@anthonyp said:
just a question---what would make mobile payments profitable for them? I just don`t understand....Tony
That's a good question. However, I will take John Scully's word that this would be huge. I imagine that Apple would take some sort of a cut for each mobil transaction.
I thought everybody was already paying their bills with their smartphones. I know my daughter in law does. Does all her banking remotely with her phone. Most companies give you a discount for auto-pay by CC. Then I only have one bill to pay each month. It would be interesting to see how they can make it any easier.
Apple is a late-comer to the mobile payments game as rival Google has been experimenting with so-called e-wallet technology for some time. In some implementations, Android handsets carry NFC technology that, in concert with Google Wallet, allow for touchless payments at supported POS systems. Despite early efforts and proliferation of smart devices that would serve as optimal platforms for the tech, a clear market frontrunner has yet to emerge.
@gagrice said:
I thought everybody was already paying their bills with their smartphones. I know my daughter in law does. Does all her banking remotely with her phone. Most companies give you a discount for auto-pay by CC. Then I only have one bill to pay each month. It would be interesting to see how they can make it any easier.
Apple is a late-comer to the mobile payments game as rival Google has been experimenting with so-called e-wallet technology for some time. In some implementations, Android handsets carry NFC technology that, in concert with Google Wallet, allow for touchless payments at supported POS systems. Despite early efforts and proliferation of smart devices that would serve as optimal platforms for the tech, a clear market frontrunner has yet to emerge.
How would that work at say a gas pump? I can see it in the grocery store as they have a scanner, but still I wouldnt want to really change just using my credit card.....In the office, with a high volume of checks, they just scan the check at the outlying location and the actual check doesnt physically get deposited, but the number and deposit takes place electronically....I`m just not sure how anyone is going to make big inroads and thereby make substantial sums of money? just curious Tony
Apple has already applied for patents in mobile purchasing systems. What Apple is looking to do is eliminate the banks as the processor of the payment. They have 535 million iTunes account holders and will use iTunes as a way to process the payment, eliminate the bank and collect the commission now paid to the bank. The payment will still be charged to your CC with the profit coming from the difference between what Apple charges and pays for the processing.
How would that work at say a gas pump?
It's all based on near field communication. You hold your NFC equipped phone near the pump which connects with it. You then approve the payment with your thumb print - another piece of tech expected on the next iPhone - and a receipt is e-mailed to you.
Currently, there is a gas station chain in New England - Cumberland Farms - that has an app that allows you to pay with your phone using the gps. All you need to do is enter the pump number.
@fintail said:
7000...I think only the most sketchy and rabid PM shills would actually claim that one.
2009 we dropped to 7000 in May. That was more than a 50% drop from the peak in Oct 2007. So why would an 8000 Dow be so far fetched? I rode the last one out with my IRA in Fidelity Mutuals. I feel safer with cash for this one.
goldprice.org ran a piece last year saying gold could go down to $750 an oz. I think the current housing bubble in CA and FL are a result of people pulling money out of other investments and dumping it into Real Estate. I have never seen so many Cash RE buyers. Maybe that is just the explosion in the number of new millionaires. Even Detroit has 3.4% more millionaires than a year ago. Most a result of the Stock market I would guess. How high, or how low can the Dow Go??
I've read a lot of housing increases in many areas are due to institutional buyers - in other places, it has to do with having just enough well-paid people who have fallen for real estate cabal propaganda and think prices can always only go up (also see the entire populations of Vancouver and Toronto).
Markets are indeed exaggerated a bit, but I don't see them halving themselves without an external disaster to help them along.
Houston, one of those fun places with a lot of wealth, much connected to the coddled oil industry (I won't get started), yet a lot of poverty and somewhat second world conditions. Kind of a banana republic setup there.
I know you and others like Rocky will make jokes about TX and the South in General. They are doing a better job educating the kids of all races than the NW USA.
Maybe, but also, maybe a diploma is given to anyone who can fog a mirror. Simply awarding a diploma doesn't make for quality education. And maybe kind of moot as a high school diploma has little value no matter where it comes from anyway.
