Microsoft Writes Off Most of its 2007 $6.3B Ad Business Bet
There are write downs — and then there are write downs. Microsoft is wiping the books clean of almost all of the $6.3 billion it paid for interactive ad company aQuantive in 2007.
Has the European Slowdown Finally Hit the U.S.?
Many Americans are using the July 4 holiday as an opportunity to get away for the week, and there’s no better time to hide from dour headlines blanketing the financial press. Unemployment has hit a new record high in Europe, …
How the Heat Wave’s Affecting Your Wallet, Your Food and Your Holiday Weekend
The science behind rising temperatures is up for debate, but what can’t be argued is that increasingly hot summers are having a big impact on our lives and our economy.
Consumers Prefer to Get More Rather than Pay Less – Because They’re Bad at Math
Is it better to get more or pay less? If you think they’re basically the same, you’re like most consumers. And, like most consumers, you’re wrong.
How to Get the Most Out of Twitter
Twitter can be a great place for getting your message out and for interacting with customers, but there are a few basic practices to follow that will help make you more respected and effective.
One Company Will Soon Control Half of the U.S. Beer Market
By next year, beer bought in the U.S. may be more likely to come from a single company than from all the rest combined. That could be bad news for America’s beer drinkers — potentially higher prices for some of the U.S.’s …
Smartphone Shoppers Actually Increase In-Store Sales
They call it “showrooming,” and to hear the nation’s retailers and other experts fret about consumers using smartphones to buy online while shopping in stores, it’s the worst thing to happen to brick-and-mortar sales since Jeff …
How Google’s Chief Innovator Sergey Brin Is Making Science Fiction Real
Who says innovation is dead in Silicon Valley? At a time when some pundits are questioning whether the region’s innovation engine is tapped out, Web-search titan Google offered a powerful display last week of why that’s not the …
How Exactly Do Cyber Criminals Steal $78 Million?
Let’s say you’re a cyberthief who just compromised hundreds of bank accounts worth millions of dollars. Congratulations! You’re now the scourge of the global community. Now, all you need to do is get your hands on that money. …
Selling Your Dream for Cash: The Unfortunate Mainstreaming of the Reverse Mortgage
A new report shows that the reverse mortgage remains a confusing product, but that it has gone mainstream nonetheless and represents an unnerving erosion of homeowners’ financial safety net.
European Stock Markets and the Flight from Reality
The economic news is going from bad to worse, so obviously this is a good time to stage a stock-market rally. That’s the contorted message coming out of Europe this week, on the heels of an E.U. crisis summit that was declared …