Jeff Sommer

Dow Touches 15,000 but the Economy Lags

nytimes.com — IT'S a ho-hum economy, at best. Four years after the end of the Great Recession, gross domestic product appears to be growing at a lackluster pace, labor productivity is lagging and, despite a slight improvement last month, the unemployment rate is still a painfully high 7.5 percent.

Cary Grant’s Style Philosophy

keikari.com — Originally published in five parts on 'This Week' magazine, 1962, the following is the only public article from Grant's pen concerning style. 'I'm often asked for advice or an opinion about clothes, and I always try to answer the best I can, but I'm not inclined to regard myself as an authority on the subject.

Housing Market’s Future Has Many Variables

nytimes.com — HOUSES are just buildings, but homes are often beautiful dreams. Unfortunately, as millions of people have learned in the housing crisis, those dreams don't always comport with reality. Economic and demographic changes may severely impair the value of a home when it's time to sell, a decade or more in the future.

Apple to Dole Out $100 Billion to Shareholders

nytimes.com — NEW YORK (AP) - Apple is finally opening the doors to its bank vault, saying it will distribute $100 billion in cash to its shareholders over two years. Apple says it will buy back $60 billion in shares - the largest buyback authorization in history. It is also raising its dividend by 15 percent.

Ralph Lauren Pays $1.6 Million to Resolve Bribery Case

dealbook.nytimes.com — The clothing retailer Ralph Lauren has agreed to pay about $1.6 million to resolve criminal and civil charges that it violated a federal law against making illegal payments to foreign officials, the latest case highlighting the government's aggressive crackdown on overseas bribery by American companies.

News Corp. Agrees to $139 Million Settlement With Shareholders

nytimes.com — As News Corporation continues to negotiate settlements with victims of a phone-hacking scandal within its British newspaper division, its board of directors on Monday reached $139 million settlement with a group of United States shareholders. The group asserted News Corporation's board of directors - led by Rupert Murdoch, the chairman and chief executive - breached its fiduciary responsibility in handling the crisis in Britain.

Big Data, Trying to Build Better Workers

nytimes.com — BOSSES, as it turns out, really do matter - perhaps far more than even they realize. In telephone call centers, for example, where hourly workers handle a steady stream of calls under demanding conditions, the communication skills and personal warmth of an employee's supervisor are often crucial in determining the employee's tenure and performance.

For Some Commodities, a Decade’s Climb May Be Broken

nytimes.com — IN waves of intense selling, an array of commodities extracted from beneath the earth's surface - from gold and silver to oil, aluminum and copper - has fallen sharply in price this month. Each commodity is unique, of course, with its own problems and personality.

Before Housing Bubbles, There Was Land Fever

nytimes.com — SINCE 1997, we have lived through the biggest real estate bubble in United States history - followed by the most calamitous decline in housing prices that the country has ever seen. Fundamental factors like inflation and construction costs affect home prices, of course.