AnalyzeThisBusiness: October 2006 Archives

« September 2006 | Main | November 2006 »

Oct31	Concerns Rise Over Adjustable Rate Mortgages John Palmer October 31, 2006 Know More: Business Musings, On The Horizon, Trends, Troubling News? 2.0, Troubling News? There's still plenty of uncertainty in the housing market. Homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages worry about rising interest rates, but many believe they will be able to refinance their loans if necessary, according to a study released Monday. Be careful about putting all your eggs in one basket. Continue Reading Posted at 3:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct30	Goodyear Closing Texas Plant. 1100 Jobs Lost John Palmer October 30, 2006 The manufacturing sector takes another hit. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said on Monday that it plans to close a plant in Tyler, Texas, three weeks after workers at the plant and 15 others went on strike in part because... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Consumer Spending Slows; Incomes Up John Palmer October 30, 2006 Nothing really surprising about the latest numbers. Consumers kept a tight grip on their wallets in September, increasing their spending by only 0.1 percent. Incomes, meanwhile, rose briskly. The income numbers give rise to continued optimism.... Continue Reading Posted at 1:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct28	Cost Of Living Adjustment For Social Security Recipients John Palmer October 28, 2006 If you have parents or relatives that get Social Security, this is what they can look forward to next year. Social Security checks for nearly 49 million Americans are going up by 3.3 percent next year, which will mean an... Continue Reading Posted at 9:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct27	Holiday Sales Forecast Looks Good John Palmer October 27, 2006 It looks like in spite of some economic concerns, spirits will be bright this holiday season. Bolstered by falling gasoline prices, consumers headed back to the malls to shop in September. And with confidence rebounding sharply this month, strong sales... Continue Reading Posted at 9:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct26	Wal-Mart Guilty According To PA Jury John Palmer October 26, 2006 This story will put lots of smiles on lots of faces...as long as you don't work in Bentonville, Arkansas. A Pennsylvania jury said on Friday that Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, must pay $78.47 million in damages to current and... Continue Reading Posted at 10:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct24	The Economics Of Orange Juice John Palmer October 24, 2006 Another industry affected by hurricanes. Orange juice prices, already at historic highs, are expected to climb further as production in Florida’s hurricane-ravaged groves bottoms out. This article details some good lessons regarding economics... Continue Reading Posted at 9:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct23	Bankrupt Tower Records Sold John Palmer October 23, 2006 News like this is always kind of sad, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. The news that Tower Records is going the way of, well, records struck a dissonant note with customers as the news sunk in this week... Continue Reading Posted at 8:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct20	GE Numbers Look Good: Poised For Expansion? John Palmer October 20, 2006 This is good news for GE. General Electric Co. said Friday its third-quarter profit rose 6 percent as the industrial products, financial services and media conglomerate reported strong orders across the company. Not only is this just generally good news,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct19	The Economics Of Islam? John Palmer October 19, 2006 Companies continue to bend to meet market demands. When Caribou Coffee went public last year, sharp-eyed investors noticed some unusual promises in its prospectus. Caribou, the nation’s second-largest coffeehouse chain, said it would never sell pork or porn. It wouldn’t charge... Continue Reading Posted at 1:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct18	Generic Drugs Prices Continue To Drop John Palmer October 18, 2006 I'm not really sure of what the influencers are for this, but I don't think that most consumers really care. Consumers are suddenly getting a break on the cost of generic drugs as discount retailers and some prescription benefit managers... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct17	Telecommunications Merger Concerns John Palmer October 17, 2006 And the big just keep on getting bigger. The Federal Communications Commission is putting off for a day its consideration of AT&T Inc.’s proposed takeover of BellSouth Corp., a mega-merger that some government officials want to examine more closely. It... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct16	Another E. Coli Scare Hits California Growers John Palmer October 16, 2006 This is not good news for anyone, really. Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration lifted its warning on fresh spinach grown in California’s Salinas Valley, a popular brand of lettuce grown there has been recalled over... Continue Reading Posted at 11:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct15	Google Grows Bigger With Addition Of YouTube John Palmer October 15, 2006 Another upstart technology company is swallowed up. YouTube is swiftly adopting Google's informal corporate motto on not doing evil. Google has a lot riding on it—$1.65 billion in stock, to be exact. That's how much the Web search giant is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct14	Costco Reports Good News For Stakeholders John Palmer October 14, 2006 Here's some good news for what some call the "anti Wal-Mart". Costco Wholesale's (COST)'s share price surged Oct. 12 after the warehouse operator reported stronger quarterly earnings, with help from factors such as improved sales and margins. As we all... Continue Reading Posted at 7:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct13	McDonald's Shows Much Improved Numbers John Palmer October 13, 2006 Ronald McDonald is looking even more gleeful these days. McDonald's (MCD) topped market expectations Oct. 12 with a forecast that its third quarter earnings will be 17% higher, boosted by a robust performance of its new breakfast foods and stronger... Continue Reading Posted at 10:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Inflation? Maybe. Economic Downturn? No. John Palmer October 13, 2006 The signals may be mixed, but they still seem to generally resonate positively. According to BusinessWeek: September inflation reports should take center stage next week. Minutes of the Sept. 20 monetary policy meeting showed that the Fed expects inflation to... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct12	Increasing Healthcare Costs? John Palmer October 12, 2006 This can't be good news. Not really, anyway. A final, $445 million settlement between HealthSouth Corp. and investors was announced Wednesday to end class-action lawsuits stemming from a huge fraud at the health services company. Gee, I wonder who's going to... Continue Reading Posted at 3:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct11	Corporate Malfeasance John Palmer October 11, 2006 More corporate monkey-business. Antivirus and security software provider McAfee Inc. on Wednesday said it fired President Kevin Weiss, and announced that CEO and Chairman George Samenuk will retire after a stock options investigation found accounting problems that will require financial... Continue Reading Posted at 1:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct10	Organic Farming Goes Global John Palmer October 10, 2006 Not to pick on just one company, but never assume what's on a package is the whole story. Next time you're in the supermarket, stop and take a look at Stonyfield Farm yogurt. With its contented cow and green fields,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Some Interesting Housing Numbers John Palmer October 10, 2006 This may not come as a shock to anyone, but there are some interesting elements to this story. Homeowners in every state but one spent more of their incomes on housing costs last year than at the start of the... Continue Reading Posted at 11:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 9	FTC Approves Boeing, Lockheed Partnership John Palmer October 9, 2006 In a tussle over which is more important - national security or free-market competiveness - it looks like security issues win out. The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it has approved the joint venture between defense contractors Lockheed Martin Corp.... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 8	Change In Union Elegibility John Palmer October 8, 2006 This is an interesting ruling. Nurses permanently assigned to run work shifts should be considered supervisors and thus exempt from U.S. labor protections, a federal panel held Tuesday in a decision that potentially has major implications for workers in other... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 7	Both Consumer Spending And Growth Slowing John Palmer October 7, 2006 It looks like US consumers kept their hands in their pockets a little more than the speculators expected. Battered consumers, faced with weak income growth and rising inflation, trimmed their spending in August by the largest amount in nearly a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 6	Slower Growth In Manufacturing John Palmer October 6, 2006 The US economy looks like it might be getting out of the fast lane. The latest manufacturing sector numbers are in. The nation’s manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in over a year in September amid weaker U.S. auto... Continue Reading Posted at 1:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 5	Bogus Job Cuts Numbers? John Palmer October 5, 2006 This is a fascinating look at the numbers. But it's more illustrative than you might think. The number of job cuts announced by U.S. corporations in September were up 54 percent from the number reported in the prior month for... Continue Reading Posted at 7:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 4	Spending On Construction Projects Makes Recovery John Palmer October 4, 2006 This is good news for building contractors. Bad news for the speculators! Spending on construction projects unexpectedly edged up in August as the best gain in nonresidential activity in 11 months offset another big decline in home building. It looks like... Continue Reading Posted at 9:40 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 3	Rash Of Discrimination Suits In Florida John Palmer October 3, 2006 Let's hope these are isolated bad incidents, not systemic ones. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Monday that it has filed employment discrimination suits against the Atlanta Bread Co. restaurant chain, BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. and auto parts retailer... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 2	Strong Shopping Trends John Palmer October 2, 2006 If you're an analyst or a stockholder, this looks like good news. A warning to procrastinators: Better shop early if you want the must-have holiday gifts. Of course, if you're a parent, this is not good news. Especially if you... Continue Reading Posted at 6:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

« September 2006 | Main | November 2006 »

