This week, Visa began campaigning to get retailers in the U.S. to upgrade their payment terminals — what we used to call cash registers — to devices capable of reading EMV chips, the technology behind “chip-and-pin” cards now …
As Regular Malls Struggle, Outlet Malls Are Booming
Roughly one out of every 11 store sites is empty at traditional malls around the country. That’s the highest mall vacancy rate in over a decade, even though rents at these properties are likely to have decreased or leveled off …
Europe Bans Short Selling. Will the U.S. Follow Suit?
Short sales plague Europe — but they're likely not coming across the Atlantic.
Study: The Rich Really Are More Selfish
“Lower-class” individuals—i.e., folks without much money or education—demonstrate more compassion and empathy than their wealthy counterparts, according to a series of psychological studies. In social scientist speak, …
Why the Fed Announcement Won’t Boost the Housing Market
The Federal Reserve’s announcement this week that it would keep a key interest rate near zero seemed designed to be a chill pill — a way to calm jittery stock market investors by showing that it recognized, and was trying to manage, economic weakness. Whether the announcement was good for real estate is another story.
10 Stores with Great Back to School Deals Right Now
Even before the recent drama on Wall Street dampened consumer sentiment, the National Retail Federation said it expected back to school spending to be flat this year, with families limiting their purchases of clothing, gadgets, …
Is Market Volatility Here to Stay?
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for the global economy, and the markets have been torn asunder. On Monday, the VIX – a measure of the implied volatility in the stock market – shot up to its highest level since the depths of the 2008-09 financial crisis, up 50% to 48. Tuesday it dropped 27%, the biggest one-day drop in history. …
Insider Trading: Look Who’s Buying on Wall Street
Individual investors have learned this week that trying to predict the direction of the stock market is a fool's game. But there is one group of major league investors who may actually deserve our attention: CEOs and other …
Is the Economy Worse off than in 2008?
If you have been following the headlines now and were three years ago during the financial crisis, it’s hard not to make the comparison. The stock market is swinging wildly. Financial CEOs are taking to the airways to publicly attest that their banks have enough capital. And investors are increasingly worried about a debt crisis. Here …
After Testing It For A Month, I’m Sold on Spotify
“You’ve got to see this,” a friend said to me in June. “It’s a new music service that lets you listen to anything you want from anywhere. And it’s cloud-based, so the music doesn’t take up any space on your hard drive.” He played …
At the Root of Every Problem Today Is … Fashion?
The list of ills being blamed on the fashion industry includes sweatshops, child labor, the worldwide culture of greed, rampant consumerism, warped self-images, eating disorders, pollution, water shortages, “spiritual and psychic …
5 Ways to Keep Economic Crisis from Driving You Crazy
Everywhere I turn, I see tales of financial doom and gloom. The stock market is crashing! The dollar is inflating! Oil is peaking and homes are foreclosing! If you listen to the breathless media, it’s 2008 all over again.
