Nov 23
The EUR was sent to a 6-week low versus the USD after multiple bearish events came one after another. The final straw was a weak bond auction by Germany.
After being sent lower overnight following a poor Chinese PMI survey and reports the Dexia bailout will need to be restructured the selling of the EUR increased. Disappointing European PMI surveys point to a contraction in European GDP. Both the manufacturing survey and services surveys came in below the 50 boom/bust level. Industrial new orders for the month of October collapsed by -6.4%, more than twice the drop the market was expecting.
The final straw came when Germany failed to auction all EUR 6 bn of 10-year bunds.
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Nov 19
While the official retirement age in the United States hovers at 65, many in the middle class dont anticipate ending their working years until the about 15 years later according to survey results from Wells Fargo.
The banks survey results show that a quarter of Americans that categorize themselves as middle class plan to continue working until the age of 80, while an astounding three fourths of the same segment feel its more important to have a specific amount of saved before retirement, regardless of ones age.
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Nov 19
Answer: Monica - It is possible for a company to make charitable contributions and claim those contributions on the company tax return.
However, if the items contributed have been deducted elsewhere on the company return then a deduction as a charitable contribution would not be allowed.
Based on the information you provided it appears that the items in the basket are items that your company also sells. In this situation you company would probably be dealing with the items in the basket elsewhere on the company tax return, perhaps as an adjustment to inventory, so no charitable contribution deduction would be allowed.
Many organizations send letters out to their contrubutors that extend thanks for the contribution and advise that there may be a tax benefit as well. These are usually a type of form letter and only give general information since it is not possible for them to nor should they give specific tax advice.
Nov 17
Stocks are closing largely unchanged as investors balance positive signs for the U.S. economy with a looming deadline for a key Congressional committee. Steep declines earlier in the week gave the S&P 500 its worst week since September.
The Conference Board’s index of leading economic indicators rose more than analysts were expecting, a sign that the economy may pick up in the coming months. Investors remained cautious as Congress remains deadlocked on the U.S. deficit.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 25 points, or 0.2 percent, to 11,796 Friday. The S&P 500 fell less than a point to 1,216.
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Nov 12
As promised, here are the fifty worst months in the history of the S&P 500 (and its precurser, the S&P 90 prior to 1957).
Of the 50 worst months, 30 of them were followed by positive returns over the next 12 months (not including the worst month).
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Nov 11
In the brand-naming world, Sausalito, Calif.-based Lexicon has become legendary for its work over the last 30 years, and no wonder. It named the Pentium chip for Intel, the PowerBook for Apple, the Swiffer for Procter & Gamble, and Dasani for Coca Cola. As a recent New Yorker piece about the firm observed, Lexicon also managed to transform Research in Motion’s bland, corporate, painstakingly matter-of-fact smart phones into caressable little devices, all with the word Blackberry.
It’s not an easy trick to pull off, says Lexicon founder David Placek, who believes a good brand has to blend numerous variables, including resonance, pluck and the ability to tell a service or product’s story, often in just a few characters.
Following Netflix’s now-famous Qwikster debacle, I called Placek to learn more about his job, and how both big and small companies might do a better job of selecting brands for themselves. Our con
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