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03 Mar 2009 21:54

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Biz, Tech: Google to execs: You kept us profitable. Here’s your payday.

  • 4 top execs got bonuses of $1.2 million or more for boosting profits source

26 Feb 2009 10:14

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Biz, U.S.: Here’s some, um, rosy unemployment numbers

  • 667,000 first-time unemployment applications last week; that the highest it’s been since 1982 source

26 Feb 2009 10:08

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Biz: How is it possible to lose this much money, GM?

  • $9.6 billion loss in the 4Q alone; WTF guys? That isn’t cool. source

22 Feb 2009 09:57

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Biz: You shouldn’t invest in a company that named a stadium

  • 4.7% decline below the S&P 500 average for companies involved in a sports venue naming rights deal source

18 Feb 2009 09:51

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Biz, U.S.: So, builders are building fewer houses. Who saw that coming?

  • 17% dip in housing starts in January – that’s a record source

17 Feb 2009 21:08

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Biz, U.S.: General Motors has a plan, and that plan is drastic

  • 47,000 job cuts for the automaker, who will have to have their pampered senior executives make the cars at that rate source

17 Feb 2009 10:01

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Biz: Profits fall at Wal-Mart … well, at least they still have some.

  • -7.4% their decline in profits in the 4th quarter source
 

05 Feb 2009 10:32

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U.S.: How many jobs were lost in January? A lot.

  • 540,000 says the gov’t. Yikes. source

30 Jan 2009 15:23

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Biz, U.S.: The economy had its biggest freefall in 26 years recently

  • -3.8% decline in GDP in the 4th quarter of 2008 source

27 Jan 2009 17:06

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Tech: Netbooks: An example of technology’s “creative destruction”

  • Netbooks are popular Sure, lots of people could use the horsepower of a speedy laptop or a top-tier desktop computer (MacBook for lyfe), but many are choosing to go with cheap Netbooks instead. These computers are small, inexpensive, sometimes as low as $200, and often use open-source software such as Ubuntu. They can’t handle much more than surfing the Web and hitting up YouTube, but for many, that’s all they need. source
  • Netbooks are popular Sure, lots of people could use the horsepower of a speedy laptop or a top-tier desktop computer (MacBook for lyfe), but many are choosing to go with cheap Netbooks instead. These computers are small, inexpensive, sometimes as low as $200, and often use open-source software such as Ubuntu. They can’t handle much more than surfing the Web and hitting up YouTube, but for many, that’s all they need.
  • It’s happened before Back in the 1990s, the players atop the tech heap included America Online and Sun Microsystems, both relegated to footnotes in today’s market. With netbooks and other disruptive technologies, the cycle could repeat itself: Current big players like Microsoft just announced huge layoffs, and CEO Steve Ballmer noted this fear when announcing the layoffs. “Our model is not for a quick rebound,” he said. source
  • Netbooks are popular Sure, lots of people could use the horsepower of a speedy laptop or a top-tier desktop computer (MacBook for lyfe), but many are choosing to go with cheap Netbooks instead. These computers are small, inexpensive, sometimes as low as $200, and often use open-source software such as Ubuntu. They can’t handle much more than surfing the Web and hitting up YouTube, but for many, that’s all they need.
  • It’s happened before Back in the 1990s, the players atop the tech heap included America Online and Sun Microsystems, both relegated to footnotes in today’s market. With netbooks and other disruptive technologies, the cycle could repeat itself: Current big players like Microsoft just announced huge layoffs, and CEO Steve Ballmer noted this fear when announcing the layoffs. “Our model is not for a quick rebound,” he said.
  • “Creative destruction” Joseph Schumpeter, an Austrian economist from the early 20th century, seems to have nailed the current workings of Silicon Valley with his writings on business cycles. Basically, companies rise to the top of the heap, only to be taken down by other companies with smarter, more svelte ideas. The rise and fall of companies leads to more innovation. And a pretty cool to term describe it. source