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U.S. Economic Cycles -
For information about the issues affecting the U.S. economy in 2008, see 2008 Financial Crisis and 2009 Financial Crisis.
The concept of Economic Cycles, which are... read more 67501 views | Related: Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Altria Group (MO), FedEx (FDX) | |
Game Consoles Wars: Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii - Video games are a fast growing form of entertainment and have captured a similar market size as the movie box office and music sales. In 2008, the... read more 35551 views | Related: Microsoft (MSFT), Nintendo (NTDOY), Sony (SNE) | |
U.S. Housing Market -
The U.S. housing market includes the construction, sale, and resale, of all residential properties across the country. Even though it's only focused on housing, conditions... read more 32155 views | Related: Subprime lending, Home Depot (HD), Interest Rates | |
Interest Rates -
This article describes the impact of interest rates. A related concept is the Yield Curve.
An interest rate is the cost of borrowing money. Among the many industries affected... read more 29631 views | Related: Subprime lending, U.S. Housing Market, Goldman Sachs Group (GS) | Hurricane Season - Hurricanes are a fact of life along the gulf coast and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic hurricane season typically begins around the beginning of June and lasts until... read more 26913 views | Related: Allstate (ALL), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Lowe's Companies (LOW) |
IPhone - click to enlarge image
Apple released the iPhone on June 29th, 2007 to a thunderstorm of media hype and high expectations. A runaway success, 6 million iPhones were sold within one... read more 24398 views | Related: Apple (AAPL), Research in Motion (RIMM), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) | Erectile dysfunction drug market -
Erectile dysfunction (ED) refers to the condition of being unable to develop or maintain an erection of the penis. It is estimated that 10 to 20 million... read more 20698 views | Related: Aetna (AET), AFLAC (AFL), Aging Baby Boomers |
Rise of China's Middle Class - Increasing prosperity among the Chinese populace is creating a new market for Western retailers who previously envisioned China solely as a supplier of goods. ... read more 20313 views | Related: Luxury Consumption in China, Best Buy (BBY), Home Depot (HD) | Deepwater Oil Exploration - Oil exploration and production (E&P) companies are drilling further out into the sea and deeper under the ocean floor, at depths greater than 1000 feet to tap... read more 18827 views | Related: Transocean (RIG), Pride International (PDE), Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) |
3G -
Mobile telephones, the 1st generation of which were introduced in the mid-1980's, have been constantly evolving since their inception. Today, over 2B mobile phones are in usage and... read more 17543 views | Related: Mobile Phone Usage in China, Apple (AAPL), Broadcom (BRCM) | E-Commerce - One of the first and most prominent e-commerce players, iconic eBay has left a huge footprint on the way we buy and sell.
The Internet has created a new economic ecosystem, the... read more 17308 views | Related: GSI Commerce (GSIC), China's Internet Growth, EBay (EBAY) |
China's Aging Population - The Chinese population is rapidly aging, due to a lower mortality rate and the one child policy. This will lead to a pension problem for the Chinese government and... read more 17042 views | Related: Incidence of Cancer, China's Urban vs. Rural Divide, Aging Baby Boomers | Luxury Consumption - Demand for luxury goods can be seen as a bellweather of burgeoning economies, as wealthy population segments consume more leather goods, clothes, watches, liquor and other... read more 16162 views | Related: Luxury Consumption in China, LVMH Moet Hennessy L.V. (LVMUY), Coach (COH) |
Coal Power -
39%, or 6,600 billion kilowatt-hours, of the electricity produced in the world comes from turbines powered by coal.[1] As the most abundant fossil fuel in the U.S., coal-fired... read more 15198 views | Related: Renewable Energy, Peabody Energy (BTU), CONSOL Energy (CNX) | Government Regulatory Agencies -
A regulatory agency is a government department that has responsibility over the legislation (acts and regulations) for a given sector. Regulatory agencies exist... read more 15109 views | Related: ConAgra Foods (CAG), J.M. Smucker Company (SJM), Microsoft (MSFT) |
Aging Baby Boomers -
As the Baby Boomers continue to enter retirement, the U.S. faces one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in its history. The baby boom ran from 1946 to 1960, during... read more 14604 views | Related: Charles Schwab (SCHW), Affordable Residential Communities (ARC), Walgreen Company (WAG) | Big Three Auto Woes -
In recent years, the recurring troubles of the American Big 3 automakers have been coming to a head. General Motors (GM), Ford, and Chrysler face a host of problems.... read more 14149 views | Related: US Steel (X), Toyota Motor (TM), Ford Motor Company (F) |
Impact of Internet Advertising - The breadth of U.S. advertisers across virtually all industries means that growth of advertising spend is highly correlated with the GDP, a measure of the... read more 13798 views | Related: Google (GOOG), New York Times Company (NYT), Yahoo! (YHOO) | Nuclear Energy -
Nuclear energy involves a controlled reaction to split atoms of nuclear fuel, typically uranium or plutonium, creating two new atoms. When accomplished on a reasonable scale,... read more 13239 views | Related: Wind Energy, Cameco (CCJ), Renewable Energy |
Carbon Trading - Carbon emissions in action, EPA
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from the observations in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread... read more 12264 views | Related: Solar Power, Renewable Energy, Coal Power | Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero -
Whether you are a hardcore gamer or a casual player, you've probably heard of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, video games that are allowing people without musical ability... read more 11921 views | Related: Game Consoles Wars: Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii, Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Electronic Arts (ERTS) |
| See all 95 Concepts on Wikinvest |
Game Consoles Wars: Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii - Video games are a fast growing form of entertainment and have captured a similar market size as the movie box office and music sales. In 2008, the... read more 35551 views | Related: Microsoft (MSFT), Nintendo (NTDOY), Sony (SNE) | IPhone - click to enlarge image
Apple released the iPhone on June 29th, 2007 to a thunderstorm of media hype and high expectations. A runaway success, 6 million iPhones were sold within one... read more 24398 views | Related: Apple (AAPL), Research in Motion (RIMM), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) |
3G -
Mobile telephones, the 1st generation of which were introduced in the mid-1980's, have been constantly evolving since their inception. Today, over 2B mobile phones are in usage and... read more 17543 views | Related: Mobile Phone Usage in China, Apple (AAPL), Broadcom (BRCM) | E-Commerce - One of the first and most prominent e-commerce players, iconic eBay has left a huge footprint on the way we buy and sell.
