German Exports And New Orders Slump In November

Yesterday we learnt that German unemployment was, unfortunately, back on the rise, while today we get to see one of the principal reasons for the uptick. German exports fell back at a record rate in November - in fact seasonally and working day adjusted current-price sales exports fell back 10.6 percent from October (when they declined 0 [more...]

Date: 2009-01-08 11:40:57

Blog posts (130) | Videos (36)
 

2008: Annus Horribilis, RIP

I meant to take yet another Friday away from my writing, but as I am researching for next week’s annual prediction issue, there is so much material that begs to be covered that I thought I would put out a short letter with 3 or 4 points as a preface to my prognostications of next week [more...]

Date: 2009-01-03 12:42:15

LMT Focused on Shareholder Value – Analyst Blog

Lockheed Martin Corporation ( LMT ) is prudent in returning a substantial portion of its free cash flow to shareholders through share repurchases and incremental dividends. The company recently boosted its quarterly dividend by 10.5%, or 6 cents per-share. This took the quarterly dividend to 63 cents per share from the pre-existing dividend of 57 cents. The dividend is payable on Dec. 31, 2009 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 1, 2009. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-29 19:27:25

For healthy food and soil, we need affordable health care for farmers

By Steph Larsen When we talk about local food, it means more than just proximity to a farm ... . In addition, 44% report spending at least a tenth of their annual income on health insurance premiums ... to make anyone waiver in their desire to start a farm. Here are some statistics from a report [more...]

Date: 2009-01-06 16:00:38

Maintaining Excellent Credit Rating

Being approved for credit is a sign that someone is willing to take a risk on you with their money ... out your credit card number online when you were making a purchase. It is possible that some unscrupulous ... on credit as long as you can pay for it eventually. Aside from cleaning up your credit, build a savings [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 03:41:35

Looking ahead

For Thursday: • Congress holds a joint session to count the electoral ballots for president and vice president. ( ... . • Economic reports: The Labor Department announces the latest unemployment claims; retailers report ... consumer credit figures for November. • The Treasury Department's man behind the TARP delivers [more...]

Date: 2009-01-08 02:07:47

MICROCAPITAL STORY: US Secretary of State Designate Hilary Clinton Refers to Obama’s Mother, Ann Dunham; Implies Microfinance Would be an Important Part of her Agenda

At a confirmation hearing before the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, US Secretary of State designate Hilary Clinton, ... firsthand how small loans given to poor women to start small businesses can raise standards ... with civil and business communities in promoting microfinance for the past nearly 30 years. The USAID [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 16:00:23

DrumBeat: January 12, 2009

A novel plan for economic stimulus What's different now? In the 1930s, even though the U.S. economy collapsed, we still had a surplus of natural resources -- we were then the world's No. 1 producer of oil and coal. Fast forward 80 years. Despite the recent temporary dip in the price of gas and heating oil, [more...]

Date: 2009-01-12 14:02:56

Credit Repair! You May Have A Bad Credit Rating And Not Even Know It

When we talk about credit repair, most of us believe that repairing our credit rating is directly related to our mismanagement of our finances, ... can be as simple as getting their hands on your credit card or debit card numbers and your security access ... as getting a duplicate copy of your credit card copies out of your home or business garbage bin [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 08:37:18

Final Insult: Thieves Steal Deceased’s Identity

When 23-year-old Zal Chapgar of Bluebell, PA passed away, his family was understandably devastated ... ? Credit report representatives who talked to The Inquirer said what the Chapgars experienced may ... when they began receiving phone calls from credit card companies, including financial giants Amex [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 05:49:41

DrumBeat: January 4, 2009

Canadian oil-sand mines stuck as crude price plummets Canada's once booming oil sands industry is cooling fast as the plunging oil price undermines investment. More than US$60 billion (£41 billion) worth of projects to extract oil from the bitumen-rich sands of northern Alberta have been delayed in the past three months, [more...]

