January 2009

Friday stories: Pfizer in talks to buy Wyeth A 'widow and orphan' stock no more, GE's net income falls 44% The President is already getting grouchy with reporters on Day two This comment by Tim Geithner may anger China From millions with Madoff to cleaning houses Gitmo closed, so where exactly do we put these alleged terrorists? It crushed a Kennedy but seems to be no problem ... read more

Thursday stories: Surprised?  Big politics comes into big play in the bank bailout Sign of a real bottom?   Insiders buying shares of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase FT: Merrill paid billions in bonuses just before Bank of America sale Morris: Here comes socialism and the creation of a permanent voter majority California home prices read more

Stories I'm watching this Wednesday: Obama needs to fix the banks, fast Busy yet?   Watch the banks again today as Citigroup falls to under $3 bucks.  Other banks tumbling as the new President has to hit the ground running and Treasury Secretary appointee Tim Geithner begins his confirmation hearings Fiat bailout?  Chrysler needs $3 billion dollar loan to sell ... read more

Change is upon us.   Now the work begins. America starts its real new year Wednesday with a curious cocktail blend of hope and anxiety, chased with long-term optimism.   The beautiful festivities in Washington provided a brief cover from a fit of negative economic news, but the tarp comes off Wednesday.   Lost in the confetti Tuesday was massive declines by many large cap banks.    ... read more

Stories I'm watching on this historic Tuesday:  Obama elected President but the optimism in Washington doesn't translate into the economy as banks take another big hit No Obama bounce as Dow posts biggest inaugural day loss ever, Roubini says banks "effectively insolvent" How many people were really in D.C. today? Given the crowds in Washington today ... read more

Stories I'm watching this Monday: Warren Buffett says the U.S. is in an "economic Pearl Harbor" Corporate America will have to finance its own $700 billion dollar bailout Eco-friendly inauguration?    Think again as 450,000 commuters trump using horse dung as manure and organic salad for dinner We love our cars in America ... but not as much as Iceland, Italy and ... read more

Stories I'm watching this weekend: The $150 million dollar inauguration pricetag could keep a lot of people out of foreclosure Pelosi wants to raise taxes on some even as the economy suffers Even some economists are "Obama-ed out" of the coverage Where's the remote?   Employers get ready for very little getting done on Tuesday FT: How the Brits would fix our financial ... read more

Stories I'm watching this Friday: Everyone lives, the pilot averted disaster by ditching in the river, and ordinary humans acted like heros.  So what's the over/under on how long before one of the passengers sues U.S. Airways? Why are birds becoming a much more common problem for air travel? Venezuelan dictator realizes he needs American help in the oil business Peru must not ... read more

Josh Rosner of Graham Fisher penned an open letter to Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis.   Rosner is one of the smartest guys in the business and take a smart and humous tone with a clear message: Ken Lewis must not have listened if his parents told him what mine told me: -"Don't buy something you can't afford";" - "Chew before you swallow"; - "You just got a new toy (Countrywide), you don't ... read more

Stories I'm watching on this Thursday: Apple's Jobs takes medical leave. Who is Tim Cook? Bank of America please tell us this is some kind of "January fools" joke Why was Bernie Madoff wearing a bulletproof vest for his court appearance? The richest counties in America prove that government jobs pay much better than they would like you to believe NYC Mayor Bloomberg knows that tax ... read more