The Internet has created a new economic ecosystem, the... read more 17308 views | Related: GSI Commerce (GSIC), China's Internet Growth, EBay (EBAY) |
Impact of Internet Advertising - The breadth of U.S. advertisers across virtually all industries means that growth of advertising spend is highly correlated with the GDP, a measure of the... read more 13798 views | Related: Google (GOOG), New York Times Company (NYT), Yahoo! (YHOO) | WiMAX vs WCDMA - 3G is the third generation of mobile phone standards. 3G is best defined as the generation that enabled mobile broadband, or the ability to wirelessly use the Internet or... read more 10921 views | Related: Alvarion (ALVR), Motorola (MOT), Broadband Technologies |
IPod Effect - In April 2007, Apple celebrated its 100 millionth iPod sale, claiming that it was the fastest selling music player in history. Indeed, after its introduction a little over five... read more 9740 views | Related: Apple (AAPL), IPhone, Broadcom (BRCM) | Mobile Phone Adoption in Developing Countries - Wireless SubscribersInternational Mobile phone adoption is a source of tremendous growth in wireless industry. Penetration rates for the U.S.... read more 9703 views | Related: Nokia (NOK), QUALCOMM (QCOM), SBA Communications (SBAC) |
Commoditization of PCs - Over the last few decades, PCs have become an increasingly important part of our daily domestic and work lives. PCs are used for tasks ranging from rudimentary email... read more 9182 views | Related: Apple (AAPL), Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ), Microsoft (MSFT) | Mobile Phone Usage in China - For more information, see Mobile Phone Adoption in Developing Countries.
China: the next big mobile phone gold mine?
China's mobile telephony market can make or... read more 9074 views | Related: China Mobile (Hong Kong) (CHL), Nokia (NOK), 3G |
Digital Outdoor Advertising - Digital outdoor advertising is turning old media into new media and a sluggish outdoor advertising industry into a growth industry. With digital signage becoming a... read more 9008 views | Related: Daktronics (DAKT), Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR), Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings (CCO) | Blu-ray vs. HD DVD -
As of mid February, 2008, the battle for supremacy in high-definition DVD technology is over. Toshiba has officially surrendered to Sony in the most expensive format war... read more 8974 views | Related: Sony (SNE), Toshiba (TOSBF), Netflix (NFLX) |
China's Internet Growth - Chinese use of the Internet is skyrocketing. This creates opportunities for both foreign and home-grown search engine and Internet advertising companies. Online... read more 8266 views | Related: Google (GOOG), China's Internet Crackdown, Focus Media Holding (FMCN) | Open Source -
From an investment research perspective, the term "open source software" refers primarily to a set of terms and conditions associated with the software's license. There are... read more 7417 views | Related: Red Hat (RHT), Equinix (EQIX), Novell (NOVL) |
Voip - VoIP offers at the Tesco checkout counter. The UK-based retail giant operates its own VoIP service and has more than one million subscribers to date.
