This is a really humorous take on how to make a bad situation into a good marketing opportunity. Look for the Repo Bus in a subdivision near you!
Archive for December 14th, 2007396%? How can someone who does something like that sleep at night? Check out the story here…… I know it’s not actually mortgages, but it’s finance/lending related and it’s nasty.
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Why let a $2 billion quarterly loss ruin the holiday cheer?Posted by: in mortgage industryFreddie Mac, one of the two Government Sponsored Entities (remember this part) that buy conforming residential mortgages, apparently didn’t let a $2 billion quarterly loss and 50% cut in its dividend to shareholders ruin the holiday spirit. The big GSE kept the mood high with employees and families this year with their family holiday event held at the swank Ritz-Carlton at Tyson’s Corner, VA. Big hat tip to one of our own Blown Mortgage readers for sending in a copy of the hotel schedule which shows the 3 hour event that took place yesterday evening. You can see the picture below (click for a larger image).
Seriously? The Ritz-Freakin’-Carlton? Who’s thinking over there? Looking at this I feel like I’m on crazy pills. Running the risk of sounding like Captain Obvious - Memo to Freddie staff: When you’re hemorrhaging cash like a stuck pig and cutting shareholder value - ixnay on the swanky holiday parties at luxury hotels! I’m sure the shareholders that saw their dividend slashed by 50% are more than happy to foot the bill on this one; I just wonder how the taxpayers are going to swallow the much larger bill that a GSE bail out will require. Filed under: Products and services, Google (GOOG), Research in Motion (RIMM), Technology
Although this technically is not a revolutionary achievement, the ability of Google Calendar to sync with such a ubiquitous device should cause Ol’ Softie concern. The days of needing an Exchange server and Outlook syncing are ending for business users who demand anytime, anywhere, any-device access to their email and calendars. With Google Gmail and Calendar, many business users can now get that fix and not be tied to one platform or a handful of devices. This latest development is significant, since BlackBerry users can now view their Google Calendar information even while in poor wireless service areas, since the syncing retrieves Google Calendar data and downloads it onto the BlackBerry itself instead of sending users off to a website that may not work on that subway or airplane. Will this feature alone really compete that well with Microsoft’s “push” feature and RIM’s own “BlackBerry Enterprise Server” offerings? Possibly, but only to those who prefer Google Calendar as their main calendar tool instead of Microsoft’s Outlook product sitting on a corporate server somewhere. But, more and more business customers want an experience that works instead of a platform that works — and Google Calendar easily fits that description.
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Basically, this is a knowledge base - where experts write up articles and users have a chance to benefit from the wisdom. The system is currently under an invitation-only status. With huge amounts of content across the web, it’s often hard to find the quality stuff. Even if you go to places like Wikipedia, it’s not easy to get a sense of the accuracy. Often, I use these sources as a starting point - not something that’s definitive. As expected, Google wants knols for all topics, which is certainly ambitious and will likely encounter problems along the way. But, it’s certainly a worthy goal - and, in the end, could result in a valuable property. More importantly, Google will share revenues with the experts (through advertising). This will certainly be a big differntiator, as other wikis, such as Wikinvest and Wikipedia, rely on authors who do it for fun.
Filed under: Internet, Google (GOOG), China
The company filing the suit in Chinese court is Beijing Guge Sci-Tech, a name it registered in April of 2006, according to the Wall Street Journal. Google registered the name Guge six months later. However, Google claims its choice for moniker of its Chinese operations was openly rumored before Sci-Tech’s registration, perhaps implying Sci-Tech is engaging in a bit of tradename squatting. With China’s inclusion in the World Trade Organization, the country has taken serious measures to allow trademark and tradename protection, which might help Google’s case. However, the Chinese government has seemed to favor Google’s competitor Baidu, which dominates the Chinese search market, and this preference may work against a quick and positive resolution for Google.
