RichC | February 18, 2011
If there is one politician that gives me hope that we can get our government fiscal house in order, it is Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan. Greta Van Susteren had one of her best interviews (probably because I liked what I heard) with Rep. Ryan on Thursday night … it is well worth listening to if […]
RichC | February 17, 2011
On the days that I am connected to the Internet during Wall Street’s market close, I often stream a tiny Slingplayer window of CBNC’s Closing Bell. Today I chuckled at someone on the trading desk holding up a “Hi Mom” sign (left). Also changes in technology has helped investors and traders in recent years by […]
RichC | February 16, 2011
Now that President Obama has delivered his 2012 budget, many conclude (even the President’s own Fiscal Commission), that there is a lack of leadership coming from the Whitehouse in dealing with America’s compounding debt. Obviously the problem isn’t going to go away without some control over how much money the US government spends and borrows, […]
RichC | February 15, 2011
Apple APPL 2/14/2011 Most people I know openly or ‘secretly’ admire Apple‘s iPhone. For many it would be a costly luxury, while for others it is more phone than they really need. The answer from Apple might be right around the corner: How about a lighter duty iPhone – call it the ‘N97’ – with […]
RichC | January 31, 2011
The US stock market surprised many with strength as all three indices were up after continued turmoil in Egypt over the weekend and today (last week). To nobody’s surprise though, oil traded higher on the ICE futures exchange which saw Brent crude up $1.59, or 1.6%, at $101.01 a barrel; that was the highest settlement […]
RichC | January 28, 2011
As the middle east boils and Egypt joins Tunisia in a public uprising against their governments, world markets grow nervous seeing oil rise 4% today on worry over disruption. Not only is our U.S. stock market giving back it’s gains from the past few days, but the political unrest a half a world away reminds […]
RichC | January 26, 2011
A comment in President Barack Obama’s State of the Union call for corporate tax cuts and a spending freeze along with good corporate earnings reports have helped the Dow Jones Industrial Average to cross the 12000 mark. Let’s hope jobs follow? On a totally separate subject, I just heard that singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffett fell from […]
RichC | January 17, 2011
The WSJ This Morning podcast mentioned Flix on Stix, a new kiosk similar to Redbox, as yet another way to rent movies. The self-service kiosk delivers a movie to a USB flash drive which eliminates the need to return the movie. At first look it sounds like a great idea, as after selecting a movie […]
RichC | January 1, 2011
According to a Smartmoney.com article by AnnaMaria Andriodis, we could see states and counties increasing taxes on new technology such as cellphones and e-books. Unlike Uncle Sam, state and county governments are required to balance their budgets and as local sales taxes and both the real estate and income tax stream of tax revenue dwindle […]
RichC | December 31, 2010
It has been a positive year for those brave enough to stomach the stock market and remain bullish as the DJIA closed the year at 11,578 (up $7.80 today). The year was far from a gentle, but still up except for the sudden and steep downturn prior to summer. In fact, hindsight says you would […]
RichC | December 25, 2010
A glance at the news pages these last couple weeks and one can’t help but feel a little more positive as we close out the Christmas retail shopping season and a challenging 2010. One hopes that the confidence consumers are showing will translate into businesses expanding and hiring in 2011. It’s been a long recession […]
RichC | December 19, 2010
In a previous post I mentioned that Brenda and I were going to try selling a few pieces of broken gold jewelry, some tarnished silver and a few odd ‘lost and found’ type items that we knew we wouldn’t wear. Sure I could have taken them to a local gold buyer, but since the conservative […]
RichC | December 5, 2010
Most people realize it is important it is to keep an eye on what the big three credit reporting agencies say about one’s personal credit history … particularly in this age of identity theft. (Equifax, Transunion and Experian) So, if you haven’t requested your once-a-year free report, do it now and be sure your credit […]
RichC | November 23, 2010
The financial markets are on edge and trading lower today after a skirmish between North Korea and South Korea saw missiles being exchanged. The previous negative news over euro-zone debt is being overshadowed by this latest tension, but some economist point to a glimmer for a rebound in the U.S. economy do to economic growth […]