VoIP is one of the few technologies... read more 7193 views | Related: EBay (EBAY), United States Cellular (USM), AT&T (T) | Software as a Service - Software is ubiquitous in today’s business world, where software applications can help us track shipments across multiple countries, manage large inventories, train... read more 6746 views | Related: Microsoft (MSFT), Google (GOOG), Salesforce.com (CRM) |
The Internet Impact -
The Internet is a transformational medium whose impact on companies, culture, and individual lives is of no less impact than the invention of the printing press and... read more 6594 views | Related: Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Adobe Systems (ADBE), American Express Company (AXP) | Windows Vista Effect -
Operating systems (OS) have been an integral part of the personal computer industry since the early 1980s. Windows Vista is the newest computer OS from tech industry... read more 5882 views | Related: Microsoft (MSFT), Novell (NOVL), Hewlett-Packard Company (HPQ) |
Online Video - The explosive growth of Google's YouTube and video-sharing services such as BitTorrent has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of data traversing the internet -- Google CEO... read more 5665 views | Related: Google (GOOG), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Akamai Technologies (AKAM) | Flash memory vs. magnetic storage - The mass production of flash memory to power USB drives and Apple's iPod and iPhone has made this once-costly technology a good deal less expensive. This... read more 5420 views | Related: Seagate Technology Holdings (STX), SanDisk (SNDK), Western Digital (WDC) |
Fixed-line telecommunication -
Land-line or fixed-line telecommunication is over 125 years old and, up until the recent past, was defined as a telephone line that traveled through metal wire or... read more 4807 views | Related: Broadband Technologies, WiMAX vs WCDMA, 3G | LCD -
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are used to in flat-panel monitors and high-end flat-panel television. Recently, the market for LCDs has exploded as flat screen monitors and televisions... read more 4067 views | Related: 3M Company (MMM), Daktronics (DAKT), Best Buy (BBY) |
| See all 27 articles in this category |
Deepwater Oil Exploration - Oil exploration and production (E&P) companies are drilling further out into the sea and deeper under the ocean floor, at depths greater than 1000 feet to tap... read more 18827 views | Related: Transocean (RIG), Pride International (PDE), Diamond Offshore Drilling (DO) | Coal Power -
39%, or 6,600 billion kilowatt-hours, of the electricity produced in the world comes from turbines powered by coal.[1] As the most abundant fossil fuel in the U.S., coal-fired... read more 15198 views | Related: Renewable Energy, Peabody Energy (BTU), CONSOL Energy (CNX) |
Nuclear Energy -
Nuclear energy involves a controlled reaction to split atoms of nuclear fuel, typically uranium or plutonium, creating two new atoms. When accomplished on a reasonable scale,... read more 13239 views | Related: Wind Energy, Cameco (CCJ), Renewable Energy | Carbon Trading - Carbon emissions in action, EPA
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from the observations in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread... read more 12264 views | Related: Solar Power, Renewable Energy, Coal Power |
China's Coal Power Pollution - Through China's use of coal, it is the largest greenhouse gases emitter in the world. The negative pollution impacts from coal on China's farming could increase... read more 10670 views | Related: Coal Power, Fuel Tech (FTEK), Renewable Energy | Global Climate Change - Global warming could mean more freak storms like Hurricane Katrina, pictured above--bad news for insurance companies.
Global Climate Change is a term that refers to the... read more 10421 views | Related: Suntech Power Holdings (STP), Hurricane Season, MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) |
Cellulosic ethanol - It’s hard to open a newspaper without finding a story about biofuels, and in particular, ethanol. Most cars in Brazil can run on 100% ethanol.
Ethanol, if blended with... read more 9484 views | Related: Diversa (DVSA), Biofuels, Renewable Energy | China's Water Scarcity -
China has both water shortages and water quality issues. This has significant implications for:
China's ability to produce its own ethanol fuel
The sustainability... read more 8840 views | Related: China's Coal Power Pollution, Biofuels, Renewable Energy |
Rising Worldwide Demand for Energy - Worldwide energy consumption is destined to grow...
...across all fuel types
The 2008 World Energy Outlook, published by the International Energy Agency,... read more 8624 views | Related: China's Energy Appetite, Wind Energy, Coal Power | Clean Coal - When we say coal is "dirty", its more than the soot on your fingers when you pick up a briquette to put in your barbeque. When coal is burned in power plants and factories, the... read more 8488 views | Related: Carbon Trading, Arch Coal (ACI), China's Water Scarcity |
Oil's Nationalization & Geo-Political Turbulence - Hugo Chavez explains the recent trends in oil prices
In Venezuela, oil generates 80% of the country's total export revenues and... read more 6506 views | Related: Exxon Mobil (XOM), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS'A), STATOIL ASA (STO) | U.S. Energy Regulations - President Bush and the Secretary of Energy review a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) facility, which the Energy Policy Act of 2005 supported
Untangling the web of... read more 6344 views | Related: Carbon Trading, Entergy (ETR), Cellulosic ethanol |
Peak Oil - Peak oil refers to the mountainous shaped "peak" on the graph of global oil production. Oil must first be discovered, then produced, and will eventually be depleted. Peak Oil is not a... read more 6339 views | Related: PGSanalyst, Airline Travel, British Airways (LON:BAY) | Electric Cars - This article is about Electric Vehicles. For other articles, include the company with ticker EV, see EV (disambiguation).
Governments worldwide have adopted regulatory schemes... read more 4786 views | Related: Anadarko Petroleum (APC), Arch Coal (ACI), Auto Makers |
Biodiesel - Biodiesel is a nearly perfect substitute to petroleum derived diesel fuel. It is derived from the transesterification of biogenic oils such as vegetable oil and animal fats. The US... read more 3045 views | Barnett Shale - The Barnett Shale is a natural gas deposit that stretches over a dozen counties in northern and eastern Texas. It is the second largest producing on-shore domestic natural gas... read more 2867 views | Related: EOG Resources (EOG), Atmos Energy (ATO), Barrels per Day (bbl/d or bpd) |
Oil shale - Oil shale is a term used in the oil industry to describe rocks that contain organic material that can be and has been used as a source of energy. Oil Shale is not the same as shale... read more 1358 views | Related: Barnett Shale, Barrel of Oil Equivalents (BOE), Marcellus shale | Lower Tertiary -
The lower tertiary is an informal designation for a layer of the earth's crust deposited during the Paleogene period, between 65 and 23 million years ago.