@fintail said:
Maybe, but also, maybe a diploma is given to anyone who can fog a mirror. Simply awarding a diploma doesn't make for quality education. And maybe kind of moot as a high school diploma has little value no matter where it comes from anyway.
@fintail said:
Of course the person matters most. I was just saying that taking diplomas at face value might not be an accurate gauge of anything.
The two things most asked for in any MW job today is a HS diploma and drug test. While it does not mean a whole lot as we know what they have probably learned in HS, it is still a basic job requirement unless daddy owns the company.
I have found it interesting on this and other threads the debate this government statistic has wrought. From what I see on the street I wonder if 25% of graduating HS seniors are capable of holding down an entry level job, in any state.
Just like most basic cube dwelling desk jobs today want a 4 year degree - unless you have an "in", of course.
And I wonder if those who drop out of HS are necessarily worse as workers. Kids drop out for many reasons other than lack of ability. All the more reason a skilled trades/vocational route is needed - not every kid is fit for college or university, and much of the "higher" education game is dopey anyway, a somewhat sketchy industry like many.
@fintail said:
Just like most basic cube dwelling desk jobs today want a 4 year degree - unless you have an "in", of course.
And I wonder if those who drop out of HS are necessarily worse as workers. Kids drop out for many reasons other than lack of ability. All the more reason a skilled trades/vocational route is needed - not every kid is fit for college or university, and much of the "higher" education game is dopey anyway, a somewhat sketchy industry like many.
Totally agree. With 44% of college grads unemployed or underemployed it should be obvious we are not filling the need. If there are indeed millions of unfilled jobs we should be focusing on the skills that are needed.
And there's an simple solution - overhaul the education system, make it more than college or nothing. It works in other places, many of which exceed American standards in one way or another. The unfilled jobs problem has many facets and sometimes employers have blame too, but the foundation is broken in many fields.
@gagrice said:
Totally agree. With 44% of college grads unemployed or underemployed it should be obvious we are not filling the need. If there are indeed millions of unfilled jobs we should be focusing on the skills that are needed.
@fintail said:
And there's an simple solution - overhaul the education system, make it more than college or nothing. It works in other places, many of which exceed American standards in one way or another. The unfilled jobs problem has many facets and sometimes employers have blame too, but the foundation is broken in many fields.
The Governor of TN is doing more than just lip service on education. TN is not only one of the highest rated school systems in the US, Now this:
Gov. Bill Haslam, in his final State of the State address before seeking re-election this fall, unveiled a plan Monday night to waive tuition for students at community colleges and technology centers.
The Republican governor proposed setting aside $300 million from the Tennessee Education Lottery to fund an endowment that would cover all tuition and fees to two-year institutions for all graduating high school seniors. The plan also calls for reducing Hope scholarships for incoming students at four-year universities by $1,000 for the first two years.
Will Apple do as well as Tesla to spin away fears of fire?
Kennebunk student’s iPhone catches fire in pocket
The girl is treated for second-degree burns at a Biddeford hospital.
By David Hench dhench@pressherald.com
Staff Writer
A middle school student in Kennebunk suffered second-degree burns Friday when her iPhone caught fire in her pants pocket just before a class, said her family and school officials.
The eighth-grader sustained burns on one thigh and her back, and was taken to Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford for treatment.
Yes, I've read TN is improving education policy, and fares better than most in that region. I hope vo/tech schools are part of that 2 year plan, as the nation needs more emphasis there.
Iphone fire is a battery issue or something from an off brand charger, no doubt. Lots of iphones out there in the cult, I wouldn't worry about one incident or even dozens yet.
@fintail said:
Just like most basic cube dwelling desk jobs today want a 4 year degree - unless you have an "in", of course.
And I wonder if those who drop out of HS are necessarily worse as workers. Kids drop out for many reasons other than lack of ability. All the more reason a skilled trades/vocational route is needed - not every kid is fit for college or university, and much of the "higher" education game is dopey anyway, a somewhat sketchy industry like many.
