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29 Sep 2011 10:50

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Biz: Here’s another good-sounding economic story … with a catch

  • 1.3% the increase in U.S. gross domestic product in the second quarter, based on updated final numbers
  • 0.3% the improvement in that number from the initial estimates from the April-to-June quarter source
  • » Such evocative language in the source story: But before you get too excited about those three-tenths of one percent, just keep in mind the text that AFP used here: “The better-than-expected figure is unlikely to have a major impact on confidence in the enfeebled US economy, but tints the backdrop in a slight less gloomy hue.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Jan 2011 11:17

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Biz: Housing numbers: Prices, sales on the up-and-up right now

  • 17.5% jump in single-family home sales source
  • » Oh, and home prices are on the up, too: Good news, everybody. The housing market appears to be improving – home prices are at their highest since April 2008, and sales of single-family units are at their highest in eight months. This is a fundamental suggestion that the recovery seems to be gaining wings. But will it last? It seems like just yesterday we were talking about the anger of a double-dip.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

28 Oct 2010 10:21

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Tech: MySpace’s new redesign: Better than that crappy logo

  • This may lose us cool points, but we hate the logo and love the design of the new MySpace site. It’s clear that they actually gave designers a lot more freedom, and now it looks like somewhere we wouldn’t be embarrassed to find ourselves. We also hear that they’re limiting the amount of freedom you can have with individual page design, to which we say about freaking time! Leave the design to the designers, or at least set a high bar like Tumblr does. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Oct 2010 10:03

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Biz: JPMorgan Chase to Wall Street: Bad quarter? Pssh… whatever.

  • 23% increase in 3Q income for the massive banker source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Sep 2010 10:09

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Biz: Housing starts get boost in August after some crappy months

  • 10.5% boost in housing starts in August source
  • » Why this is really good: Because housing starts just went through a couple of very crappy months. In the aftermath of the end of the homebuyer tax credit, housing starts plunged in May and June at record rates. While early, this suggests that housing is starting to recover on its own. That said, both single-family and multifamily housing starts are near 50-year lows.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Sep 2010 10:37

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Biz: Speaking of chocolate, Kraft’s Cadbury merger has sweet rewards

  • $1 billion in new revenue for the edible megacorp source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Aug 2010 10:18

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Biz: New jobless claims not as awful as last week, still pretty awful

  • -31,000 the decrease in new jobless claims this week, which is minor, but positive, economic news
  • +3,250 the increase in jobless claims over a four-week period, which means we’re at a nine-month high source
  • » Protip on jobless claims numbers: They’re volatile and change from week to week, meaning the number that really matters is the more stable monthly figure.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Jul 2010 11:17

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U.S.: The good and the bad of the latest unemployment extension

  • plus Unemployment checks will be retroactive to June 2, when the benefits first ran out. Yay lump sums!
  • minus The month and a half off will still count against those hitting their 99-week employment limit.
  • plusTemp work will now be allowed without a future reduction in benefits. Good for the temps!
  • minusUnemployment benefit checks will be $25 lower than before –including the retroactive ones. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

07 Jul 2010 20:27

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Biz: Optimism is back! Stocks had a pretty killer day today

  • 2.9% the increase in the Dow Jones Industrial today
  • 3.1% the leap in the super-exciting S&P 500 today
  • 3.1% the leap in the super-techie Nasdaq today source

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Jun 2010 11:12

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Tech: YouTube adds video-editing, the final piece of its viral puzzle

  • The worst part of uploading video to YouTube wasn’t the uploading itself, but the editing. It took time to edit and forced you to use a separate interface and separate program. Cloud-friendly Google couldn’t just let this happen, right? So, now, they’ve finally added video-editing to the site, making it significantly more useful for regular users who want to take their Flip or iPhone 4 videos and throw them on the Web quickly. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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