-
5 Good Ideas in Paul Ryan's Budget
Tweet Share on Facebook March 20, 2012 Comment (5)Republicans either want to wreck the economy or save it.
-
5 Ways Apple Could Stumble
Tweet Share on Facebook March 20, 2012 Comment (1)How high will it go?
Answering that question about Apple has become a kin to a parlor game for stock analysts, since the company can seemingly do no wrong. Apple's stock, now in the rarified air above $600 per share, is up 48 percent this year alone. Over the last five years, the stock has soared 571 percent, while the broader market has basically been flat.
-
Why Rick Santorum Needs Big Government
Tweet Share on Facebook March 19, 2012 Comment (6)Among the people surprised by Rick Santorum's success in the presidential campaign is Rick Santorum. The former senator has clearly struck a nerve among conservative voters that Santorum himself may not even fully understand.
-
5 Things That Change When Gas Prices Spike
Tweet Share on Facebook March 16, 2012 Comment (4)We all know how lousy it feels to pump $50 worth of gas into your car, when it used to cost $40 or even $30. It's an acute metaphor for falling behind, rather than getting ahead.
-
How Tupperware Keeps Business Fresh and Profits High
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2012 Comment (3)Trendy companies like Apple and Facebook may dominate the headlines, but a lot of traditional businesses that have been around for decades have been successfully navigating the bumpy economy and finding new ways to make money. One such business is Tupperware Brands, the direct-selling firm based in Orlando, Fla. has been peddling housewares and other types of gadgets since the end of World War II.
-
Could You Pass the Federal Reserve's Stress Test?
Tweet Share on Facebook March 14, 2012 CommentWhat if it happened again?
That's basically the question the Federal Reserve has asked the nation's 19 biggest banks, by forcing them to undergo "stress tests" to gauge what would happen in a crisis. This has become a regular aspect of the Fed's bank regulation, meant to forestall another fiasco like the 2008 financial meltdown. Back then, big banks like Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and Bank of America turned out to be way more vulnerable to a shock than anybody imagined, leading to massive bailouts that deeply tarnished the whole banking sector.
-
How To Cash In On the Economic Recovery
Tweet Share on Facebook March 12, 2012 CommentA year ago, the economic recovery turned out to be a false dawn. This time, however, it's looking like things could keep getting brighter.
The economy has been adding jobs for 17 months in a row, with the pace of hiring accelerating so far this year. Layoffs are abating, the stock market is rising and Europe seems to be patching up its financial problems. There are countervailing trends, to be sure, such as continued gloom in the housing market and incoherent policymaking in Washington. But with every passing month, the damage from a painful downturn heals.
-
How Mother Nature Trumps Rising Gas Prices
Tweet Share on Facebook March 9, 2012 Comment (5)Everybody's watching gas prices as they flirt with the dreaded $4 per gallon threshold and threaten to disrupt a modest economic recovery.
The mild winter, by comparison, has few economists or pundits chattering. Yet the balmy weather—the fourth warmest winter in more than 100 years—may end up offsetting all the damage caused by costly gasoline, and then some.
-
Why New Bank Fees Are Here To Stay
Tweet Share on Facebook March 9, 2012 Comment (3)Outraged bank customers better have a lot of stamina, because the battle over new fees may only be getting started.
Consumers have won some gratifying victories against the financial industry recently, such as Bank of America's hasty decision last year to revoke its $5 monthly fee on debit card users, after howls of protest and mockery. In other industries, consumer revolts led to the rollback of unpopular new policies at companies such as Netflix and Verizon Wireless.
-
How Rick Santorum Lost Ohio
Tweet Share on Facebook March 7, 2012 Comment (2)COLUMBUS, Ohio--While campaigning in Ohio prior to the primary election here, Rick Santorum referred to himself as the people's candidate. Mitt Romney was the establishment candidate. When the votes were finally counted, the establishment trumped the people by the slightest of margins.