I agree with you about the trade/vocation education....I find most young people to have alot of ambition, but just dont know how to get started....I am also one of the types of people who enjoy doing thing using my mind and hands oncertain` outdoor types of jobs...It is very for-filling for me, but not necessarily that financially rewarding....There just are many types of problems trying to navigate a schooling system for a large country, and I sure do not have the answer, but do think the variety of higher education could be strengthened...Tony
Google Inc. (GOOG:US) briefly surpassed Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM:US) as the second-most valuable company, trailing only Apple (AAPL:US) Inc. and underscoring the growing role of technology in the economy.
Google, which became the world’s largest online advertiser through its dominant search engine, had a higher market capitalization during intraday trading today before falling back at the close in New York to a value of $395.4 billion compared to Exxon’s $395.7 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Apple had a market value of $463.5 billion. Software company Microsoft Corp. is No. 4 with $303.5 billion.
Is it just me or do these 5 suicides seem Vince Foster like? Or what did these banking CEOs from around the globe know that would cause them to end their lives?
Last week we reported on the bizarre deaths of four major international bankers within less than a week. Now a fifth has joined them, and police are once again ruling it a suicide. Richard Talley, 57, the founder and CEO of American Title Services in Centennial, Colorado, has reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head – multiple times – with a nail gun.
They seemed to be there with the stories. MSM don't seem interested in the 5 CEO suicides in a little over a week. I am no fan of banksters. Just seems strange 5 would take their own lives in several countries at about the same time.
The bulls continue to dominate at Tesla, as shares hit an all-time new high of 202.72, and closed at 199.63, a new closing high. It'll be interesting to see whether the price holds above 200 or sells off after earnings are reported next week.
I believe that the stock is priced for perfection, and is vulnerable, but a stock can remain overpriced for a long time. I owned Tesla for a time, made a profit, but got out early. Hindsight suggests I could have done better, but hindsight is, as they say, golden. Time will tell whether Tesla shares are overpriced, but I'd feel uncomfortable owning them now.
He leads a company that some would consider the epitome of ruthless global capitalism. But Apple chief executive Tim Cook has shocked some in the US with an impassioned attack on the single-minded pursuit of profit – and a direct appeal to climate-change deniers not to buy shares in his firm.
Eyewitnesses said Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs as boss of the technology giant in 2011, was visibly angry as he took on a group of right-wing investors during a question-and-answer session at a shareholders’ meeting.
Responding to calls from the National Centre for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative think tank and investor, for Apple to refrain from putting money in green energy projects that were not profitable, he shot back that Apple did “a lot of things for reasons besides profit motive”. The chief executive added: “We want to leave the world better than we found it.”
Addressing he NCPPR representative directly, he said: “If you want me to do things only for ROI [return on investment] reasons, you should get out of this stock.”
...bravo to Tim Cook. IMHO, companies have a responsibility to take into account more than the bottom line. As companies grow, their impact on society goes far beyond the shareholder. What good is chasing the final penny of profit if the company leaves the world worse off?
@robr2 said:
...bravo to Tim Cook. IMHO, companies have a responsibility to take into account more than the bottom line. As companies grow, their impact on society goes far beyond the shareholder. What good is chasing the final penny of profit if the company leaves the world worse off?
Powering their facilities with alternative energy is probably wise with the out of control cost of utilities in CA. I do think the stockholders should have the right to know where corporate money is being spent. I thought that was part of the mandatory SEC filing? Or are they under Irish corporate laws????
If Apple is going to take a self-rightous attitude, it's time to look more closely at their factories and the pay for workers. That needs to set a good example for The World. Also those factories need to use environmentally-friendly power. How's that working in China?
@imidazol97 said:
If Apple is going to take a self-rightous attitude, it's time to look more closely at their factories and the pay for workers. That needs to set a good example for The World. Also those factories need to use environmentally-friendly power. How's that working in China?
Every time their is a crisis in the Chinese factories Cook will act all surprised and vow to fix it. They will set up a little token factory in the USA to assemble parts from around the World and tout their American Patriotism. You have to be careful on this thread as it is about 90% pro Apple. They are in the elite group with GE & the Utilitiy companies that make $billions and pay little or no US taxes. It is kind of like NY Governor saying if you do not believe as I do get out of NY. Part of the massive division in this country.
@gagrice said:
I do think the stockholders should have the right to know where corporate money is being
spent. I thought that was part of the mandatory SEC filing?