In the... read more 778 views | Related: Anadarko Petroleum (APC), BP (BP), Chevron Corporation (CVX) |
ANWR Oil Drilling - To drill, or not to drill. That's the $400 billion question that's been tossed around in Congress for the past 30 years. For Shell, Exxon, and the other Oil & Gas Majors,... read more 634 views | Related: Biofuels, Carbon Trading, Cellulosic ethanol | Haynesville Shale -
The Haynesville Shale is a massive natural gas deposit in northern Louisiana. Early estimates suggest the shale may hold as much as 200 trillion cubic feet of natural gas,... read more 10 views | Related: Barnett Shale, Chesapeake Energy (CHK), Oil |
| See all 20 articles in this category |
Rise of China's Middle Class - Increasing prosperity among the Chinese populace is creating a new market for Western retailers who previously envisioned China solely as a supplier of goods. ... read more 20313 views | Related: Luxury Consumption in China, Best Buy (BBY), Home Depot (HD) | China's Aging Population - The Chinese population is rapidly aging, due to a lower mortality rate and the one child policy. This will lead to a pension problem for the Chinese government and... read more 17042 views | Related: Incidence of Cancer, China's Urban vs. Rural Divide, Aging Baby Boomers |
China's Coal Power Pollution - Through China's use of coal, it is the largest greenhouse gases emitter in the world. The negative pollution impacts from coal on China's farming could increase... read more 10670 views | Related: Coal Power, Fuel Tech (FTEK), Renewable Energy | Mobile Phone Adoption in Developing Countries - Wireless SubscribersInternational Mobile phone adoption is a source of tremendous growth in wireless industry. Penetration rates for the U.S.... read more 9703 views | Related: Nokia (NOK), QUALCOMM (QCOM), SBA Communications (SBAC) |
Mobile Phone Usage in China - For more information, see Mobile Phone Adoption in Developing Countries.
China: the next big mobile phone gold mine?
China's mobile telephony market can make or... read more 9074 views | Related: China Mobile (Hong Kong) (CHL), Nokia (NOK), 3G | China's Water Scarcity -
China has both water shortages and water quality issues. This has significant implications for:
China's ability to produce its own ethanol fuel
The sustainability... read more 8840 views | Related: China's Coal Power Pollution, Biofuels, Renewable Energy |
China's Internet Growth - Chinese use of the Internet is skyrocketing. This creates opportunities for both foreign and home-grown search engine and Internet advertising companies. Online... read more 8266 views | Related: Google (GOOG), China's Internet Crackdown, Focus Media Holding (FMCN) | Luxury Consumption in China - A rapidly expanding middle and upper class in China seeks to enhance its identity and quality of life with luxury goods. Top growth categories for luxury goods in... read more 7819 views | Related: Rise of China's Middle Class, Luxury Consumption, Auto Makers |
China's Piracy & Counterfeiting Problems - China's inability to safeguard intellectual property rights limits the manufacturing of high-end technology goods in China and erodes the value of... read more 6893 views | Related: Baidu.com (BIDU), Microsoft (MSFT), Electronic Arts (ERTS) | Outsourcing to China - Investors betting on the growth of business process outsourcing (BPO) to China should focus on engineering and IT areas of investments, because these job functions are... read more 5982 views | Related: Infosys Technologies (INFY), J. Crew Group (JCG), Dell (DELL) |
Revaluing the Yuan - This article discusses the valuation of the yuan relative to the US dollar. For more information on the currency, see Chinese Renminbi (CNY)
Many argue that the Chinese... read more 5768 views | Related: Interest Rates, ArcelorMittal (MT), Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) | China's Internet Crackdown - China's reputation for censorship extends to its restrictions on Internet access in that country. This will impact Chinese bloggers, who may have to register... read more 3962 views | Related: Baidu.com (BIDU), Cisco Systems (CSCO), China's Internet Growth |
U.S.-China Anti-Dumping Laws -
This article is about a specific legislative remedy sometimes employed to counteract a trade imbalance. For a larger discussion of trade between the U.S. and... read more 2959 views | Related: International Paper Company (IP), IPSCO (IPS), ArcelorMittal (MT) | China Enters the World M&A Stage -
As China increasingly becomes a player in the acquisitions of foreign companies, certain companies are poised to benefit. Investment banks with a strong... read more 2888 views | Related: Blackstone Group (BX), CNOOC, Ltd. (CEO), Chevron Corporation (CVX) |
| See all 14 articles in this category |
Erectile dysfunction drug market -
Erectile dysfunction (ED) refers to the condition of being unable to develop or maintain an erection of the penis. It is estimated that 10 to 20 million... read more 20698 views | Related: Aetna (AET), AFLAC (AFL), Aging Baby Boomers | China's Aging Population - The Chinese population is rapidly aging, due to a lower mortality rate and the one child policy. This will lead to a pension problem for the Chinese government and... read more 17042 views | Related: Incidence of Cancer, China's Urban vs. Rural Divide, Aging Baby Boomers |
Aging Baby Boomers -
As the Baby Boomers continue to enter retirement, the U.S. faces one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in its history. The baby boom ran from 1946 to 1960, during... read more 14604 views | Related: Charles Schwab (SCHW), Affordable Residential Communities (ARC), Walgreen Company (WAG) | China's Coal Power Pollution - Through China's use of coal, it is the largest greenhouse gases emitter in the world. The negative pollution impacts from coal on China's farming could increase... read more 10670 views | Related: Coal Power, Fuel Tech (FTEK), Renewable Energy |
Cardiac Disease - In modern times, cardiac disease has emerged as the leading cause of death worldwide, particularly in developed countries. The World Health Organization reported that 16.7... read more 9102 views | Related: Medtronic (MDT), Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Pfizer (PFE) | Diabetes drug market -
