-expected quarter as customers defect en masse. HSBC has a good quarter despite some bad home loans. And China starts facing its own outsourcing issues.
May 9, 2008
Good Day, Bad Day
Swiss fries, micro-brewing
May 9, 2008
Best Columns: Bouncing inflation, Fretting credit
Inflation is like that “boor” who barges into “the hottest restaurant in town without a reservation,” says Michael Sesit in Bloomberg. Everyone’s worried about inflation, says Fortune’s Colin Barr in CNNMoney.com, but we face a “bigger problem” in the “credit crunch” fallout.
May 9, 2008
AIG’s Losing Hand, Oil’s Royal Flush
AIG loses $7.8 billion as bets on complex financial instruments sour. Oil hits a new high, and analysts try to explain why. And the down economy pulls the plug on some nascent attempts at creative advertising.
May 8, 2008
Buying in Europe, Not Selling in America
Best Buy buys a stake in Britain’s Carphone Warehouse, and thus a stake in Europe. Toyota reports a drop in profits, due largely to a drop in U.S. sales. And Doubleday is betting heavily on a Bond literary revival.
May 7, 2008
Good Day, Bad Day
Virtual crime, weathering storms
May 7, 2008
WiMax’s New Life, Cisco’s Cautious Optimism
Sprint and Clearwire forge a new WiMax agreement, with $3.2 billion in help from some friends. Cisco shows that it’s holding up pretty well in the corporate spending lull. And why you should never stick your hand in an airplane’s seat-back pocket.
May 6, 2008
UBS Wields the Ax, Qwest Gets Unplugged
Swiss bank UBS cuts 5,500 jobs as it deals with huge mortgage-related losses. Qwest loses residential customers to the allure of cellphones. And the free-verus-paid Wi-Fi dispute seeks a third way.
May 5, 2008
Best Columns: Honda Renaissance, Greenback Revival
While “Detroit is partying like it’s 1979,” says Joseph B. White in The Wall Street Journal, Honda has jumped ahead to 2012. The U.S. dollar could finally be near the end of “its long slide against other major currencies,” says Ben Steverman in BusinessWeek.com.
May 5, 2008
Yahoo! Alone, Sprint Together
Yahoo! and Microsoft each face challenges after the end of their strained courtship. Deutsche Telekom is mulling a bid for Sprint. And Chinese outsourcing just isn’t what it used to be.
May 2, 2008
Is the stock slump over?
“Spring has sprung on Wall Street,” said Igor Greenwald in SmartMoney.com. Financial earnings haven’t had any nasty surprises, and the raft of bad-sounding headlines have obscured “a full month of a stealth bull run.” Sure, the market is “back in rally mode,” said Douglas A. McIntyre in the blog 24/7 Wall St., but it’s almost certainly a “sucker’s rally.” Banks are . . .
May 2, 2008
Viacom Rises, Sun Dips
MTV benefits from the Hollywood writers’ strike, and so does its parent company. Sun Microsystems posts an unexpected loss as U.S. businesses keep tight fists. And Italy moves to fight tax evasion by posting everybody’s returns online . . .
May 1, 2008
Comcast’s Mixed Bag, Microsoft’s Hard Choice
Comcast reports a slight dip in sales and mixed subscription numbers. Microsoft’s board is still considering its options regarding Yahoo!, even after its ultimatum passed. And U.S. gas prices are high, but not in comparison.
Apr 30, 2008
General Malaise, Hitting the Gas
General Motors reports a $3.25 billion loss on mortgage woes and a strike at a supplier. British gas firm BG bids $12 billion for an Australian gas producer. And airlines are flying abroad to service their aircraft.
Apr 29, 2008
Deutsche Bank Blues, Golden Black Gold
Deutsche Bank reports its first loss in five years, proving it isn’t immune to the credit crisis. Shell and BP report record profits on the back of soaring oil prices. And given the choice between “Grand Theft Auto IV” and gas money, many will choose the virtual driving.
Apr 28, 2008
Best Columns: Food trail, Google’s Calling
Who gains from high food prices? says The Economist in an editorial. Not food producers or retailers, and rarely investors. Google’s biggest threat is “your cell phone,” says Ben Kunz in BusinessWeek.com.
Apr 25, 2008
Microsoft’s Mixed Tidings, Ericsson’s Upbeat Dip
Microsoft sees a good future but a modest present, and investors sell. Ericsson posts a 55 percent drop in profits, and its shares soar. And good times hit Ireland, bringing bad times for the old village pub.
Apr 24, 2008
Best Columns: Biofuel backlash, Courting consumers
People loved biofuels, says Roger Cohen in The New York Times, at least until “everyone decided they were the worst thing since the Black Death.” Struggling retailers “desperately want a piece” of your tax rebates, says Jane Porter in BusinessWeek.com.
Apr 24, 2008
Suisse Melt, Ford Festivities
Credit Suisse writes down $5.2 billion in credit-related assets. Ford surprised analysts with a $100 million profit. And Colorado is experiencing a revival among gold diggers.