And they have that right - it's all right there in the annual report. There probably isn't a distinct line item that says "money spent on not trashing the environment" but all corporate expenditures are in the annual reports. If Apple approved their request, then they would have to deal with every activist shareholder demanding to know how much they spend on lunches for meetings or what the tape used to seal the boxes is made from.
IMHO, this group purchased the needed $2000 in Apple stock and made this proposal in order to poke at Apple. Did this ultra conservative group really expect the CEO of Apple to say "sure, we'll stop spending money on any green initiatives to appease you."
The shareholders voted this proposal down as well as every other shareholder proposal including one on creating an independent Human Rights Board and one from Icahn asking for a cash distribution.
@robr2 said:
The shareholders voted this proposal down as well as every other shareholder proposal including one on creating an independent Human Rights Board and one from Icahn asking for a cash distribution.
Apple is kind of a target for the Left and the Right. For different reasons of course. I wonder how many so called progressives that hate the fact that Apple builds 99% of their products off shore, still carry an iPad, iPhone and MacAir?
@gagrice said:
Apple is kind of a target for the Left and the Right. For different reasons of course. I wonder how many so called progressives that hate the fact that Apple builds 99% of their products off shore, still carry an iPad, iPhone and MacAir?
That would be an even much higher percentage than the group with the pro-Obama stickers on their foreign brand car running around not supporting their party/ government-supported UAW.
Those Prius driving sticker wearers are even worse than failed supposed rightist candidates who lose an election, see their sad entitled princess wife, then go out and buy an Audi.
Regarding Apple products, I have an old secondhand ipod and nothing else. I know a lot of iphone cultists though. People seem to become addicted to something so simple that you don't need to think.
@robr2 said:
...bravo to Tim Cook. IMHO, companies have a responsibility to take into account more than the bottom line. As companies grow, their impact on society goes far beyond the shareholder. What good is chasing the final penny of profit if the company leaves the world worse off?
Bravo? I don't currently own any aapl stock, but if I did I would probably sell it. I don't trust any CEO that makes a decision that is not in my best interest as a stockholder. The country is split about 50/50 on global warming, so why alienate 50% of possible stockholders?
Just like the Hollywood crowd, Mr. Cook needs to learn that sometimes silence is golden. I expect that he will be walking that statement back before long.
Warren Buffett may sell his Apple if he has any on those comments.
Buffett told CNBC March 3, that extreme weather events haven't increased due to climate change, saying that weather events are consistent with how they were 30-50 years ago. Buffett, who is heavily invested in various insurance markets, said that climate change alarmism has simply made hurricane insurance more profitable, driving up premiums without increasing risk.
Specifically, Buffett rejected claims that hurricanes have increased due to climate change, citing his experience in hurricane insurance. He said "we've been remarkably free of hurricanes in the United States in the last five years." He added "If you are writing hurricane insurance, it has been all profit."
@gagrice said: It is kind of like NY Governor saying if you do not believe as I do get out of NY.
Even more than in the past, people are going to take him up on this.
Will New York improve as a result? I'm fairly confident that life will improve for those who leave. As for those who stay, they deserve what they get -- they voted for it.
@gagrice said:
Buffett told CNBC March 3, that extreme weather events haven't increased due to climate
change, saying that weather events are consistent with how they were 30-50 years ago.
Ah no. What Buffett said was "I think the public has the impression that, because there's been so much talk about climate, that events of the last 10 years from an insurance standpoint in climate are unusual. The answer is they haven't.....The effects of climate change, if any, have not affected ... the insurance market."
He said that that climate hasn't affected the insurance industry not that he denies climate change. He is aware of it and recognizes that it could be a problem:
From a NYT op ed
"For example, doubling the carbon dioxide we belch into the atmosphere may far more than double the subsequent problems for society. Realizing this, the world properly worries about greenhouse emissions."
From buffetfaq.com
"Buffett: I believe the odds are good that global warming is serious. There’s enough evidence that it would be foolish to say there’s a 99% chance it isn’t a problem. In this case, you have to build the ark before the rains come. If you have to make a mistake, err on the side of the planet. Build a margin of safety to take care of the only planet we have."