Diabetes is the syndrome of having excess blood sugar due to low levels of insulin or insulin resistance. Approximately 21 million individuals in the U.S. have diabetes,... read more 8418 views | Related: Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Aetna (AET), AFLAC (AFL) |
Natural & Organic Foods Consumption -
Organic and natural foods are those produced au naturel, without the use of any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or additives. Organic foods were... read more 7252 views | Related: Panera Bread Company (PNRA), Kraft Foods (KFT), United Natural Foods (UNFI) | Health & Wellness -
The term "health and wellness" has become a powerful tool for marketers in various industries. As people decide to change their habits and pursue healthier lifestyles,... read more 7128 views | Related: McDonald's (MCD), Pepsico (PEP), Yum! Brands (YUM) |
Incidence of Cancer -
In modern times, cancer has emerged as a leading cause of death, particularly in developed countries. Whereas vaccines and cures have eliminated many of the diseases... read more 6443 views | Related: Dendreon (DNDN), Novartis AG (NVS), Genentech (DNA) | Clinical trials -
Clinical trials are the process by which a new drug's safety and effectiveness are tested as part of the FDA approval process. When a company discovers and develops a new... read more 6269 views | Related: Eli Lilly and Company (LLY), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) |
Obesity -
Worldwide levels of obesity are rising, a trend especially pronounced in the United States. Obesity--both morbid and not--has been linked to a number of serious diseases, especially... read more 4865 views | Related: Pfizer (PFE), McDonald's (MCD), Arena Pharmaceuticals (ARNA) | Medicare - Medicare is a government program that covers most health care costs for people 65 and older, as well as individuals undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney failure. Medicare covers... read more 4680 views | Related: Amgen (AMGN), Medtronic (MDT), Advanced Medical Optics (EYE) |
Influenza outbreak -
Influenza, or the flu, is a common infectious disease, which can be deadly to individuals with compromised immune systems (the very young, the very old, and those with... read more 4029 views | Related: Contagious Diseases, AstraZeneca (AZN), Biota Holdings (BTA-AU) | Pharmaceuticals - Political pressure -
Prescription drug prices are often brought up in debates about the U.S. health care system as a whole. Many claim that pharmaceutical companies overcharge... read more 3099 views | Related: Pfizer (PFE), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) |
Lasik Surgery - Lasik surgery is a surgical procedure to correct vision.
Because laser vision correction is not covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or most private insurance plans, consumers must pay... read more 1221 views | Related: Advanced Medical Optics (EYE), Alcon Inc. (ACL), Bausch & Lomb | |
| See all 15 articles in this category |
U.S. Economic Cycles -
For information about the issues affecting the U.S. economy in 2008, see 2008 Financial Crisis and 2009 Financial Crisis.
The concept of Economic Cycles, which are... read more 67501 views | Related: Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Altria Group (MO), FedEx (FDX) | Interest Rates -
This article describes the impact of interest rates. A related concept is the Yield Curve.
An interest rate is the cost of borrowing money. Among the many industries affected... read more 29631 views | Related: Subprime lending, U.S. Housing Market, Goldman Sachs Group (GS) |
Private Equity - Private equity refers to a type of investment aimed at gaining significant, or even complete, control of a company in the hopes of earning a high return. As the name implies,... read more 10016 views | Related: Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Bank of America (BAC), Blackstone Group (BX) | Revaluing the Yuan - This article discusses the valuation of the yuan relative to the US dollar. For more information on the currency, see Chinese Renminbi (CNY)
Many argue that the Chinese... read more 5768 views | Related: Interest Rates, ArcelorMittal (MT), Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) |
Auction Rate Securities -
Auction Rate Securities are a type of long term bond which, via weekly (or monthly) "auctions", allow holders to sell off the debt to others and recoup their money at... read more 2972 views | Related: Cash equivalent, Certificate of Deposit (CD), Citigroup (C) | China Enters the World M&A Stage -
As China increasingly becomes a player in the acquisitions of foreign companies, certain companies are poised to benefit. Investment banks with a strong... read more 2888 views | Related: Blackstone Group (BX), CNOOC, Ltd. (CEO), Chevron Corporation (CVX) |
The Penny -
Politicians have occasionally called for the elimination of the penny, which costs 1.7 cents for the U.S. mint to manufacture.[1] In 1989, Representatives James Hayes, of... read more 1324 views | Related: Coinstar (CSTR), Jarden (JAH) | Bank Stress Tests -
A stress test is an assessment or evaluation of a bank's balance sheet to determine if it is viable as a business or likely to go bankrupt instead. It is a colloquial term... read more 408 views | Related: 2008 Financial Crisis, American Express Company (AXP), Assets |
Wall Street Bonuses -
See also Executive Compensation.
The term Wall Street bonuses is generally used to describe the year-end cash bonuses paid to New York City bankers, brokers and traders in... read more 390 views | Related: Executive Compensation, American International Group (AIG), Bank holding company | |
| See all 9 articles in this category |
U.S. Economic Cycles -
For information about the issues affecting the U.S. economy in 2008, see 2008 Financial Crisis and 2009 Financial Crisis.
The concept of Economic Cycles, which are... read more 67501 views | Related: Goldman Sachs Group (GS), Altria Group (MO), FedEx (FDX) | Interest Rates -
This article describes the impact of interest rates. A related concept is the Yield Curve.