RichC | November 18, 2010
Although I’m not rushing to melt down my wedding band just yet, the impressive decade long run-up in gold prices does have me thinking about cashing in. Maybe I can convince my wife to send in a few of those rarely worn gifts to goldstash.com. (If it’s good enough for the conservative financial radio guy […]
RichC | October 27, 2010
Federal stimulus funds are political hot potato as the Novemeber 2010 election draws near, but it is still good to know where the money is being spent. According to Biodiesel Magazine, the Ohio Department of Development will be using "$8 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to help biodiesel and ethanol […]
RichC | October 8, 2010
Just before the “flash crash” computerized enhanced market tumble in early May, the DOW had crossed 11,000 … which was the last high water mark until today. The psychological hurdle was crossed most likely due to optimistic news that the November elections could help reel in some of the out of control spending and growth […]
RichC | September 29, 2010
There are two opposing mindsets when dealing America’s deficit and correcting America’s struggling economy; it is pretty black and white when it comes to opinions. There’s the liberal Democrats position, expressed by the Nobel Prize winning New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, who recommends dealing with our deficit by raising taxes and continuing to increase […]
RichC | September 23, 2010
Nothing like a union lunch break – see video below. Let me get this straight — American automakers were bailed out by taxpayers and President Obama endorsed the workers at this Chrysler plant … yet the still overpaid union American workers aren’t appreciative enough to put in a decent day’s work? Instead according to this […]
RichC | September 22, 2010
Having worked with ink and paper for most of my working life, I pay attention to counterfeiting with a bit more interest than most. An article in the local Pulse Journal reported on businesses finding “washed” small denomination bills being counterfeited and passed as larger bills. These fake bills are often used in drug deals […]
RichC | August 5, 2010
Once upon a time I thought I had our family’s banking and credit card use figured out … but between the bureaucrats sticking their noses into banking and the greedy bankers themselves wanting to make money hand over fist off the backs of the financially irresponsible like they did a few years ago, a wrench […]
RichC | August 2, 2010
Arthur Laffer wrote another piece in the WSJ that again draws attention to the focus some in congress are promoting — “tax the rich.” America would be wise to pay attention to previous administrations and history before once again heading down the path of high taxes and even higher taxes on the rich. Our country […]
RichC | July 9, 2010
Not that it impacts the majority in America, but if you unhealthy and wealthy and having given all that much though to tax planning, perhap you should start contemplating a swifter exit? The math is ugly: On a $5 million estate, the tax consequence of dying a minute after midnight on Jan. 1, 2011 rather […]
RichC | July 7, 2010
Up a week, down the next week. The markets closed with a strong surge of buying today as the approaching corporate earning season is expected to be optimistic . An analyst that I talked with today sees continued volatility for the balance of summer, but he hinted that projections are for a 17% increase by […]
RichC | June 29, 2010
The Dow Industrials closed down 2.6% or 270 points to 9870.30 on Tuesday afternoon. The Nasdaq stay in step down 3.85% to 2135 and S&P 500 closed at 1041.24, hitting its low for the year. A report indicating consumer confidence was way down in June had investors’ concerned about the overall global economy. Investors headed […]
RichC | June 15, 2010
After dipping below the 10,000 mark for early June, the Dow Jones Industrial Average soared 213.88 points, or 2.10%, to 10404.77 today breaking out of the closely watched 200-day moving average. The S&P 500 was also up 2.35% seeing every sector moving in the up direction. The biggest gains 2.76% were over at the Nasdaq, […]
RichC | June 15, 2010
BP’s CEO Tony Hayward can’t win for losing … no matter how he handles the aftermath of the oil spill (particularly since the oil is still spewing). Like it or not, Mr. Hayward is the face of the spill and the face of BP. He will continue to rightly shoulder the blame, the frustration and […]
RichC | June 10, 2010
After forwarding an “opinion article” (PDF) by supply-side economist Arthur Laffer from the WSJ to friends yesterday, I snipped some audio (mp3) from him in an interview today with Neil Cavuto after Fed chief Ben Bernanke offered his thoughts on the U.S. economy.
