During a relatively calm stretch early in the year, the stock market rallied. But then the financial and political problems of the euro zone made headlines. At the same time, the outlook for the global economy dimmed. Stock markets around the world began to stumble. Investors reduced the level of risk in their portfolios and started to pour their cash into all the usual places, with United States Treasuries near the top of just about everyone’s list. A bond rally was in full swing again. “When people are worried, all roads lead to Treasuries, and that just doesn’t seem likely to change anytime soon,” said Kathy A. Jones, fixed-income strategist at Charles Schwab. Even in an election year in the United States, with fiscal policy ... Continue reading →
I've been away for a couple of months because I was busy, among other things, writing this E-Book about Mad Men's first season:You can buy it at the Amazon Kindle Store here for only $.99. Here's the Amazon product description: You probably wouldn’t be reading these words if you hadn’t already discovered Mad Men’s many virtues for yourself. So you don’t need me to tell you about its masterful storytelling, acting that’s sometimes spectacularly good and the meticulous period detail that invites you to take a holiday from today’s stifling standards of political and cultural correctness. Why, then, do you need this little e-book of Mad Men commentary? Imagine what you’d get out of a serviceable guidebook you picked up in the middle of your ... Continue reading →
I've been away for a couple of months because I was busy, among other things, writing this E-Book about Mad Men's first season:You can buy it at the Amazon Kindle Store here for only $.99. Here's the Amazon product description: You probably wouldn’t be reading these words if you hadn’t already discovered Mad Men’s many virtues for yourself. So you don’t need me to tell you about its masterful storytelling, acting that’s sometimes spectacularly good and the meticulous period detail that invites you to take a holiday from today’s stifling standards of political and cultural correctness. Why, then, do you need this little e-book of Mad Men commentary? Imagine what you’d get out of a serviceable guidebook you picked up in the middle of your ... Continue reading →
I've been away for a couple of months because I was busy, among other things, writing this E-Book about Mad Men's first season:You can buy it at the Amazon Kindle Store here for only $.99. Here's the Amazon product description: You probably wouldn’t be reading these words if you hadn’t already discovered Mad Men’s many virtues for yourself. So you don’t need me to tell you about its masterful storytelling, acting that’s sometimes spectacularly good and the meticulous period detail that invites you to take a holiday from today’s stifling standards of political and cultural correctness. Why, then, do you need this little e-book of Mad Men commentary? Imagine what you’d get out of a serviceable guidebook you picked up in the middle of your ... Continue reading →
Brad Barr for The New York Times Saul Katz, left, and Fred Wilpon at Mets spring training in February in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Major League Baseball Yankees Mets Kathy Kmonicek/Associated Press Saul Katz, left, and Fred Wilpon in 2010. Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, the owners of the Mets, on Monday settled the lawsuit brought against them by Irving H. Picard, the trustee for the victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, for $162 million. The agreement is binding. Picard had accused Wilpon and Katz of ignoring warnings that Madoff was running a fraud during their many years of investing with him. They had said they were unaware of any “red flags” and had charged that Picard fabricated and distorted evidence against them. A ... Continue reading →
David Paul Morris/Bloomberg News Timothy D. Cook, chief executive of Apple, and other executives had signaled their willingness to consider a plan for the company’s cash. SAN FRANCISCO — Apple announced Monday that it would pay a quarterly stock dividend of $2.65 a share beginning in the quarter that starts in July and its board authorized a $10 billion share buyback, two moves that will use up some of its cash hoard of nearly $100 billion to reward investors. The company issued an unusual media alert on Sunday evening saying that it planned to announce the long-awaited decision by its board about what to do with its cash balance. Apple stock, which has been on a steep trajectory up, rose about 1 percent to $590.93 ... Continue reading →
After 244 years, the Encyclopaedia Britannica is going out of print.Those coolly authoritative, gold-lettered sets of reference books that were once sold door to door by a fleet of traveling salesmen and displayed as proud fixtures in American homes will be discontinued, the company is expected to announce on Wednesday.In a nod to the realities of the digital age — and, in particular, the competition from the hugely popular Wikipedia — Encyclopaedia Britannica will focus primarily on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools, company executives said.The last edition of the encyclopedia will be the 2010 edition, a 32-volume set that weighs in at 129 pounds and includes new entries on global warming and the Human Genome Project.“It’s a rite of passage in this ... Continue reading →