An interest rate is the cost of borrowing money. Among the many industries affected... read more 29631 views | Related: Subprime lending, U.S. Housing Market, Goldman Sachs Group (GS) |
Government Regulatory Agencies -
A regulatory agency is a government department that has responsibility over the legislation (acts and regulations) for a given sector. Regulatory agencies exist... read more 15109 views | Related: ConAgra Foods (CAG), J.M. Smucker Company (SJM), Microsoft (MSFT) | Aging Baby Boomers -
As the Baby Boomers continue to enter retirement, the U.S. faces one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in its history. The baby boom ran from 1946 to 1960, during... read more 14604 views | Related: Charles Schwab (SCHW), Affordable Residential Communities (ARC), Walgreen Company (WAG) |
Carbon Trading - Carbon emissions in action, EPA
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from the observations in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread... read more 12264 views | Related: Solar Power, Renewable Energy, Coal Power | Global Climate Change - Global warming could mean more freak storms like Hurricane Katrina, pictured above--bad news for insurance companies.
Global Climate Change is a term that refers to the... read more 10421 views | Related: Suntech Power Holdings (STP), Hurricane Season, MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) |
Election 2008 - The two main candidates, Barack Obama (Democrat) and John McCain (Republican), differ greatly in their approach to the economy. On points ranging from how deal with rising... read more 8559 views | Related: First Solar (FSLR), Aerospace & Defense, Alcatel-Lucent (ALU) | Clean Coal - When we say coal is "dirty", its more than the soot on your fingers when you pick up a briquette to put in your barbeque. When coal is burned in power plants and factories, the... read more 8488 views | Related: Carbon Trading, Arch Coal (ACI), China's Water Scarcity |
Oil's Nationalization & Geo-Political Turbulence - Hugo Chavez explains the recent trends in oil prices
In Venezuela, oil generates 80% of the country's total export revenues and... read more 6506 views | Related: Exxon Mobil (XOM), Royal Dutch Shell (RDS'A), STATOIL ASA (STO) | U.S. Energy Regulations - President Bush and the Secretary of Energy review a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) facility, which the Energy Policy Act of 2005 supported
Untangling the web of... read more 6344 views | Related: Carbon Trading, Entergy (ETR), Cellulosic ethanol |
Clinical trials -
Clinical trials are the process by which a new drug's safety and effectiveness are tested as part of the FDA approval process. When a company discovers and develops a new... read more 6269 views | Related: Eli Lilly and Company (LLY), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (BMY), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | Outsourcing to China - Investors betting on the growth of business process outsourcing (BPO) to China should focus on engineering and IT areas of investments, because these job functions are... read more 5982 views | Related: Infosys Technologies (INFY), J. Crew Group (JCG), Dell (DELL) |
Medicare - Medicare is a government program that covers most health care costs for people 65 and older, as well as individuals undergoing dialysis treatment for kidney failure. Medicare covers... read more 4680 views | Related: Amgen (AMGN), Medtronic (MDT), Advanced Medical Optics (EYE) | Antitrust Legislation -
US antitrust legislation or "competition law" focuses on three kinds of activity discouraging to competition: monopoly, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), and price... read more 4446 views | Related: Microsoft (MSFT), Apple (AAPL), CBS (CBS) |
China's Internet Crackdown - China's reputation for censorship extends to its restrictions on Internet access in that country. This will impact Chinese bloggers, who may have to register... read more 3962 views | Related: Baidu.com (BIDU), Cisco Systems (CSCO), China's Internet Growth | Immigration - US Immigrant Population by Region or Origin (000s)
The United States is the single largest economy in the world and arguably the most liberal. It is therefore not surprising... read more 3146 views | Related: Western Union Company (WU), Wells Fargo (WFC), Moneygram International (MGI) |
Pharmaceuticals - Political pressure -
Prescription drug prices are often brought up in debates about the U.S. health care system as a whole. Many claim that pharmaceutical companies overcharge... read more 3099 views | Related: Pfizer (PFE), UnitedHealth Group (UNH), GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) | U.S.-China Anti-Dumping Laws -
This article is about a specific legislative remedy sometimes employed to counteract a trade imbalance. For a larger discussion of trade between the U.S. and... read more 2959 views | Related: International Paper Company (IP), IPSCO (IPS), ArcelorMittal (MT) |
The Farm Bill - The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 is wide-reaching legislation touching farming, energy, forestry, and nutrition, among other industries. Over 90% of the funding... read more 2033 views | Related: Sara Lee (SLE), Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM), Coca-Cola Company (KO) | Shape-Based Postage Regulations -
On May 14, 2007, the United States Postal Service (USPS) changed its pricing to take into account the shape of a letter in addition to its weight. The change... read more 1401 views | Related: Francotyp Postalia, Neopost, Amazon.com (AMZN) |
| See all 20 articles in this category |
U.S. Housing Market -
The U.S. housing market includes the construction, sale, and resale, of all residential properties across the country. Even though it's only focused on housing, conditions... read more 32155 views | Related: Subprime lending, Home Depot (HD), Interest Rates | Interest Rates -
This article describes the impact of interest rates. A related concept is the Yield Curve.
An interest rate is the cost of borrowing money. Among the many industries affected... read more 29631 views | Related: Subprime lending, U.S. Housing Market, Goldman Sachs Group (GS) |
New Home Construction - This is a concept page on New Home Construction. Click to view the Residential Construction industry page.
New home construction is a surprisingly complicated process... read more 7758 views | Related: Subprime lending, Black & Decker (BDK), Plum Creek Timber Company (PCL) | Mortgage Market Meltdown -
Rapidly increasing defaults in the mortgage market finally reached the point where market participants realized that assumptions underlying the whole mortgage... read more 3933 views | Related: Repo |
| See all 4 articles in this category |
Big Three Auto Woes -
In recent years, the recurring troubles of the American Big 3 automakers have been coming to a head. General Motors (GM), Ford, and Chrysler face a host of problems.... read more 14149 views | Related: US Steel (X), Toyota Motor (TM), Ford Motor Company (F) | Airline Travel - Southwest Airlines was one of the few US airline companies with the foresight -- and the balance sheet -- to hedge oil prices years ago.