@houdini1 said:
I don't currently own any aapl stock, but if I did I would probably sell it. I don't trust any
CEO that makes a decision that is not in my best interest as a stockholder.
And that's the great thing - you can sell your stock if you don't agree with the company leadership. The CEO serves at the whim of the board of directors who are elected by the shareholders. Don't like the board? Vote to replace them.
In any case, the proposal was clearly a political stunt and was voted down by over 97% of the shareholders - including me.
Bitter? Nah, sarcastic and amused. I'd be bitter if he had the moxie to actually do something that I disliked. Not worried. And it's not like I am saying anything incorrect. It was a funny choice, two empty suits.
A job hazard of seeking the job he sought is that your personal quirks go under the public microscope. I am sure he can handle it, so should his fans.
So Facebook is up 3.5% today on news they are buying a drone maker for $60 million. I'm guessing the laundry service Zuckerberg uses went through his pockets and found that spare change for him.
They make low orbit drones/satellites that can bring internet access to places that currently lack it. It really is an investment for internet.org which is a non-profit FB is involved with. But long term it could help them make more money.
And that kids, is why companies often invest in non profitable ventures.
Comments
just a question---what would make mobile payments profitable for them? I just don`t understand....Tony
That's a good question. However, I will take John Scully's word that this would be huge. I imagine that Apple would take some sort of a cut for each mobil transaction.
I thought everybody was already paying their bills with their smartphones. I know my daughter in law does. Does all her banking remotely with her phone. Most companies give you a discount for auto-pay by CC. Then I only have one bill to pay each month. It would be interesting to see how they can make it any easier.
Apple is a late-comer to the mobile payments game as rival Google has been experimenting with so-called e-wallet technology for some time. In some implementations, Android handsets carry NFC technology that, in concert with Google Wallet, allow for touchless payments at supported POS systems. Despite early efforts and proliferation of smart devices that would serve as optimal platforms for the tech, a clear market frontrunner has yet to emerge.
http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/01/24/wsj-apple-laying-groundwork-for-mobile-payments-system
How would that work at say a gas pump? I can see it in the grocery store as they have a scanner, but still I wouldn
t want to really change just using my credit card.....In the office, with a high volume of checks, they just scan the check at the outlying location and the actual check doesnt physically get deposited, but the number and deposit takes place electronically....I`m just not sure how anyone is going to make big inroads and thereby make substantial sums of money? just curious TonyApple has already applied for patents in mobile purchasing systems. What Apple is looking to do is eliminate the banks as the processor of the payment. They have 535 million iTunes account holders and will use iTunes as a way to process the payment, eliminate the bank and collect the commission now paid to the bank. The payment will still be charged to your CC with the profit coming from the difference between what Apple charges and pays for the processing.
How would that work at say a gas pump?
It's all based on near field communication. You hold your NFC equipped phone near the pump which connects with it. You then approve the payment with your thumb print - another piece of tech expected on the next iPhone - and a receipt is e-mailed to you.
Currently, there is a gas station chain in New England - Cumberland Farms - that has an app that allows you to pay with your phone using the gps. All you need to do is enter the pump number.
Current iPhones don't have NFC, so don't see why that is if Apple was going to use NFC.
Apparently every iPhone has a built-in Bluetooth low energy tag, so the last two generations of iPhones might be able to use that technology instead.
Apple's recent patents include one for integrating NFC technology into mobile devices so it could be in the next iPhone due out this summer.
Are we finally headed back down to 7000 where the Bears predicted in 2012?
13.9 is a 15% drop from the highs. I don't see any capitulation in the action yet.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
7000...I think only the most sketchy and rabid PM shills would actually claim that one.
2009 we dropped to 7000 in May. That was more than a 50% drop from the peak in Oct 2007. So why would an 8000 Dow be so far fetched? I rode the last one out with my IRA in Fidelity Mutuals. I feel safer with cash for this one.
There needs to be an independent economic catastrophe to create such a 2008 style crash. It all just sounds like the stuff hawked on gold bug sites.
goldprice.org ran a piece last year saying gold could go down to $750 an oz. I think the current housing bubble in CA and FL are a result of people pulling money out of other investments and dumping it into Real Estate. I have never seen so many Cash RE buyers. Maybe that is just the explosion in the number of new millionaires. Even Detroit has 3.4% more millionaires than a year ago. Most a result of the Stock market I would guess. How high, or how low can the Dow Go??
