Investing

Investing/Stocks

• Merck and big deals spark rebound
  • 7/23/07 Merck was easily the day's star, jumping nearly 6.8% to $52.33. The gain was worth 30 points to the Dow, or nearly a third of the day's gain. Twenty-three of the 30 stocks were higher. Caterpillar and Alcoa were the laggards, down 1.44% to $82 and 1.46% to $42.45, respectively.
• OxyContin Maker, Execs Fined $634.5M
  • 7/20/07 Purdue Pharma L.P., the maker of OxyContin, and three of its executives were ordered to pay a $634.5 million fine on Friday for misleading the public about the painkiller's risk of addiction.
• Google open to wireless bid
  • 7/20/07 Google has disclosed for the first time that it is prepared to bid in a forthcoming auction of wireless spectrum in the US, a move that could eventually mean it will emerge as a fully fledged operator of a wireless communications network.
• Citigroup Profit Rises, Led by Gains Outside the U.S.
  • 7/20/07 Citigroup Inc., the world's biggest bank, said second-quarter earnings increased 18 percent, topping analysts' estimates, on record revenue from Asian and European markets.
• Dow finishes above 14,000
  • 7/19/07 The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed today above 14,000 -- barely -- for the first time, thanks to strong earnings news and continued confidence in the domestic economy. The blue-chip index ended the day at 14,000.41, up about 82 points, mostly fueled by a 4.3% gain to $115.86 for computer giant IBM Corp...
• Taiwan Semiconductor among 10 hot stocks
  • 7/19/07 Market research firm IC Insights last year projected sales for semiconductor foundries -– the build-to-order companies that make many chips for different customers -– would grow at about a 21% compound annual rate between 2005 and 2010, compared with 11% growth for the overall integrated-circuit industry.
• Broken China: A dysfunctional nation
  • When the bureaucratic machinery of China rolls into action, it is a sight to behold. A mayor announces a plan to reclaim hundreds of acres from the sea and build a massive industrial complex. A few years later, busy factories and roads stretch as far as the eye can see, families are living in thousands of new apartments and 10,000 workers have launched phase two. This is the side of China that awes the outside world...
• High rates are just window-dressing
  • 7/13/07 Savings accounts paying 6 per cent or more are becoming increasingly commonplace following the Bank of England’s series of base rate hikes over the past year, including this month’s move to 5.75 per cent. It generally takes a few weeks after a rate rise for a comprehensive picture of savings increases to come through. But savers can already tap into...
• Ethanol: A clean but worthless biofuel
  • 7/02/07 With biofuels being blamed for rising food prices and offering limited environmental benefits, diverse luminaries such as former United States vice-president Al Gore and Microsoft's Bill Gates are throwing their considerable support behind cellulosic ethanol, a second-generation biofuel...
• Ethanol: You Can Bet The Farm On It
  • 3/30/07 People for far too long have underestimated both the U.S. farmer and the ethanol industry's desire and ability to make ethanol a staple fuel source...