Most commercial airline companies... read more 10709 views | Related: United Airlines (UAUA), American Airlines (AMR), Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ) |
Rising Worldwide Demand for Energy - Worldwide energy consumption is destined to grow...
...across all fuel types
The 2008 World Energy Outlook, published by the International Energy Agency,... read more 8624 views | Related: China's Energy Appetite, Wind Energy, Coal Power | |
| See all 3 articles in this category |
Game Consoles Wars: Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii - Video games are a fast growing form of entertainment and have captured a similar market size as the movie box office and music sales. In 2008, the... read more 35551 views | Related: Microsoft (MSFT), Nintendo (NTDOY), Sony (SNE) | 3G -
Mobile telephones, the 1st generation of which were introduced in the mid-1980's, have been constantly evolving since their inception. Today, over 2B mobile phones are in usage and... read more 17543 views | Related: Mobile Phone Usage in China, Apple (AAPL), Broadcom (BRCM) |
Impact of Internet Advertising - The breadth of U.S. advertisers across virtually all industries means that growth of advertising spend is highly correlated with the GDP, a measure of the... read more 13798 views | Related: Google (GOOG), New York Times Company (NYT), Yahoo! (YHOO) | Rock Band vs. Guitar Hero -
Whether you are a hardcore gamer or a casual player, you've probably heard of Rock Band and Guitar Hero, video games that are allowing people without musical ability... read more 11921 views | Related: Game Consoles Wars: Xbox 360 vs. PS3 vs. Wii, Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Electronic Arts (ERTS) |
IPod Effect - In April 2007, Apple celebrated its 100 millionth iPod sale, claiming that it was the fastest selling music player in history. Indeed, after its introduction a little over five... read more 9740 views | Related: Apple (AAPL), IPhone, Broadcom (BRCM) | Digital Outdoor Advertising - Digital outdoor advertising is turning old media into new media and a sluggish outdoor advertising industry into a growth industry. With digital signage becoming a... read more 9008 views | Related: Daktronics (DAKT), Lamar Advertising Company (LAMR), Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings (CCO) |
Blu-ray vs. HD DVD -
As of mid February, 2008, the battle for supremacy in high-definition DVD technology is over. Toshiba has officially surrendered to Sony in the most expensive format war... read more 8974 views | Related: Sony (SNE), Toshiba (TOSBF), Netflix (NFLX) | China's Internet Growth - Chinese use of the Internet is skyrocketing. This creates opportunities for both foreign and home-grown search engine and Internet advertising companies. Online... read more 8266 views | Related: Google (GOOG), China's Internet Crackdown, Focus Media Holding (FMCN) |
Social media -
Social media describes websites that allow users to share content, media, etc. Common examples are the popular social networking sites like Friendster, Facebook, MySpace, etc. ... read more 7882 views | Related: MySpace, Yahoo! (YHOO), Google (GOOG) | Sex and Porn -
Sex and porn have grown from small, somewhat underground markets into increasingly mainstream industries. While most still consider sex itself to be a private act, the topic has... read more 7568 views | Related: Playboy Enterprises (PLA), Private Media Group (PRVT), SSL International (SLSLF) |
China's Piracy & Counterfeiting Problems - China's inability to safeguard intellectual property rights limits the manufacturing of high-end technology goods in China and erodes the value of... read more 6893 views | Related: Baidu.com (BIDU), Microsoft (MSFT), Electronic Arts (ERTS) | Online Video - The explosive growth of Google's YouTube and video-sharing services such as BitTorrent has led to a dramatic increase in the amount of data traversing the internet -- Google CEO... read more 5665 views | Related: Google (GOOG), Cisco Systems (CSCO), Akamai Technologies (AKAM) |
LCD -
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are used to in flat-panel monitors and high-end flat-panel television. Recently, the market for LCDs has exploded as flat screen monitors and televisions... read more 4067 views | Related: 3M Company (MMM), Daktronics (DAKT), Best Buy (BBY) | China's Internet Crackdown - China's reputation for censorship extends to its restrictions on Internet access in that country. This will impact Chinese bloggers, who may have to register... read more 3962 views | Related: Baidu.com (BIDU), Cisco Systems (CSCO), China's Internet Growth |
Growth of Home Entertainment Sector -
The technology breakthroughs of the past decade have changed the possibilities for home entertainment, and media firms, technology companies, and consumer... read more 3882 views | Related: Planar Systems (PLNR), Activision Blizzard (ATVI), Apple (AAPL) | Digital Television - On February 17, 2009, due to a mandate from the U.S. Congress, all analog television broadcasting in the United States will be switched over to digital broadcasts.[1] In... read more 1878 views | Related: Best Buy (BBY), Circuit City Stores (CCTYQ), Comcast (CMCSA) |
| See all 16 articles in this category |
Hurricane Season - Hurricanes are a fact of life along the gulf coast and Southeastern United States. The Atlantic hurricane season typically begins around the beginning of June and lasts until... read more 26913 views | Related: Allstate (ALL), Exxon Mobil (XOM), Lowe's Companies (LOW) | Carbon Trading - Carbon emissions in action, EPA
"Warming of the climate system is unequivocal, as is now evident from the observations in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread... read more 12264 views | Related: Solar Power, Renewable Energy, Coal Power |
China's Coal Power Pollution - Through China's use of coal, it is the largest greenhouse gases emitter in the world. The negative pollution impacts from coal on China's farming could increase... read more 10670 views | Related: Coal Power, Fuel Tech (FTEK), Renewable Energy | Global Climate Change - Global warming could mean more freak storms like Hurricane Katrina, pictured above--bad news for insurance companies.