Date: 2009-01-04 13:51:54

DOING TAXES TAKES UP 7.6 BILLION WORK HOURS A YEAR

Federal tax-filing requirements have become so complex that they eat up 7 ... to one of the nation's largest industries, a new federal report found. Annual preparation of Form 1040, filed by most ... Olson, the IRS' national taxpayer advocate, estimated Wednesday in her annual report to Congress [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 13:26:54

Valley smoking drops sharply

In the past 10 years, the smoking rate in the Bear River Health District has dropped considerably. The Bear River Health Department reports that, since 1999, the smoking rate has decreased by 39 percent in the district. Also, smoking among pregnant women has fallen by 14 percent in that period. “The smoking rate for Bear River Health Department is now at 5.8 percent,” said Holly Budge, tobacco program manager at the Bear River Health Department. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-29 08:23:43

Ethics cloud still hangs over Rangel

A herd of tax reporters trails Charles B. Rangel everywhere he goes these days, like a team of pilot fish feasting on whatever morsels the raspy, talkative Ways and Means Committee chairman casts aside. Late last year, that media herd was feasting on Rangel himself, [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 09:39:06

New Year's Day Economic Potpourri

Heading into the new year, the news is finally slowing down. Here are a few headline news reports of interest from the past couple days.Massive Layoffs Coming For MicrosoftMicrosoft getting ready to lay off 17% of staffThe rumor that Microsoft was set to lay off people on January 15th, 2009 is no longer a rumor but a fact [more...]

Date: 2009-01-02 00:46:00

Westchester Guardian/Catherine Wilson.

Thursday, January 15, 2009Catherine Wilson, Bureau ChiefNorthern WestchesterState, ... and total lack of administrative controls and reviews.We can now report that there have been two recent ... to report?” The official board announcement of Dr. Lodovico’s “retirement” was sent to parents [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 06:24:51

It Keeps Getting Better And Better In California

The Daily Press reports from California. “First-time home buyers jumped into the local real estate market in December, pushing sales of existing homes up by 17 percent for the month and 207 percent compared to a year ago, according to new from the Victor Valley MLS compiled by Larry Trombley, an agent in Hesperia [more...]

Date: 2009-01-08 15:46:59

Are You Sure You Want to Start Your Own Business?

I have learned a lot from the people I’ve taught my QuickBooks and Business Financial Basics classes for small business owners and bookkeepers ... State of Texas. Local – property tax reports are filed one time per year State – unemployment reports are filed four times per year State – sales tax reports are filed either one time, four times [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 17:58:33

PFE, PWRM, TXN, CSRH, AA, CVAT, DOW, DrStockPick.com Stock Report!

Dr Stock Pick HOT News & Alerts! _________________________________________ FREE Daily Stock Alerts From DrStockPick.com _________________________________________ Tuesday September 29, 2009 DrStockPick.com Stock Report! PFE, PWRM, TXN, CSRH, AA, CVAT, DOW ************************************************************** PFE, Pfizer Inc. PFE is the world’s premier biopharmaceutical company taking new approaches to better health. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-29 19:11:55

The Baddest Bank in the West

Give us Madoff! Give us Madoff! "Oil rises to $39 on Bernanke comments..." "Asian stocks rise after Bernanke remarks..." When they turned out the lights and closed the doors in New York last night, the Dow had lost 25 points and oil had gone down to $37. But this morning, investors seem to be feeling better about things [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 04:51:36

Dow falls 27 on Wal-Mart’s miss

Dow falls 27 on Wal-Mart’s miss Wal-Mart and other retailers report horrible holiday shopping seasons. But markets recover from early losses ahead of Friday’s big jobs report. Citigroup agrees to let ... Statistics Massive forces cloud market outlook Huge losses caused by the housing/credit bubble [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 05:19:02

It’s That Time Again: Check Your Annual Credit Report

If you are new to No Debt Plan this may be a new feature for you. Every three months I post up a quick reminder to check your annual credit report ... is used when you apply for credit — for a mortgage, car loan, or credit card. Poor credit leads ... . Why You Should Check Your Credit Report It’s simple: your report shows all of the inquiries [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 13:00:17

Quango Irish Bank.

So, starting close to home, finally, it’s Anglo Irish Zero ... under its hood – you can’t pretend the bill isn’t yours – and, overnight, the Irish national debt ... encumber the State with a truly huge amount of total junk – the problem is that they're probably going [more...]

Date: 2009-01-16 02:21:50

An Example of What the Credit Bureaus Try to Sell You

experian1 I mentioned yesterday that you can set up a quasi-credit monitoring service for yourself ( ... mentioned that the Credit Bureaus, agitated at being forced to provide free reports to mere consumers ... annual report without a credit score attached to it. This is the link you want. The second image [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 13:00:15

Once Again, Nuclear is NOT the Solution

Sometime back I wrote a piece on the reasons why nuclear energy is not a very good solution to our energy woes, ... long it takes to build a new plant. We need faster solutions. But now a new report has come ... annual peak demand by 12 gw -- and total demand by about 40,000 gwh -- through a variety of energy [more...]

