Archive for the 'Economy' Category
Tesla Plans Battery for Household Energy-Storage Market
February 12th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. Via: Bloomberg: Tesla Motors Inc., best known for making the all-electric Model S sedan, is using its lithium-ion battery technology to position itself as a frontrunner in the emerging energy-storage market that supplements and may ultimately threaten the traditional electric grid. “We are going to unveil […]
Apple Makes Huge Solar Power Investment
February 11th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. And I’m holding one almost worthless February 27th put option on Apple. — Huge? Huge, in terms of the solar industry? Yes. Huge. But is it huge in terms of Apple? This story is being reported all over the place, but consider that $850 million represents […]
Stopped Out of USO
February 10th, 2015Warning: This is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any financial instrument. I set a stop limit order to get me out of USO with a few cents gain in case it went down again. Well, that’s what happened early this morning. The picture on oil is more blurry now. I can see […]
JPMorgan Employee and His Wife Found Dead in Their Home in Apparent Murder-Suicide
February 10th, 2015Via: nj.com: A JPMorgan Chase & Co. employee and his wife were found dead in their home in an apparent murder-suicide. It happened in Closter Friday evening, where the bodies of Michael and Iran Pars Tabacchi were discovered. Authorities say Iran was stabbed and strangled, while Michael died of a self-inflicted stab wound. But it […]
Life Inside a Secret Chinese Bitcoin Mine
February 8th, 2015Via: Vice:
Oil Caps Biggest 2-Week Gain in 17 Years
February 7th, 2015Disclosure: I’m long oil and multiple companies involved with oil exploration and production. Via: Bloomberg: Crude oil capped the biggest two-week rally in 17 years on speculation a falling rig count will curb U.S. production growth. Price volatility rose to the highest in almost six years. Brent crude jumped 18 percent in the past 10 […]
Citigroup Predicts Battery Storage Will Hasten Demise Of Fossil Fuels, Utilities Focused on Centralized Generation
February 6th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. Via: Clean Technica: Investment bank Citigroup predicts that the wide deployment of battery storage technologies will hasten the demise of fossil fuels across the globe in the coming decade, including oil, coal and gas. And it also warns that the battery phenomenon will be even more […]
New High-Tech Farm Equipment Is a Nightmare for Farmers
February 5th, 2015Via: Wired: Aside from using it, there’s not much you can do with modern ag equipment. When it breaks or needs maintenance, farmers are dependent on dealers and manufacturer technicians—a hard pill to swallow for farmers, who have been maintaining their own equipment since the plow. “[DIY repair] is cheaper than calling out the technician. […]
RadioShack Files for Bankruptcy, Sell Up to 2,400 Stores
February 5th, 2015I have lots of fond childhood memories of RadioShack, although I don’t know how it has survived for about the last two decades. Via: Reuters: Electronics retailer RadioShack Corp (RSHC.PK) filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection on Thursday and said it had a deal in place to sell as many as 2,400 stores to an affiliate […]
Alibaba Tests Drone Deliveries in China
February 4th, 2015Via: Forbes: Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos is not the only one with a drone-delivery dream. Alibaba’s billionaire founder Jack Ma is also testing drone-delivery services, as the company races to overcome logistics barriers in the country. The initial scope of Alibaba’s experiment is small. The company’s online Taobao bazaar is inviting 450 shoppers in […]
