Archive for the 'Economy' Category
NYSE: Rule 48 At Open
January 27th, 2015MSFT down 10% at the moment. — Futures took a dump on earnings numbers… Via: ZeroHedge: And what better excuse to stall the opening plunge implied by futures than the “blizzard” which never was… The last time this was invoked was June 2012 (amid a dramatic drop in pre-open futures) and Sept 2011 amid the […]
How the CIA Made Google
January 27th, 2015This is a really good one. Via: Medium: Google styles itself as a friendly, funky, user-friendly tech firm that rose to prominence through a combination of skill, luck, and genuine innovation. This is true. But it is a mere fragment of the story. In reality, Google is a smokescreen behind which lurks the US military-industrial […]
S&P Cuts Russia Credit Rating to ‘Junk’
January 27th, 2015“I’d seriously consider getting her and her money out of there ASAP. You wouldn’t want her to be in Putin-Land or holding Putin-Bucks if this thing gets any worse.” —Cryptogon, August 2014 Via: AFP: Standard and Poor’s stripped Russia of its investment-grade rating on Monday, cutting it to “junk” status with a warning of weak […]
Rooftop Solar Now Cheaper Than the Grid in 42 of the 50 Biggest U.S. Cities
January 27th, 2015Disclosure: I sell solar power systems in New Zealand. Via: Utility Drive: New numbers show solar-generated electricity is ready for head-on competition with utility-delivered electricity. Nearly 21 million single-family homeowners in 42 of the 50 biggest U.S. cities can now expect to pay less for electricity from solar than for electricity they buy from their […]
Chris van Eeghen, ABN Amro Corporate Finance Executive, Dies
January 26th, 2015Via: Bloomberg: Chris van Eeghen, head of syndicate and corporate finance markets at ABN Amro Group NV, has died. His death was confirmed in an e-mailed statement from the state-owned Amsterdam-based bank. The statement, which described his death as “totally unexpected,” didn’t provide his age or the date and cause of death. Van Eeghen joined […]
Recovery: More Homeless Camps Are Appearing Beyond Downtown L.A.’s Skid Row
January 24th, 2015Via: Los Angeles Times: Over the last two years, street encampments have jumped their historic boundaries in downtown Los Angeles, lining freeways and filling underpasses from Echo Park to South Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, a city-county agency, received 767 calls about street encampments in 2014, up 60% from the 479 in […]
Europe Announces €60 Billion Monthly Bond-Buying Plan
January 22nd, 2015Via: Yahoo: Taking a page from the Ben Bernanke playbook, Mario Draghi and the European Central Bank announced a bond buying program this morning to the tune of €60 billion a month through September of 2016 for a total of about €1.2 trillion. The program is an attempt to turn around Europe’s lagging economy, boosting […]
Flashback 2009: Drug Money Saved Banks in Global Crisis
January 22nd, 2015Via: Guardian: Drugs money worth billions of dollars kept the financial system afloat at the height of the global crisis, the United Nations’ drugs and crime tsar has told the Observer. Antonio Maria Costa, head of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said he has seen evidence that the proceeds of organised crime were […]
California Is Going Through the Worst Drought in 500 Years
January 21st, 2015Via: Vice: In the first episode of our new show, California Soul, we investigate the state’s worst drought in nearly 500 years. From the driest towns in California to the empty reservoirs, we see just how screwed our world really is and what people are doing to carry on.
Google and Fidelity Invest $1 Billion in SpaceX
January 20th, 2015Via: cnet: Google is cementing its interest in outer space. The company, along with investment firm Fidelity, is pumping $1 billion into SpaceX, the rocket company co-founded by billionaire Elon Musk. The deal, confirmed on Tuesday by SpaceX, is just the latest bet Google has made on space technologies. The company has recently made investments […]