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mfg45fgkk/1-houston-tx/
I've read a lot of housing increases in many areas are due to institutional buyers - in other places, it has to do with having just enough well-paid people who have fallen for real estate cabal propaganda and think prices can always only go up (also see the entire populations of Vancouver and Toronto).
Markets are indeed exaggerated a bit, but I don't see them halving themselves without an external disaster to help them along.
Houston, one of those fun places with a lot of wealth, much connected to the coddled oil industry (I won't get started), yet a lot of poverty and somewhat second world conditions. Kind of a banana republic setup there.
I know you and others like Rocky will make jokes about TX and the South in General. They are doing a better job educating the kids of all races than the NW USA.
http://www2.ed.gov/documents/press-releases/state-2010-11-graduation-rate-data.pdf
http://www.takepart.com/photos/high-school-graduation-rates/best-and-worst-states-high-school-graduation-rates
Maybe, but also, maybe a diploma is given to anyone who can fog a mirror. Simply awarding a diploma doesn't make for quality education. And maybe kind of moot as a high school diploma has little value no matter where it comes from anyway.
Socio-economic indicators like these have more value, IMO
Wouldn`t you think that it is the person behind the deploma, and not the other way around? Tony
Of course the person matters most. I was just saying that taking diplomas at face value might not be an accurate gauge of anything.
The two things most asked for in any MW job today is a HS diploma and drug test. While it does not mean a whole lot as we know what they have probably learned in HS, it is still a basic job requirement unless daddy owns the company.
I have found it interesting on this and other threads the debate this government statistic has wrought. From what I see on the street I wonder if 25% of graduating HS seniors are capable of holding down an entry level job, in any state.
Just like most basic cube dwelling desk jobs today want a 4 year degree - unless you have an "in", of course.
And I wonder if those who drop out of HS are necessarily worse as workers. Kids drop out for many reasons other than lack of ability. All the more reason a skilled trades/vocational route is needed - not every kid is fit for college or university, and much of the "higher" education game is dopey anyway, a somewhat sketchy industry like many.
Totally agree. With 44% of college grads unemployed or underemployed it should be obvious we are not filling the need. If there are indeed millions of unfilled jobs we should be focusing on the skills that are needed.
And there's an simple solution - overhaul the education system, make it more than college or nothing. It works in other places, many of which exceed American standards in one way or another. The unfilled jobs problem has many facets and sometimes employers have blame too, but the foundation is broken in many fields.
The Governor of TN is doing more than just lip service on education. TN is not only one of the highest rated school systems in the US, Now this:
Gov. Bill Haslam, in his final State of the State address before seeking re-election this fall, unveiled a plan Monday night to waive tuition for students at community colleges and technology centers.
The Republican governor proposed setting aside $300 million from the Tennessee Education Lottery to fund an endowment that would cover all tuition and fees to two-year institutions for all graduating high school seniors. The plan also calls for reducing Hope scholarships for incoming students at four-year universities by $1,000 for the first two years.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20140203/NEWS/302030083/Haslam-proposes-free-community-college
Will Apple do as well as Tesla to spin away fears of fire?
Kennebunk student’s iPhone catches fire in pocket
The girl is treated for second-degree burns at a Biddeford hospital.
By David Hench dhench@pressherald.com
Staff Writer
A middle school student in Kennebunk suffered second-degree burns Friday when her iPhone caught fire in her pants pocket just before a class, said her family and school officials.
The eighth-grader sustained burns on one thigh and her back, and was taken to Southern Maine Health Care in Biddeford for treatment.
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Kennebunk_student_s_cellphone_catches_fire_in_pocket_.html?searchterm=iphone+fire
Yes, I've read TN is improving education policy, and fares better than most in that region. I hope vo/tech schools are part of that 2 year plan, as the nation needs more emphasis there.
Iphone fire is a battery issue or something from an off brand charger, no doubt. Lots of iphones out there in the cult, I wouldn't worry about one incident or even dozens yet.