Date: 2009-01-06 20:19:14

11th January 2009 - Who's made a mark this week?

The result of the End of Year Portrait Challengecopyright Different Strokes from Different Folks and the artistsThese paintings were was done from by a photograph provided via the Karin Jurick's group blog Different Strokes From Different Folks, where artists are encouraged to paint or draw their own interpretations of the photographs supplied [more...]

Date: 2009-01-11 13:30:00

Freshwater Day 8: Investigator cross, and another former student

Note: Day 9 summary will be delayed: I’m going to watch some football! ... theme was the accuracy and completeness of the report HR On Call, Inc., submitted to the Board ... 13 of the investigation report that says He also said he has a Bible beside desk on his lab table [more...]

Date: 2009-01-09 00:53:02

Bailout bio for American Express

American Express was founded in 1850 and is headquartered in New York, New York. It is known best for its global payments and travel operations. The Company’s principal products and services are charge and credit card products, and travel-related services offered to consumers and businesses around the world.  The company operates under two [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 21:51:52

VF Corp Q4 Guidance And 2009 Outlook

Eric Wiseman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ... announced were aggressive cost reduction actions designed to enable VF to successfully withstand a global ... profitability. Cost reduction actions have been initiated that should result in annualized savings [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 15:23:19

PC sales stank last quarter, but HP, Apple and a few others kept growing

No wonder there's been so much buzz about layoffs at Microsoft: PC sales just stank in the last quarter ... was the annual PC sales report from Gartner, the other big tech research firm. It said the PC industry ... in the fourth quarter, according to a new report from research firm IDC. The holiday season drop pulled [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 21:20:33

Saving your credit and credit scores

I have blogged about my experiences with American Express and their systematic reductions in my credit lines ... report. Canceling a card with a good history will impact your credit, but being at 99-100 ... . American Express along with the other credit card issuers were simply trying to keep their head above [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 23:51:28

Here’s The Scoop LBTS 1/13/09 Workshop/Commission Meeting…Thus Far…

Here’s The Scoop LBTS 1/13/09 Workshop/Commission Meeting…Thus Far… January 15, 2009 by Barbara SAVE THESE DATES…. WED. JAN. 21, 2009….6 p.m…. ... the ridiculous “habit” of having the public speak first…..it does not make sense…and provides ... posted …up first was public comments…and it was all about “Da Boats”…in the north end of town…suddenly [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 16:14:10

The Baddest Bank in the West

Give us Madoff! Give us Madoff! "Oil rises to $39 on Bernanke comments…" "Asian stocks rise after Bernanke remarks…" ... about things. What did Bernanke say to bring about the turnaround? We find the report on the front page ... to ensure stability and the normalization of credit markers," said the main man at the Fed, speaking [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 22:20:39

Drip, Drip, Drip

Drip, Drip, Drip Jennifer Rubin - 01.15.2009 - 11:46 AM There’s a certain pattern to these wounded-nominee stories. Bad facts emerge; the administration releases the talking points; their Senate allies rush to assure us it is no big deal; the media issues the “hiccup” or “bump on the road” pronouncements [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 16:46:59

Maintain A Reasonale Credit Score

Maintain A Reasonale Credit Score by Jim Bransby The number of your credit score and determine a lot for an individual ... accounts to make sure your credit history is correct. If you discover that you have bad credit ... ways and how you decide to live your life. If you are someone who constantly uses their credit card [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 08:20:59

PMI Winter 2009 Risk Index Indicates Broader Risk of Home Price Declines

posted by Steven Wevodau WALNUT CREEK, Calif., Jan. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — PMI Mortgage Insurance Co., (NYSE: PMI - News), today released its Winter 2009 Economic and Real Estate Trends Report, and its widely cited U.S. Market Risk Index(SM). The index shows that the risk of lower house prices two years [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 14:12:58

JP Morgan Profit Down 76%

NEW YORK — JPMorgan Chase narrowly avoided a loss in the fourth quarter, ... on our market-related businesses, continued higher loan losses and increases to our credit reserves,” Dimon said ... to report results for the fourth quarter. The quarter was a particularly rough [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 13:08:42

How the Barnstable town council and school committee created the current fiscal crisis, and what you can do about it….

