Description: Four years ago the stock market was in free fall. Since then, it’s regained plenty of altitude. Many people missed out on the rally, though; rather than investing, U.S. households stashed a record $8.6 trillion in cash deposits. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Oct 11, 2012 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-10-11/stocks-doubled#r=nav-f-graphic Questions for Discussions: What does this chart tell… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Financial Planning
Zynga, Facebook weigh down techs
Description:Â An early tech rally fizzled on Friday as the sector was weighed down by losses in shares of Zynga Inc. and Facebook Inc. Source: Moneywatch.com Date: Oct 05, 2012 Link:Â http://www.marketwatch.com/story/zynga-facebook-slide-tech-stocks-rally-2012-10-05?dist=lcountdown Questions for Discussions: Explain the crash in share value for Zynga and Facebook. Are these buying opportunities or worrisome trends? How would you… Read more »
A Lost Decade for Savers
Description: The 1990s were a lost decade for Japan. The 2000s delivered a lost decade to U.S. investors. Now, five years into the onset of the financial crisis, with stock and bond markets booming, housing resurgent, and even Detroit redeemed, it’s savers who find themselves in a lost decade. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Sep 26, 2012… Read more »
Stung by Losses, Main Street Investors Fail to Notice Market’s Rebound
Description: Although the memory of Lehman Brothers’ 2008 collapse may be fading on Wall Street, the shock still lingers on Main Street—and may again be hurting ordinary investors. A new survey of individual investors is a reminder of just how much we are primal creatures that remember the pain of loss more than the joy… Read more »
No Joke: Jay Leno Took Pay Cut of 50%
Description: Late-night talk show host Jay Leno took a 50% pay cut as part of NBC’s budget-chopping effort last month at “The Tonight Show,” the network said, detailing the scope of the changes for the first time as well as the reasoning behind them. Christopher Stewart has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Getty Images. Source:… Read more »
Small Business Still Credit-Crunched, New York Fed Poll Says
Description: Small businesses in metro New York are still having trouble borrowing, according to a new poll released today by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Source: Businessweek.com Date: Aug 15, 2012 Link: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-08-14/small-biz-still-credit-crunched-new-york-fed-poll-says#r=nav-img Questions for Discussions: What does this report say about the state of small business borrowing? Can you offer additional explanations… Read more »
Police Chief’s $204,000 Pension Shows How Cities Crashed
Description:Â Stockton, California, Police Chief Tom Morris was supposed to bring stability to law enforcement when he was appointed to the job four years ago. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: July 31, 2012 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-01/police-chief-s-204-000-pension-shows-how-cities-crashed.html Questions for Discussions: Explain the crisis facing these cities in terms of financial mismanagement of budgets and cash flow estimations? Is there… Read more »
Ireland Bulldozes Ghost Estate In Life After Real Estate Bubble
Description:Â Ireland is opting for bulldozers rather than bankers as it starts to clear the legacy of the housing boom whose collapse brought the economy to its knees. Source: Bloomberg.com Date: July 19, 2012 Link: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-19/ireland-bulldozes-ghost-estate-in-life-after-real-estate-bubble.html Questions for Discussions: How did over-supply undermine the real estate market? Who is to blame for this fiasco? How… Read more »
Can the Bullet Train Save California?
Description:  MarketWatch’s David Weidner checks in on Mean Street to discuss California’s economic conditions and whether it’s right that a state struggling to stay solvent is aiming to float a $10 billion bond for a high-speed rail line. Photo: European Pressphoto Agency. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: July 13, 2012 Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/can-the-bullet-train-save-california/8C2522BB-3A9D-4C75-87BE-7C100EE04B01.html Questions for… Read more »
Should Commodities Investors Take Cover?
Description:  If the U.S economy begins moving into a downward spiral, as many believe it might, should commodities investors take cover? WSJ’s Simon Constable visits Mean Street to break down the numbers. Source: Marketwatch.com – video report Date: July 06, 2012 Link: http://live.wsj.com/video/should-commodities-investors-take-cover/0643512D-78CC-4962-8D54-C977BD6BFD12.html Questions for Discussions: Summarize the arguments presented about the movement in commodities…. Read more »