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The top search candidates this year have included presidential candidates, lawsuits, Hollywood starlets, sports teams and song lyrics. In an interesting twist, gaining underdog Congressman Ron Paul of Texas was the most-searched for Presidential candidate at Google beating out Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Does this fare well for Paul’s chances a little under a year from now? From looking at his grassroots internet campaign, you just might be able to say that. Paul appears to be pulling no punches while Clinton and Obama are in a celebrity deathmatch of sorts in the media. For a little comic relief outside the Presidential campaigners, Hannah Montana (played by actress Miley Cyrus, daughter of Billy Ray) was ahead of the Rolling Stones in Google web search popularity. But, Barbie outranked Hannah Montana decades after the first svelte doll appeared on retail shelves. In an interesting trend released by Google, the term “iPhone” has been searched more often than the term “iPod” since its June debut. With Google having a commanding lead in the global web search arena, a snapshot of what global netizens cares about can be gleaned from examining its top hitters list. Ron Paul probably hopes its a harbinger to next year’s runoff.
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12
2007
Options update: Google March volatility of 36 is skewed higher into EPSPosted by: in Goog newsFiled under: Google (GOOG), Options
Options Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com
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2007
Best global stocks for 2008, Google’s next big dream & home theaters: less is more - Today in Money 12/14Posted by: in Goog newsFiled under: Google (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO), PepsiCo (PEP), Citigroup Inc. (C), Money and Finance Today, Federal Natl Mtge (FNM), News Corp’B’ (NWS), JetBlue Airways (JBLU) In the News:
5 Best Global Stocks for 2008
Filed under: Before the bell, Analyst reports, Google (GOOG), Apple Inc (AAPL), Intel (INTC), Ford Motor (F), General Motors (GM), Nokia Corp. (NOK), Federal Natl Mtge (FNM), Palm Inc (PALM), JetBlue Airways (JBLU), Qwest Communications Intl (Q)
JetBlue Airways Group (NASDAQ: JBLU) announced Thursday that Deutsche Lufthansa had agreed to take a 19% equity stake. JBLU shares closed up 14.4% to $7.15. Lufthansa will buy , 42 million newly issued common shares of JetBlue in a private placement for $7.27 a share — a 16% premium over Wednesday’s close, or a total of about $300 million. This cash infusion will help the low-cost carrier face the high fuel prices and new competition. Palm Inc. (NASDAQ: PALM) laid off about 10% of its work force this week to cut expenses. Palm issued a statement Thursday confirming some layoffs were made as part of a restructuring, but according to “persons familiar with the situation,” CNNMoney eliminated more than 100 jobs of its 1,150 staff. Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) is holding its first annual shareholders meeting since May 2004. No need to be a clairvoyant to know what the meeting’s focus will be — its massive losses. A Chinese company, Guge Sci-Tech, has sued Google’s China (NASDAQ: GOOG) operations over what it says is an infringement of the Chinese translation of its name, “Guge.” Guge Sci-Tech wants Google change its Chinese name and pay legal costs. In response, Google said Guge Sci-Tech knew of Google’s intention to use the Chinese name “Guge,” and that is is not a Chinese word. New passenger car registrations in the European Union in November fell 1.3% to 1.217 million vehicles from a year ago but were up 0.9% over the first 11 months. Total European sales were down 1.1% in November and rose 1.1% for the 11 months. As for market share, Ford (NYSE: F) made a small rise to 10.6% from 10.5%, GM (NYSE: GM) was stable at 10.2%. According to research firm Gartner, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ: INTC) is set to increase its share of a growing global semiconductor chip market this year to 12.2%. The market is expected to grow 2.9% from last year to $270.3 billion. It seems that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has spooked up mobile makers with its recent launch of the iPhone in Europe. Nokia (NYSE: NOK) is planning a free service and rival Sony Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) is planning a new music-downloading service that will launch next spring. These services are also in direct competition with mobile operator mobile-music business. Interesting times for the consumer to be sure.
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