Consumer Sentiment in U.S. Climbs to Highest Since 2007 By Alex Kowalski - 2012-05-25T14:02:55Z Enlarge image Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index Increased to 79.3 in May Shoppers ride the escalator in a Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) store at the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Shoppers ride the escalator in a Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) store at the City Creek Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg Consumer confidence rose in May to the highest level since October 2007 as prices at the gas pump became less of a drag on household budgets. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment climbed to 79.3 from 76.4 the prior month. The gauge was projected to hold at the preliminary ... Continue reading →

Enlarge image Lacrosse Party-Boy Image Worries Coaches Who See Slower Growth People walk by Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. People walk by Duke Chapel on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Photographer: Jim R. Bounds/Bloomberg Duke University men’s lacrosse coach John Danowski still talks to recruits’ parents about the stripper party that led to false rape allegations six years ago. University of Virginia coach Dom Starsia won’t grant interview requests about a former player who beat his girlfriend to death two years ago. Johns Hopkins coach Dave Pietramala says a survey that showed lacrosse players are the biggest users of illicit drugs among college athletes was “deeply concerning.” As the sport grows from pockets of ... Continue reading →

Enlarge image Hoboken Homes Gone in 60 Minutes Signal U.S. Recovery The Hudson Tea Building, a Toll Brothers property, stands close to the Hudson River, across from the Manhattan skyline, in Hoboken. The Hudson Tea Building, a Toll Brothers property, stands close to the Hudson River, across from the Manhattan skyline, in Hoboken. Photographer: Stephen Hilger/Bloomberg For the latest sign of a U.S. housing rebound, Toll Brothers Inc. Chief Executive Officer Douglas Yearley points to Hoboken, New Jersey: A couple torn between two condos last month at the sales office for its Hudson Tea complex decided to think about it over lunch. When they returned an hour later, both units were gone. “People feel like now is the time to buy and they aren’t isolated ... Continue reading →

Apple's Portion of Overall Value of the Nasdaq: 12% By Simeon Hyman and Karl Cates | May 23, 2012 What's Happening If you want to invest broadly in the U.S. technology sector, conventional wisdom says one way to do it is to buy a fund that tracks the Nasdaq Composite Index. You might not be getting the broad tech-sector exposure you think, however. Roughly 12 percent of the Nasdaq's valuation comes from the stock of one company: Apple. Put another way, if you were to invest $1,000 in the PowerShares QQQ Trust -- which tracks the Nasdaq and is the third-most-traded ETF in the world -- you'd effectively be putting $120 of that $1,000 into Apple. Photograph by Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg Why It Matters Apple has ... Continue reading →

N.Z. Projects Narrower Surplus as Greek Risks Darken Outlook CapitaLand CEO Calls Shoebox Apartments Inhuman: Southeast Asia By Pooja Thakur and Haslinda Amin - 2012-05-23T16:00:01Z Enlarge image CapitaLand President and CEO Liew Mun Leong Liew Mun Leong, president and chief executive officer of CapitaLand Ltd. Liew Mun Leong, president and chief executive officer of CapitaLand Ltd. Photographer: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg Enlarge image CapitaLand President and CEO Liew Mun Leong Liew Mun Leong, president and chief executive officer of CapitaLand Ltd., is "dead against shoebox developments.” Liew Mun Leong, president and chief executive officer of CapitaLand Ltd., is "dead against shoebox developments.” Photographer: Munshi Ahmed/Bloomberg Singapore should curb the increasing trend of so-called shoebox apartments because they are “almost inhuman,” CapitaLand Ltd. (CAPL) Chief Executive Officer Liew ... Continue reading →

Prostitution ads, often with explicit sexual language, are back on Craigslist, according to a new report. Craigslist, the online classified ad site, eliminated its adult services section in 2010 amid pressure from state attorneys general from across the country. But that hasn’t stopped prostitution ads from showing up in the “casual encounters” and “therapeutic massage” sections of the site in some markets, according to the Classified Intelligence Report by AIM Group LLC, a market research firm. While there are fewer ads than when Craigslist offered its erotic and adult services categories, in some markets, ads that appear to be for paid sex work are posted regularly, the report said. “A quick check shows the ads are frequently and quickly flagged by the ‘community’ or perhaps ... Continue reading →

John Ramsey became old enough to buy a Carlsberg nine months ago. The 21-year-old college student from east Texas isn’t old enough to serve in Congress. His intellectual role model, U.S. Texas Representative Ron Paul, has been in Congress 22 years -- longer than Ramsey has been alive. Yet, Ramsey is leaving a mark on U.S. politics that may outlast his political mentor and presidential candidate, Paul. The college senior spent $1.3 million of his own money to create a super-political action committee, Liberty for All Super PAC, that backs candidates who endorse what Ramsey calls “freedom philosophy.” The dogma includes policies championed by Paul, such as supporting free-market economics, protecting civil liberties, slashing government spending and opposing most U.S. military action. Ramsey’s super-PAC passed ... Continue reading →

Enlarge image Morgan Stanley’s Gorman Said to Join Facebook Call on IPO Price Facebook shares tumbled 16 percent through yesterday. Facebook shares tumbled 16 percent through yesterday. Photographer: Scott Eells/Bloomberg May 23 (Bloomberg) -- Robert Prongay, an attorney at Glancy Binkow & Goldberg, talks about the lawsuit the firm has filed with a California court over Facebook Inc.'s initial public offering. He speaks with Cory Johnson on Bloomberg Television's "Bloomberg West." Bloomberg's Emily Chang also speaks. (Source: Bloomberg) Ryan Cefalu, who lives with his wife and two kids in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, saw in Facebook Inc. (FB)’s much-anticipated initial public offering a chance to buffer his retirement fund. His expectations fizzled along with the stock within the first minutes of trading. “It’s disheartening to know ... Continue reading →

Yale Rivaled By Franklin & Marshall on European Streets: Retail By Matthew Boyle - 2012-05-23T22:01:56Z Enlarge image Yale Rivaled By Franklin & Marshall on European Streets Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo People walk past a Franklin and Marshall store in Rome. People walk past a Franklin and Marshall store in Rome. Photographer: Alessandra Tarantino/AP Photo While Franklin & Marshall College may not have the cachet of Yale University in the eyes of most Americans, for trendy European teens the Pennsylvania liberal arts school easily trumps the Ivy League icon. Among the hottest names in Europe these days is Franklin & Marshall, a name emblazoned on sweatshirts and other garb sold by an Italian company with an almost identical name. While few of those wearing the clothes know ... Continue reading →