Archives: May 2009

Is the U.S. recession already over? Maybe.

Posted by: Peter Coy on May 30, Categories: Economy

With the U.S. economy in such a deep valley it seems absurd to think that the recession may already have ended. But Paul Dale, the U.S. economist for Capital...

Mortgage securities: They aren't all lemons

Posted by: Peter Coy on May 29, Categories: Real Estate

Investors in mortgage securities swung from irrational exuberance to equally irrational pessism. Not long ago, they seemed to have concluded that just about every house in America was going...

Globalism Lifts Nalco

Posted by: Joe Weber on May 28, Categories: Globalization

Offshore markets, which are showing far more promise than the domestic scene, are keeping the lights on at the Naperville (Ill.)-based outfit – and attracting growing interest by none other than uber-investor Warren Buffett.

Economic Indicators Suggest a Thaw

Posted by: Joe Weber on May 27, Categories: Economy

The indicators, summed up nicely by economist Asha G. Bangalore of Northern Trust in her May 26 Daily Global Commentary, show an economy that is opening up but has a ways to go yet. Call it the big thaw. Or, as Bangalore puts it, “in sum, economic conditions are improving.”

Outsourcing to the Philippines

Posted by: Joe Weber on May 26, Categories: Globalization

But in recent years Cebu has started to attract more than just sun worshipping tourists: it’s a hot new location for the fast growing business process outsourcing business in the Philippines, where despite the global slowdown, the industry is expected to grow 20-25% this year.

Consumer Confidence: Is the Tide Coming In?

Posted by: Peter Coy on May 22, Categories: Confidence

If you're heading for salt water this Memorial Day weekend, you'll no doubt notice the majestic turning of the tides. Because the strength of the waves is random, it's...

Stock offerings take wing on NYSE Euronext

Posted by: Joe Weber on May 21, Categories:

The dollar sizes are modest and there aren’t many of them, but initial public offerings and secondary stock offerings are showing a surprising bit of life. “I call it a streak in the first inning,” says Scott R. Cutler, an executive vice president at NYSE Euronext who runs the exchange company’s listing for the Americas.

Opportunity vs. Risk: U.S. Business in Iraq

Posted by: Joe Weber on May 20, Categories: Iraq and U.S. Business

Nasdaq OMX Group, for one, is helping to keep financial commerce moving in Baghdad. The exchange company, parent of the famed Nasdaq exchange, provided new trading technology that recently began powering the Iraq Stock Exchange and that could open the way for outside investment.

“The Apocalypse Might Have to Be Postponed”

Posted by: Peter Coy on May 19, Categories: Economy

The anti-apocalyptic headline above appears on an op-ed piece by two economists who say the recession won’t turn out to be as bad as many fear. They’ve developed a simple...

Dawn Will Break

Posted by: Joe Weber on May 18, Categories: Wind Energy

But if you look beyond the dire headlines, there is a solid case to be made for optimism. Sure, an economic recovery will take time and there will be a step or two back for every two forward. Still, history suggests that a turnaround is inevitable.