Global Climate Change is a term that refers to the... read more 10421 views | Related: Suntech Power Holdings (STP), Hurricane Season, MEMC Electronic Materials (WFR) |
Cellulosic ethanol - It’s hard to open a newspaper without finding a story about biofuels, and in particular, ethanol. Most cars in Brazil can run on 100% ethanol.
Ethanol, if blended with... read more 9484 views | Related: Diversa (DVSA), Biofuels, Renewable Energy | China's Water Scarcity -
China has both water shortages and water quality issues. This has significant implications for:
China's ability to produce its own ethanol fuel
The sustainability... read more 8840 views | Related: China's Coal Power Pollution, Biofuels, Renewable Energy |
Rising Worldwide Demand for Energy - Worldwide energy consumption is destined to grow...
...across all fuel types
The 2008 World Energy Outlook, published by the International Energy Agency,... read more 8624 views | Related: China's Energy Appetite, Wind Energy, Coal Power | Clean Coal - When we say coal is "dirty", its more than the soot on your fingers when you pick up a briquette to put in your barbeque. When coal is burned in power plants and factories, the... read more 8488 views | Related: Carbon Trading, Arch Coal (ACI), China's Water Scarcity |
U.S. Energy Regulations - President Bush and the Secretary of Energy review a Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) facility, which the Energy Policy Act of 2005 supported
Untangling the web of... read more 6344 views | Related: Carbon Trading, Entergy (ETR), Cellulosic ethanol | Peak Oil - Peak oil refers to the mountainous shaped "peak" on the graph of global oil production. Oil must first be discovered, then produced, and will eventually be depleted. Peak Oil is not a... read more 6339 views | Related: PGSanalyst, Airline Travel, British Airways (LON:BAY) |
ANWR Oil Drilling - To drill, or not to drill. That's the $400 billion question that's been tossed around in Congress for the past 30 years. For Shell, Exxon, and the other Oil & Gas Majors,... read more 634 views | Related: Biofuels, Carbon Trading, Cellulosic ethanol | |
| See all 11 articles in this category |
IPhone - click to enlarge image
Apple released the iPhone on June 29th, 2007 to a thunderstorm of media hype and high expectations. A runaway success, 6 million iPhones were sold within one... read more 24398 views | Related: Apple (AAPL), Research in Motion (RIMM), Marvell Technology Group (MRVL) | Rise of China's Middle Class - Increasing prosperity among the Chinese populace is creating a new market for Western retailers who previously envisioned China solely as a supplier of goods. ... read more 20313 views | Related: Luxury Consumption in China, Best Buy (BBY), Home Depot (HD) |
Luxury Consumption - Demand for luxury goods can be seen as a bellweather of burgeoning economies, as wealthy population segments consume more leather goods, clothes, watches, liquor and other... read more 16162 views | Related: Luxury Consumption in China, LVMH Moet Hennessy L.V. (LVMUY), Coach (COH) | Private Label Trends - Private labels as % of 2006 sales for the top four U.S. grocery retailers
Private label describes products manufactured for sale under a specific retailer‘s brand. ... read more 10934 views | Related: Costco Wholesale (COST), Kroger Company (KR), Del Monte Foods Company (DLM) |
Luxury Consumption in China - A rapidly expanding middle and upper class in China seeks to enhance its identity and quality of life with luxury goods. Top growth categories for luxury goods in... read more 7819 views | Related: Rise of China's Middle Class, Luxury Consumption, Auto Makers | Sex and Porn -
Sex and porn have grown from small, somewhat underground markets into increasingly mainstream industries. While most still consider sex itself to be a private act, the topic has... read more 7568 views | Related: Playboy Enterprises (PLA), Private Media Group (PRVT), SSL International (SLSLF) |
Natural & Organic Foods Consumption -
Organic and natural foods are those produced au naturel, without the use of any chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or additives. Organic foods were... read more 7252 views | Related: Panera Bread Company (PNRA), Kraft Foods (KFT), United Natural Foods (UNFI) | Key Fashion Trends -
[edit] Women's Dress Sales Surge
In the 12 months ending April 30, 2007, dress sales had increased by 30%, compared to a 5% increase for overall women's clothing,... read more 6206 views | Related: Target (TGT), Lululemon (LULU), Aeropostale (ARO) |
Supermarket Consolidation -
Supermarket consolidation has changed the grocery retail landscape in the U.S. and beyond. Originally, supermarkets rose to prominence by selling numerous types of... read more 4714 views | Related: Wal*Mart's Impact, Target (TGT), Clorox Company (CLX) | Wal*Mart's Impact -
Since its founding in 1962, Wal-Mart has completely revolutionized the retail industry. Its emphasis on low prices and efficiency has spread throughout the industry,... read more 4216 views | Related: Revlon (REV), Supermarket Consolidation, Target (TGT) |
LCD -
Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) are used to in flat-panel monitors and high-end flat-panel television. Recently, the market for LCDs has exploded as flat screen monitors and televisions... read more 4067 views | Related: 3M Company (MMM), Daktronics (DAKT), Best Buy (BBY) | |
| See all 11 articles in this category |
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