January 2009 Archives
Apple
Apple's iphone, ipod are doing Apple well while Microsoft's cutting 5000 jobs. Steve Job appeared dangerously thin in a recent event. Normal people can't help but wonder if he is sick again. He keep saying that cancer is a personal matter. Not if you are president of a billion-dollar company and shareholders are betting on your health. An Apple spokeswoman said Jobs was hit with a "common bug" in recent weeks. If Steve Job turns out to be sick, not with a "common bug", shareholders may sue the Apple.
Comments: View Comments | Friday January 23, 2009 | Stocks: AAPL, MSFT,
Inauguration day
Stocks plunged in the middle of the exicitement of the 44th president's inauguration. Hope is the biggest theme in this inauguration, which obviously didn't transferred literally into Wall Street. Hope might be the first step to solve the crisis but how much can one person do? However inspiring his speech is, it's just a speech, written by some writer.
One thing stood out from this speech is "responsibility", both in terms of accountability in Washington and the responsibility of ordinary people. American has been feeling a lot of "entitlement", and rightly so but "responsibility" is the call of this special time.
Comments: View Comments | Wednesday January 21, 2009
China stock
Shanghai index climbed more than 3.5% yesterday. The early numbers have indicated that growth is still on the horizon, albeit slowly because of global recession. Next year the World Exposition will be held in Shanghai and Disney theme park will debut in China at Shanghai in 2014. These are all multi-billion dollar investment projects which will in turn stimulate almost all industries including airlines, hotel, restaurant, entertainment.
If the China housing market don't collapse even more, I think the China stock market has seen its worst.
Comments: View Comments | Wednesday January 14, 2009
Where does the $700 billion go
We didn't hear much about the bailout plan anymore. Was the 700 billion dollar plan approved? Is it final? Are the big 3 auto companies be bailed out? How much is spent on what or is going to be spent on what? Why don't we hear about that any more? Is the plan on hold for further discussion? If it's our money, don't we at least deserve to know where it goes? Or does it have no media value anymore and is forgotten by the networks? Just as where Paris Hilton partied over New Year, it is a piece of old news?
Continue reading "Where does the $700 billion go" »
Comments: View Comments | Monday January 12, 2009
North Carolina jobless claims crashed Web site
North Carolina's Employment Security Commission (ESC) has about 300,000 people in its unemployment system and pays about $33 million a week in benefits. Last week its system crashed, not once, but twice due to large number of access. North Carolina's unemployment rate has reached 7.9 percent in November - the highest since 1983.
The unemployment in SC is related to the drop-off in tourism and construction, two of the largest segments of their economy. And SC and NC have large bank bases and processing centers.
This is sad for SC and NC but when the umemployment hits 10 percent. We are all the same, baby, all the same.
Comments: View Comments | Friday January 9, 2009
Good New Start?
Dow started the year with the second best start of the year by points and sixth best start by percentage. Maybe it's because of the bigger and brighter than usual crystal ball in time square. Maybe because of people need it more this year. Whatever it is, we can count on it that it is not sustainable. The volume is low, and more importantly, the fundamentals are not promising at this point yet. Unemployment is not improving; big three bankrupcy is still looming; industrial benchmark is still weak. That said, a big bang start is still better than otherwise.
Comments: View Comments | Friday January 2, 2009