Oct31	Concerns Rise Over Adjustable Rate Mortgages John Palmer October 31, 2006 Know More: Business Musings, On The Horizon, Trends, Troubling News? 2.0, Troubling News? There's still plenty of uncertainty in the housing market. Homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages worry about rising interest rates, but many believe they will be able to refinance their loans if necessary, according to a study released Monday. Be careful about putting all your eggs in one basket. Continue Reading Posted at 3:03 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct30	Goodyear Closing Texas Plant. 1100 Jobs Lost John Palmer October 30, 2006 The manufacturing sector takes another hit. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. said on Monday that it plans to close a plant in Tyler, Texas, three weeks after workers at the plant and 15 others went on strike in part because... Continue Reading Posted at 5:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Consumer Spending Slows; Incomes Up John Palmer October 30, 2006 Nothing really surprising about the latest numbers. Consumers kept a tight grip on their wallets in September, increasing their spending by only 0.1 percent. Incomes, meanwhile, rose briskly. The income numbers give rise to continued optimism.... Continue Reading Posted at 1:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct28	Cost Of Living Adjustment For Social Security Recipients John Palmer October 28, 2006 If you have parents or relatives that get Social Security, this is what they can look forward to next year. Social Security checks for nearly 49 million Americans are going up by 3.3 percent next year, which will mean an... Continue Reading Posted at 9:05 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct27	Holiday Sales Forecast Looks Good John Palmer October 27, 2006 It looks like in spite of some economic concerns, spirits will be bright this holiday season. Bolstered by falling gasoline prices, consumers headed back to the malls to shop in September. And with confidence rebounding sharply this month, strong sales... Continue Reading Posted at 9:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct26	Wal-Mart Guilty According To PA Jury John Palmer October 26, 2006 This story will put lots of smiles on lots of faces...as long as you don't work in Bentonville, Arkansas. A Pennsylvania jury said on Friday that Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer, must pay $78.47 million in damages to current and... Continue Reading Posted at 10:39 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct24	The Economics Of Orange Juice John Palmer October 24, 2006 Another industry affected by hurricanes. Orange juice prices, already at historic highs, are expected to climb further as production in Florida’s hurricane-ravaged groves bottoms out. This article details some good lessons regarding economics... Continue Reading Posted at 9:08 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct23	Bankrupt Tower Records Sold John Palmer October 23, 2006 News like this is always kind of sad, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. The news that Tower Records is going the way of, well, records struck a dissonant note with customers as the news sunk in this week... Continue Reading Posted at 8:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct20	GE Numbers Look Good: Poised For Expansion? John Palmer October 20, 2006 This is good news for GE. General Electric Co. said Friday its third-quarter profit rose 6 percent as the industrial products, financial services and media conglomerate reported strong orders across the company. Not only is this just generally good news,... Continue Reading Posted at 11:47 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct19	The Economics Of Islam? John Palmer October 19, 2006 Companies continue to bend to meet market demands. When Caribou Coffee went public last year, sharp-eyed investors noticed some unusual promises in its prospectus. Caribou, the nation’s second-largest coffeehouse chain, said it would never sell pork or porn. It wouldn’t charge... Continue Reading Posted at 1:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct18	Generic Drugs Prices Continue To Drop John Palmer October 18, 2006 I'm not really sure of what the influencers are for this, but I don't think that most consumers really care. Consumers are suddenly getting a break on the cost of generic drugs as discount retailers and some prescription benefit managers... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct17	Telecommunications Merger Concerns John Palmer October 17, 2006 And the big just keep on getting bigger. The Federal Communications Commission is putting off for a day its consideration of AT&T Inc.’s proposed takeover of BellSouth Corp., a mega-merger that some government officials want to examine more closely. It... Continue Reading Posted at 2:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct16	Another E. Coli Scare Hits California Growers John Palmer October 16, 2006 This is not good news for anyone, really. Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration lifted its warning on fresh spinach grown in California’s Salinas Valley, a popular brand of lettuce grown there has been recalled over... Continue Reading Posted at 11:03 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct15	Google Grows Bigger With Addition Of YouTube John Palmer October 15, 2006 Another upstart technology company is swallowed up. YouTube is swiftly adopting Google's informal corporate motto on not doing evil. Google has a lot riding on it—$1.65 billion in stock, to be exact. That's how much the Web search giant is... Continue Reading Posted at 7:37 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct14	Costco Reports Good News For Stakeholders John Palmer October 14, 2006 Here's some good news for what some call the "anti Wal-Mart". Costco Wholesale's (COST)'s share price surged Oct. 12 after the warehouse operator reported stronger quarterly earnings, with help from factors such as improved sales and margins. As we all... Continue Reading Posted at 7:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct13	McDonald's Shows Much Improved Numbers John Palmer October 13, 2006 Ronald McDonald is looking even more gleeful these days. McDonald's (MCD) topped market expectations Oct. 12 with a forecast that its third quarter earnings will be 17% higher, boosted by a robust performance of its new breakfast foods and stronger... Continue Reading Posted at 10:46 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Inflation? Maybe. Economic Downturn? No. John Palmer October 13, 2006 The signals may be mixed, but they still seem to generally resonate positively. According to BusinessWeek: September inflation reports should take center stage next week. Minutes of the Sept. 20 monetary policy meeting showed that the Fed expects inflation to... Continue Reading Posted at 9:35 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct12	Increasing Healthcare Costs? John Palmer October 12, 2006 This can't be good news. Not really, anyway. A final, $445 million settlement between HealthSouth Corp. and investors was announced Wednesday to end class-action lawsuits stemming from a huge fraud at the health services company. Gee, I wonder who's going to... Continue Reading Posted at 3:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct11	Corporate Malfeasance John Palmer October 11, 2006 More corporate monkey-business. Antivirus and security software provider McAfee Inc. on Wednesday said it fired President Kevin Weiss, and announced that CEO and Chairman George Samenuk will retire after a stock options investigation found accounting problems that will require financial... Continue Reading Posted at 1:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct10	Organic Farming Goes Global John Palmer October 10, 2006 Not to pick on just one company, but never assume what's on a package is the whole story. Next time you're in the supermarket, stop and take a look at Stonyfield Farm yogurt. With its contented cow and green fields,... Continue Reading Posted at 2:39 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Some Interesting Housing Numbers John Palmer October 10, 2006 This may not come as a shock to anyone, but there are some interesting elements to this story. Homeowners in every state but one spent more of their incomes on housing costs last year than at the start of the... Continue Reading Posted at 11:07 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 9	FTC Approves Boeing, Lockheed Partnership John Palmer October 9, 2006 In a tussle over which is more important - national security or free-market competiveness - it looks like security issues win out. The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday it has approved the joint venture between defense contractors Lockheed Martin Corp.... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 8	Change In Union Elegibility John Palmer October 8, 2006 This is an interesting ruling. Nurses permanently assigned to run work shifts should be considered supervisors and thus exempt from U.S. labor protections, a federal panel held Tuesday in a decision that potentially has major implications for workers in other... Continue Reading Posted at 10:44 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 7	Both Consumer Spending And Growth Slowing John Palmer October 7, 2006 It looks like US consumers kept their hands in their pockets a little more than the speculators expected. Battered consumers, faced with weak income growth and rising inflation, trimmed their spending in August by the largest amount in nearly a... Continue Reading Posted at 3:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 6	Slower Growth In Manufacturing John Palmer October 6, 2006 The US economy looks like it might be getting out of the fast lane. The latest manufacturing sector numbers are in. The nation’s manufacturing sector expanded at the slowest pace in over a year in September amid weaker U.S. auto... Continue Reading Posted at 1:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 5	Bogus Job Cuts Numbers? John Palmer October 5, 2006 This is a fascinating look at the numbers. But it's more illustrative than you might think. The number of job cuts announced by U.S. corporations in September were up 54 percent from the number reported in the prior month for... Continue Reading Posted at 7:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 4	Spending On Construction Projects Makes Recovery John Palmer October 4, 2006 This is good news for building contractors. Bad news for the speculators! Spending on construction projects unexpectedly edged up in August as the best gain in nonresidential activity in 11 months offset another big decline in home building. It looks like... Continue Reading Posted at 9:40 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 3	Rash Of Discrimination Suits In Florida John Palmer October 3, 2006 Let's hope these are isolated bad incidents, not systemic ones. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced Monday that it has filed employment discrimination suits against the Atlanta Bread Co. restaurant chain, BJ’s Wholesale Club Inc. and auto parts retailer... Continue Reading Posted at 2:28 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Oct 2	Strong Shopping Trends John Palmer October 2, 2006 If you're an analyst or a stockholder, this looks like good news. A warning to procrastinators: Better shop early if you want the must-have holiday gifts. Of course, if you're a parent, this is not good news. Especially if you... Continue Reading Posted at 6:49 PM \| Permalink \| Comments

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