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19 Apr 2011 11:04

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Biz: That was a big loan: Goldman Sachs just paid back Warren Buffett

  • $5
    billion
    the amount Warren Buffett loaned to Goldman Sachs at the nadir of the financial crisis back in 2008; wish we could loan out that kind of cash
  • $5.64 billion the amount they paid Warren back last quarter, including interest earned — that’s on top of dividends they already paid out source
  • » A pretty hefty one-time charge: While Goldman Sachs’ profits for the current quarter, $2.74 billion, were down 21 percent from a year earlier because of the payday to their sugar daddy, if you don’t count the payment to Warren, their profits — $8.38 billion — would have been up by 49 percent from a year earlier. In other words, they’re richer than we are and Wall Street is celebrating.

14 Oct 2010 20:57

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Biz, Tech: Based on its profits, Google’s freewheeling spending warranted

  • $2.17 the size of Google’s profits this quarter
  • 25% boost in Google’s overall revenues last quarter – not bad, considering all that extracurricular spending
  • 9% jump in stock price on the news; put that in your self-driving car’s tailpipe and smoke it source

23 Jul 2010 23:08

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Biz: SEC settlement: Dell pays for pumping up earnings with Intel’s money

  • $4.3 billion the amount Dell reportedly received from Intel from between 2003 and 2007 for using their chips exclusively
  • $100 million the amount Dell has to pay in fines today; the Intel fees are subject of antitrust inquiries source
  • » Don’t forget: This was largely the same era during which Dell knowingly sold millions of computers with 97 percent failure rates. So if you want to talk about business practices which eventually led to lawsuits and SEC settlements, look no further than Dell circa 2005.

29 Oct 2009 10:25

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Biz: Exxon Mobil’s unbelievable record profits couldn’t last forever

  • $45.2 billion the size of Exxon Mobil’s profits in 2008, helped by super-high oil prices; in other words, they didn’t need a bailout source

14 Oct 2009 09:36

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Biz: Watch out: The Dow could reach the 10,000 barrier again today

  • 9,871 the Dow’s Tuesday close, buoyed by earnings source

11 Aug 2009 20:05

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Biz: All that bad karma catches up to Clear Channel in a big way

  • $3.7 billion in losses for the reason why radio sucks source

09 Jan 2009 00:06

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Biz, U.S.: Even Wal-Mart’s feeling the Wall Street pinch

  • +1.7% the retailer’s rise in sales during December source