Record profits. Again.
Seems like big oil just keeps raking it in while us, the little ‘ol fuel consumer, keeps getting kicked in the tail end.
Exxon’s earnings were up 14%, breaking the highest ever profit by any U.S. company–which was, yep, Exxon. Congrats Exxon. You should be proud of the astronomical returns you’re bringing [...]
Entries from July 2008
Record Profits. On OUR Backs.
July 31st, 2008 · 1 Comment
Tags: Banking & Trading · Investing
The Markets, July 28, 2008
July 28th, 2008 · No Comments
Despite a 15.2% drop in the price of a barrel of oil last week, the stock market finished mixed as weak jobs and housing data took center stage, according to MSN Money.
The Labor Department helped sour the market last Thursday by reporting another rise in first-time claims for state unemployment benefits. That kept fears of [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading · Credit Cards · Investing · Mortgage Loans · Personal Loans · Real Estate Services
Can Cuil Compete with Google?
July 28th, 2008 · No Comments
Everyone knows Google, and everyone’s afraid of Google. Well, maybe not everyone. Apparently a few ex Google employees have decided to launch their own attack against the internet search giant. How? Well, seems they’re going to launch their own search engine to compete with their former employer. Sound impossible? Well, who better to do it [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading
MySpace Music. Can It Save MySpace from Facebook?
July 24th, 2008 · No Comments
On Wednesday, at Fortune’s Brainstorm Tech conference, Facebook’s competition announced that it will be launching a new music service in September. MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe said the music service will allow MySpace users to listen to streaming video for free, as well as purchase downloads, ringtones, T-shirts, and, apparently, anything else music related. I kid, [...]
Tags: Investing
The Markets, July 22nd
July 22nd, 2008 · 1 Comment
It was a market of extremes last week.
First, the extreme bad news. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed below 11,000 for the first time in two years, according to Bloomberg. That same day, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest U.S. mortgage-finance companies, lost more than a quarter of their market value, according [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading
Dow Jumps, Oil Tanks, and Financials Smile
July 16th, 2008 · No Comments
Dow Jumps, Oil Tanks, and Financials Smile
Stocks were looking a little less gloomier today on news that oil was dipping and there was a little positive news in banks and airlines. The Dow Jones ended 2.5% higher, gaining 277 points–a dramatic turnaround from yesterday’s close, which we hadn’t seen the likes of since roughly the [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading
The Markets, July 14th, 2008
July 14th, 2008 · No Comments
Investing can be a bit like the weather on Mount Rainier in June-very unpredictable. You could have a horrendous blizzard one day and then a glorious, warm sunny day the next. That just about sums up the recent action on Wall Street.
The daily mood swings on Wall Street were evident last week as the [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading · Investing · Real Estate Services
Bud, Freddie, and Fannie
July 14th, 2008 · 1 Comment
Things are getting crazier and crazier in the U.S. financial services universe. IndyMac, the nation’s largest regulated thrift fails, sending hundreds (if not thousands) of people with their hard-earned cash in the bank to stand outside in long lines to pull their cash out.
Fannie and Freddie were rescued (or at least they were for [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading
Do You Know Your Credit Score?
July 11th, 2008 · No Comments
Knowing Your Credit Score Saves You Money
Knowing and understanding what your credit score means is key to opening up your financial options, a fact I thought was well known but apparently not so says a joint study by the Consumer Federation of America and Washington Mutual Bank (where I once worked).
Credit scores are one [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading · Credit Cards · Credit Reporting & Repair · Mortgage Loans · Personal Loans · Real Estate Services
Today’s News Recap…
July 10th, 2008 · No Comments
Some good and some bad…but I don’t have to tell you which way the financial see-saw is going to go based on, what, the entire past year or more? Well, today’s news has Iran, the big kahuna of investing Warren Buffet, and Mr. Yahoo! himself, Jerry Yang. Seems like we’re in a bit of a [...]
Tags: Banking & Trading




