May 2009

Stories & news I'm following this Thursday: Report: GM will file for bankruptcy on Monday Even though bondholders may accept the new deal Watch my interview on the future of newspapers with boss Rupert Murdoch More from 'All Things D' and Microsoft's big announcement I've used Microsoft's new search engine, "Bing," and its pretty darn cool Despite ... read more

Stories I'm reading this Wednesday: Higher interest rate fears spooked the market This great graph from dshort compares past bear markets Mortgage rates headed to more than 5.5% Get ready for a GM bankruptcy GM really will become "government motors" Car czar Rattner is really rich "Tax the rich" in Maryland backfires The $100 barrel of oil ... read more

Shots of the Plastic Logic e-Reader.    CEO said should come to market in early 2010.    Tiny, and very thin. read more

After a few days of R&R  it's back to business today and we are hitting technology hard. The 'All Things D' conference is happening in Carlsbad, California and we are here for the next two days, bringing you interviews with many of techs top thought and business leaders. This year is all about (gasp) making money.     That's right - technology for technologies sake is out, and cold, ... read more

Reading this Friday: Pimco's Gross says U.S. may lose its AAA credit rating Did you read this about a NY Times writers bankruptcy? Well, apparently some important information was left out Malls turning into ghost towns FedEx unionization risk Keynes: Trotsky on England Why isn't Pontiac up for sale Tesla meet the Brusa I'm flying through ... read more

Every day it seems we discuss another government effort to meddle in the private sector. Whether it's bailing out the banks, taking over car companies or the desire by the government to run our health care system, the government has a very poor record of doing anything well. If you think government-run health care is a good idea, read the following article from author John Steele ... read more

Readings this Wednesday: Votes nix tax hikes in California as it teeters on the brink Citizens in Massachusetts don't get to vote directly so of course the tax hikes pass Does GM = "Government Motors?" Another government agency? GM doesn't see deal with UAW before bondholder deadline, either "Terrorizing" the bankers Senate tries to curb credit ... read more

The President wants to raise fuel economy standards for vehicles in America.   His proposal would also help resolve differences between the states and Federal government. It is a noble goal, and much will be made of it.   But we've seen this movie before.   Since the CAFE (corporate average fuel economy) standards were created more than 30 years ago, there have been many attempts to raise ... read more

Is the American government promoting another housing bubble?   It appears so. I have no idea how I missed this one ... but last week the Department of Housing and Urban Development said it is pushing a plan to allow lenders to accept the $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit as the down payment for the home. Let's repeat that. The already tiny 3.5% down payment required by the FHA ... read more

Today the government announced changes and updates to the Making Home Affordable program.    In the press conference, Tim Geithner and the head of HUD, Shaun Donovan, brought up a gentleman who was having his mortgage modified from a 6.5% interest rate down to a government-sponsored 2%, which will over time rise to 4.85% and lock in at that level. A few quick thoughts/questions: The ... read more