Archive
Category: Commerce
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Bankers as intermediaries and the tension between regulation and profit
Financial intermediaries are little more than rent seekers, says a thought-provoking article in this week’s New Yorker magazine: One is the role of financial intermediaries, such as banks. Rather than seeking the most productive outlet for the money that depositors and investors entrust to them, they may follow trends and surf bubbles. These activities shift… Read more →
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Business broadband more important than water or gas: UK report
According to a report by English ISP XLN Telecom, access to broadband internet services is more important to small and medium-sized businesses than gas, water and other essential services. The survey, which contacted 657 small UK business owners, found that 77 per cent of respondents listed telephones as ‘essential to the running of their company,… Read more →
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Film studios enjoyed record profits during 2008
According to The Hollywood Reporter, film studios have posted record earnings for calendar year 2008. Around 1.36 billion cinema tickets were sold in the United States during 2008, compared to 1.4 billion tickets in 2007. Ticket prices rose an average of 4.7 per cent, resulting in a 2 per cent increase in overall net profits.… Read more →
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Dell Falls on Earnings, Nasdaq Up
Dell shares fell Friday after the PC maker posted a 51 per cent profit decline, but the Nasdaq edged up, gaining 5.2 per cent for the week. Originally by WSJ.com: What’s News Technology, 9:18 PM Read more Read more →
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Microsoft Tender Too Slender
Microsoft fell far short of its goal to buy back up to $20 billion of its shares, but analysts attributed the results to investors’ belief that the stock will climb higher. Originally by WSJ.com: What’s News Technology, 11:18 PM Read more Read more →
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Seagate Nears Completion of Maxtor Acquisition
Seagate Technology, manufacturer of storage computer hardware, has almost completed its acquisition of Maxtor Corporation, a one-time competitor in consumer and enterprise hard disk drive market. Apparently, the merger — announced late last year — has now been approved by shareholders and will close within the week. The deal is valued at around US$1.9 billion,… Read more →
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Casinos Decry Online Gaming Prohibition
It seems the United States gaming industry is unhappy with an old statute that has the effect of preventing electronic gambling. ‘It represents an enormous opportunity’, said Alan Feldman, spokesman for US-based MGM Mirage, the world’s second-largest gaming operator. ‘And it is an opportunity that is being completely handed to foreign companies right now.’ Standing… Read more →
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Getting to the Core of Apple GC’s Mysterious Departure
Almost a week after a news site revealed Apple Computer’s nine-year GC, Nancy Heinen, had left the company, it remains unclear whether one of Silicon Valley’s highest-ranking female attorneys was forced to leave or had resigned — or even when her last day was. Although the company is notoriously tight-lipped about executive departures, the mystery… Read more →
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BlackBerry E-Mail Service to Be Offered in China
The announcement prompted questions about how the product would fit into the Chinese government’s program of communications surveillance and censorship. Originally by NYT > Technology, 1:42 PM Read more Read more →
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Microsoft and Google Grapple for Supremacy
The Microsoft-Google rivalry is shaping up as a titanic corporate clash for the ages. Originally by NYT > Technology, 1:41 PM Read more Read more →