I agree with you about the trade/vocation education....I find most young people to have alot of ambition, but just don
t know how to get started....I am also one of the types of people who enjoy doing thing using my mind and hands oncertain` outdoor types of jobs...It is very for-filling for me, but not necessarily that financially rewarding....There just are many types of problems trying to navigate a schooling system for a large country, and I sure do not have the answer, but do think the variety of higher education could be strengthened...TonyYou don't have to make anything to be valuable.
Google Inc. (GOOG:US) briefly surpassed Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM:US) as the second-most valuable company, trailing only Apple (AAPL:US) Inc. and underscoring the growing role of technology in the economy.
Google, which became the world’s largest online advertiser through its dominant search engine, had a higher market capitalization during intraday trading today before falling back at the close in New York to a value of $395.4 billion compared to Exxon’s $395.7 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Apple had a market value of $463.5 billion. Software company Microsoft Corp. is No. 4 with $303.5 billion.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-02-07/google-passes-exxon-to-become-second-most-valuable-u-dot-s-dot-company
Is it just me or do these 5 suicides seem Vince Foster like? Or what did these banking CEOs from around the globe know that would cause them to end their lives?
Last week we reported on the bizarre deaths of four major international bankers within less than a week. Now a fifth has joined them, and police are once again ruling it a suicide. Richard Talley, 57, the founder and CEO of American Title Services in Centennial, Colorado, has reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself in the head – multiple times – with a nail gun.
http://politicalblindspot.com/fifth-major-banker-found/
http://politicalblindspot.com/four-prominent-bankers-found-dead-within-six-days-all-ruled-suicides/
It's the Masons...
That website seems a little too out there. I read some of the comments on that story and boy some seem right down unstable.
They seemed to be there with the stories. MSM don't seem interested in the 5 CEO suicides in a little over a week. I am no fan of banksters. Just seems strange 5 would take their own lives in several countries at about the same time.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_25081462/under-investigation-american-title-ceo-dead-grisly-suicide
The bulls continue to dominate at Tesla, as shares hit an all-time new high of 202.72, and closed at 199.63, a new closing high. It'll be interesting to see whether the price holds above 200 or sells off after earnings are reported next week.
I believe that the stock is priced for perfection, and is vulnerable, but a stock can remain overpriced for a long time. I owned Tesla for a time, made a profit, but got out early. Hindsight suggests I could have done better, but hindsight is, as they say, golden. Time will tell whether Tesla shares are overpriced, but I'd feel uncomfortable owning them now.
Some sort of justice for the financial meltdown maybe?
From our friends across the pond who often do better at reporting than our own Big media does.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/apples-tim-cook-business-isnt-just-about-making-a-profit-9163931.html
He leads a company that some would consider the epitome of ruthless global capitalism. But Apple chief executive Tim Cook has shocked some in the US with an impassioned attack on the single-minded pursuit of profit – and a direct appeal to climate-change deniers not to buy shares in his firm.
Eyewitnesses said Cook, who succeeded Steve Jobs as boss of the technology giant in 2011, was visibly angry as he took on a group of right-wing investors during a question-and-answer session at a shareholders’ meeting.
Responding to calls from the National Centre for Public Policy Research (NCPPR), a conservative think tank and investor, for Apple to refrain from putting money in green energy projects that were not profitable, he shot back that Apple did “a lot of things for reasons besides profit motive”. The chief executive added: “We want to leave the world better than we found it.”
Addressing he NCPPR representative directly, he said: “If you want me to do things only for ROI [return on investment] reasons, you should get out of this stock.”
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
...bravo to Tim Cook. IMHO, companies have a responsibility to take into account more than the bottom line. As companies grow, their impact on society goes far beyond the shareholder. What good is chasing the final penny of profit if the company leaves the world worse off?
Powering their facilities with alternative energy is probably wise with the out of control cost of utilities in CA. I do think the stockholders should have the right to know where corporate money is being spent. I thought that was part of the mandatory SEC filing? Or are they under Irish corporate laws????