The answer to the current money crunch is to replace shortfall in receipts from cash reserves; Free Cash. WHAT IS FREE CASH? The Massachusetts Department of Revenue defines it; Free Cash are unrestricted funds ... for appropriation. Remaining funds include unexpended free cash from the previous year, receipts [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 19:45:56

Pertinent Obituary, Dimon Says Worst Not Over, Oil Producers Struggle, The Next Bubble and More!

One company to summarize all of the last 10 years… now on its deathbed Credit crisis survivor predicts “worst… not yet behind us” Oil ... more in the fourth, had a $100 million interest payment due this morning and $4.5 billion in looming debt [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 19:40:53

Lost In A Sea Of Stark, Empty Houses And Vacant Lots

It’s Friday desk clearing time for this blogger. “Record numbers of Sonoma County homeowners are seeing property taxes fall, ... condominium development and is seeking to collect nearly $19 million of unpaid loans connected [more...]

Date: 2009-01-02 17:57:28

On Mayor Willie Herenton (The $91,000 Question)

UPDATE: According to Fox13, Council Chair Myron Lowery wants to explore whether Herenton possibly committed any charter violations but there's a question of whether such a step would be worth the trouble if the Council is in fact powerless to even oust the mayor if a violation occurred.UPDATE (1/14) [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 00:07:00

Big Media Distorts Bush Economic Record

by James Pethokoukis, US News & World Report His presidency is almost over. But what is the true George W. Bush economic record? ( ... some of my free market principles when I was told by chief economic advisors that the situation we were facing [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 16:39:10

US retail sales plunge shock 2.7%

US retail sales plunge shock 2.7% 7:47 pm WASHINGTON — US retail sales in December plunged 2 ... credit, rising unemployment and growing economic worries and confirmed the crucial year-end holiday ... and food services sales. “This is a bad report, though the extent of the weakness is unclear. The data [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 19:47:49

Green Jobs: Fact or Fiction?

GREEN JOBS: Fact or Fiction? An Assessment of the Literature January 2009 By Robert Michaels and Robert P. Murphy Download as PDF Introduction and Executive Summary I. Green Recovery, Center for American Progress II. Job Opportunities for the Green Economy, Political Economy Research Institute III [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 04:02:30

Low Credit Score Means Large Credit Card Debt

Low Credit Score Means Large Credit Card Debt Posted By Jill Brennan on @ 2:12 pm by Jim Bransby In today’s society, ... out is to repair your past mistakes. Get rid of the credit card debt. Call the card company and ask ... your payments on your credit card debt, you might still be hearing from other agents. Resist the urge [more...]

Date: 2009-01-13 08:19:09

U.S. Economy: Retail Sales Decline for a Sixth Month

Bob Willis Bloomberg Sales at U.S. retailers fell more than twice as much as forecast in December as job losses and the lack of credit led ... that projected a 1.4 percent drop. The decline in purchases and lack of credit caused a further weakening [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 19:49:16

Opinion: NZ$ the worst currency over past 24 hours

By BNZ Currency Strategist Danica Hampton Once again, the NZD has the dubious honour of being the worst performing currency over the past 24 hours. After climbing to nearly 0.5600 yesterday evening, the NZD/USD has plunged below 0.5400. Escalating fears about the global outlook and weak equities dominated currency markets overnight [more...]

Date: 2009-01-14 19:48:44

MICROCAPITAL STORY: Bill and Melinda Gates Provide US$700,000 to Microcredit Summit Campaign’s “Movement Above US$1 Per Day Threshold” Project

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has donated USD 700 thousand in the form of a grant to the Microcredit Summit Campaign’s (MSC) ... Schreiner for the Grameen Foundation and used with the CGAP/Ford Foundation Social Indicators Project ... Campaign Report, starting in 2010. Partner MFIs: Association of the Asian Confederation of Credit Unions [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 15:43:08

Bank of America Drops as Merrill May Need U.S. Aid

Bank of America Drops as Merrill May Need U.S. Aid Posted by: Alex Stanczyk 15 Jan, 2009 Alex’s Notes: And the massive derivative mess continues to unwind. The US has pushed so much paper into the markets, and the Fed has used up pretty much all its credit, so the next shoe to drop will be the bond [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 18:53:41

Free Credit Reports May be Hazardous to Your Credit Score

The Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) of 2003 made sweeping changes to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). On the surface some of these changes seemed like a win for consumers. Take the ANNUAL FREE CREDIT REPORT clause for example. Wow! The Credit Bureaus are actually giving away free credit reports [more...]

Date: 2009-01-15 00:36:32

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