RichC | June 4, 2010
U.S. markets close back below 10,000 today as worried investors see debt in Europe and weaker than expected jobs numbers in the U.S. as bearish for stocks. The slight improvement in unemployment was tarnished by the addition of nearly 400,000 government census temporary hires … leaving only 41,000 jobs being added by the private sector. […]
RichC | June 3, 2010
The stock market rebounded on Tuesday after selling on the government’s comments regarding criminal investigations of BP yesterday. Since I regularly reflect on moves down, it is about time to acknowledge that their is still an appetite for value … in today’s case, energy sector stocks. Most stocks were up as the DJIA jumped 225.52 […]
RichC | June 1, 2010
The U.S. Government through Attorney General Eric Holder announced that they have opened a criminal investigation into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. His comments spooked late day trading on Wall Street –"We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who has violated the law." The huge spill from a well owned […]
RichC | May 30, 2010
I “tried”’ to take advantage of the $100 Cash for Appliances rebate program back in March/April by reserving a reservation, purchasing a new dishwasher, recycling the old dishwasher and filling out the rebate paperwork, but I have been thwarted by the system. Once again our bureaucracy is too much for me to figure out. This […]
RichC | May 27, 2010
DJI: +285 (+2.8%) | NASDAQ: +82 (3.7%) | S&P 500: +35 (3.3%) If I knew how to trade the up and down stock market I’d be a happy camper … unfortunately it is near impossible. Today’s comeback saw stocks returning the losses from Tuesday and Wednesday, but conditions on Wall Street (and in the overall […]
RichC | May 18, 2010
Oil is ‘cheap’ according to graphs depicting Unleaded Gasoline against the dollar this past year (right) and crude oil over the past two years (below). The crisis in Europe and lack of robust economic recovery worldwide is contributing to high inventories and the faltering Spring rally in oil. Lackluster demand aside, oil production countries remain […]
RichC | May 17, 2010
Federal Spending in 2009-10 Highest Since World War II; Deficit Reaches $13,158 Per Household Recent news reports in USA Today and elsewhere have highlighted the historically low tax collections in 2009 and 2010, confirmed by the Tax Foundation’s annual Tax Freedom Day® calculations of April 8, 2009, and April 9, 2010. “The importance of the […]
RichC | May 12, 2010
Gold, the investment that rises when risk becomes too great has reached its highest level trading up on Tuesday and continuing to push record areas on Wednesday morning. The $1240 per ounce price has investor’s worried about markets and inflationary pressures. The stock market is opening higher today renewing a bit more confidence that the […]
RichC | May 10, 2010
Nice rebound for those watching the volatile stock market. Stocks posted their biggest one-day gain in more than a year, boosted by a nearly $1 trillion bailout package to stem Europe’s credit crisis. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 404.71 points, or 3.9%, to 10785.14, helped by gains in all 30 of its components. The […]
RichC | May 7, 2010
If the whipsaw moves in the stock market didn’t make you sick to your stomach today, then you’d make a great bluewater sailor. I’ve followed the market as an investor and occasional daytrader since the crash of 1987 and I don’t ever recall as rapid a selloff as we saw Thursday afternoon. As I was […]
RichC | May 4, 2010
According to an Associated Press report, the casualties are starting to show up on the Gulf of Mexico. Experts are hesitate to point to the oil spill as the cause of death for every specie, but it is easy to speculate that oil is a contributing factor for many of the fish and birds. Sea […]
RichC | May 3, 2010
American Express continues their rich and creative advertising using USB technology computer technology to entice card members and ‘would be’ card members to apply for one of their credit cards. I started to ponder the safety of popping the little fold out USB plug into a waiting computer … wondering just who made the card […]
RichC | April 29, 2010
It has become challenging to fly commercial airlines in recent year, especially since 9/11. Not only has the process of going through most airports become time consuming with all the additional security precautions, but the airlines themselves have made changes which most agree have become irritating to down right miserable for passengers, I’m thinking about […]
RichC | April 28, 2010
Good news for Palm … I think? Hopefully HP shareholders feel the same way. Hewlett-Packard Inc. agreed to acquire Palm Inc. for nearly $1 billion in cash, ending months of speculation about the fate of the troubled wireless handset maker. H-P said it will pay $5.70 per share in cash for Palm, representing a premium […]
RichC | April 16, 2010
Shares of Palm Inc. rose Friday after an analyst said the cell phone maker might be worth more then generally thought if it is bought out. The Sunnyvale, Calif., company’s stock has dwindled from January’s high of $14.17, with even Palm’s latest phones selling poorly. It brought out a completely new operating system, and phones […]
RichC | April 15, 2010
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RichC | April 15, 2010
I was reading a column in SmartMoney magazine by James Stewart after he attended the New York Auto Show about the return of profits to the automotive industry, at least some of them. It may be in part due to a cycle of replacing their aging cars and in part due to a renewed focus […]
RichC | April 13, 2010
Although they are late to the party, Microsoft is targeting the younger demographic with a social networking smartphone made by Sharp called the Kin 1 and Kin 2. The one with the slightly larger screen sure looks like the Palm Pre to me? Microsoft Corp. introduced a family of cellphones tailored to young consumers, seeking […]
RichC | April 11, 2010
After the stock bouncing on Friday, Palm Inc shareholders and smartphone users continue to speculate just was will happen to their financially troubled company. Rumors continue to be battered around (article below) as having interest in Palm – the latest being HTC Corp. On a personal note, I am beginning to embrace my Palm Pre […]
RichC | March 31, 2010
The federal government after the Civil War expanded in both its size and influence over states and individuals. The United States did this to regulate industry as businesses grew to encompass several states. The concern over securing civil rights for all citizens as well as providing some social services continued by Washington D.C. as the […]
RichC | March 28, 2010
We’ve been thinking about replacing our humble (less than functional) dishwasher for a couple years now and the latest government giveaway stimulus program is just the push we needed. There is a small window of opportunity and a limited number of dollars available for each state to stimulate consumers to upgrade their existing appliances with […]
RichC | March 26, 2010
After heated debate over the cost of a trillion dollar health care bill, the numbers for President Obama’s budget and deficit spending projection just got worse. It looks as if the deficit and debt is 1.2 trillion worse than a few months ago … that’s 1.2 TRILLION with a “T.” According to WSJ economist Steve […]
RichC | March 25, 2010
I’ve been spending a bit of time on the road this week (who parks like this? – image right) which finds me listening to the non-stop news and talk radio programs discussing health care reform; the Senate bill was passed by the House and signed by President Obama earlier this week. Even after a year […]
RichC | March 23, 2010
As Palm Inc continues to suffer on Wall Street, some technology experts are wondering if this company is nearing the end? TWIT guru Leo Laporte commented a few minutes before his call in program this past weekend and pondered if there was any chance of an acquisition — perhaps a company needing Palm’s webOS. […]
RichC | March 19, 2010
Palm, Inc.(NasdaqGS: PALM) After Hours: 3.97 -0.03 (-0.81%) 7:59pm ET Last Trade: 4.0025 Trade Time: 4:00pm ET Change: 1.6475 (29.16%) Prev Close: 5.65 Open: 4.64 Bid: 3.95 x 1500 Ask: 4.00 x 10000 1y Target Est: 7.33 Day’s Range: 3.9575 – 4.77 52wk Range: 3.9575 – 18.09 Volume: 125,559,529 Avg Vol (3m): 19,159,100 Market Cap: […]
RichC | March 19, 2010
Personal Opinion post: I’m attempting to be understanding of those with different political philosophies than myself as they relate to reforming health care. That said, I can’t imagine those who support progressive social and economic re-engineering of our nation even stomaching the shenanigans currently going on in Washington DC? At times like these, it may […]
RichC | March 16, 2010
I don’t want to be too critical about the ‘difficult for me to understand’ banking reform legislation, but after hearing comments on a WSJ podcast (below), the politically one-sided rush to reform does leave me concerned; it sure would be nice to have bi-partisan support for a banking oversight bill. My concern: If the Fed […]
RichC | March 11, 2010
One of the noticeable economic signs for average Americans that our economy might be in recovery is the rise of fuel prices. An article in this mornings Wall Street Journal stated that “Gasoline prices are throttling toward $3 a gallon” and that “gasoline futures have rallied 21% since hitting a low in February to close […]
RichC | February 26, 2010
I tuned the XMRadio into bits and pieces of President Obama’s 7 hour Health Care Summit with congressional leaders at the Blair House yesterday and came away tired of hearing the same thing I’ve heard all year. It was carried live on CSPAN and picked up in whole or part by many of the cable […]
RichC | February 25, 2010
While waiting for the expected Palm webOS 1.4 anticipated update, I’ve been thankful not to have invested in PALM stock after last years new products. As more and more competitors jump into the smartphone market and take the limelight off the Pre and Pixi phones, the concern is over the profitability (and survival) of the […]
RichC | February 23, 2010
Looks like a serious problem for homeowners, mortgage companies and banks alike. It certainly isn’t promising for the new home market either. Nearly one in four U.S. homeowners with a mortgage owed more than their homes were worth at the end of 2009, underscoring the challenges facing any sustained recovery in consumer spending and housing. […]
RichC | February 23, 2010
After American citizens were heard ‘loud and clear’ during the Obama administration’s attempt last year to ram though health care reform, the President and a ‘agenda-driven’ liberal congress are planning to give it another go. In a feeble attempt to cloak the “retooled $950 billion health care plan” and continual expansion of government as “bi-partisan,” […]