If Apple is going to take a self-rightous attitude, it's time to look more closely at their factories and the pay for workers. That needs to set a good example for The World. Also those factories need to use environmentally-friendly power. How's that working in China?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Every time their is a crisis in the Chinese factories Cook will act all surprised and vow to fix it. They will set up a little token factory in the USA to assemble parts from around the World and tout their American Patriotism. You have to be careful on this thread as it is about 90% pro Apple. They are in the elite group with GE & the Utilitiy companies that make $billions and pay little or no US taxes. It is kind of like NY Governor saying if you do not believe as I do get out of NY. Part of the massive division in this country.
And they have that right - it's all right there in the annual report. There probably isn't a distinct line item that says "money spent on not trashing the environment" but all corporate expenditures are in the annual reports. If Apple approved their request, then they would have to deal with every activist shareholder demanding to know how much they spend on lunches for meetings or what the tape used to seal the boxes is made from.
IMHO, this group purchased the needed $2000 in Apple stock and made this proposal in order to poke at Apple. Did this ultra conservative group really expect the CEO of Apple to say "sure, we'll stop spending money on any green initiatives to appease you."
The shareholders voted this proposal down as well as every other shareholder proposal including one on creating an independent Human Rights Board and one from Icahn asking for a cash distribution.
Apple is kind of a target for the Left and the Right. For different reasons of course. I wonder how many so called progressives that hate the fact that Apple builds 99% of their products off shore, still carry an iPad, iPhone and MacAir?
That would be an even much higher percentage than the group with the pro-Obama stickers on their foreign brand car running around not supporting their party/ government-supported UAW.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Those Prius driving sticker wearers are even worse than failed supposed rightist candidates who lose an election, see their sad entitled princess wife, then go out and buy an Audi.
Regarding Apple products, I have an old secondhand ipod and nothing else. I know a lot of iphone cultists though. People seem to become addicted to something so simple that you don't need to think.
Bravo? I don't currently own any aapl stock, but if I did I would probably sell it. I don't trust any CEO that makes a decision that is not in my best interest as a stockholder. The country is split about 50/50 on global warming, so why alienate 50% of possible stockholders?
Just like the Hollywood crowd, Mr. Cook needs to learn that sometimes silence is golden. I expect that he will be walking that statement back before long.
2013 LX 570 2016 LS 460
Warren Buffett may sell his Apple if he has any on those comments.
Buffett told CNBC March 3, that extreme weather events haven't increased due to climate change, saying that weather events are consistent with how they were 30-50 years ago. Buffett, who is heavily invested in various insurance markets, said that climate change alarmism has simply made hurricane insurance more profitable, driving up premiums without increasing risk.
Specifically, Buffett rejected claims that hurricanes have increased due to climate change, citing his experience in hurricane insurance. He said "we've been remarkably free of hurricanes in the United States in the last five years." He added "If you are writing hurricane insurance, it has been all profit."
http://cnsnews.com/mrctv-blog/sean-long/warren-buffett-supposed-increase-extreme-weather-hasnt-been-true-so-far
Even more than in the past, people are going to take him up on this.
Will New York improve as a result? I'm fairly confident that life will improve for those who leave. As for those who stay, they deserve what they get -- they voted for it.
Ah no. What Buffett said was "I think the public has the impression that, because there's been so much talk about climate, that events of the last 10 years from an insurance standpoint in climate are unusual. The answer is they haven't.....The effects of climate change, if any, have not affected ... the insurance market."
He said that that climate hasn't affected the insurance industry not that he denies climate change. He is aware of it and recognizes that it could be a problem:
From a NYT op ed
"For example, doubling the carbon dioxide we belch into the atmosphere may far more than double the subsequent problems for society. Realizing this, the world properly worries about greenhouse emissions."
From buffetfaq.com
"Buffett: I believe the odds are good that global warming is serious. There’s enough evidence that it would be foolish to say there’s a 99% chance it isn’t a problem. In this case, you have to build the ark before the rains come. If you have to make a mistake, err on the side of the planet. Build a margin of safety to take care of the only planet we have."
And that's the great thing - you can sell your stock if you don't agree with the company leadership. The CEO serves at the whim of the board of directors who are elected by the shareholders. Don't like the board? Vote to replace them.
In any case, the proposal was clearly a political stunt and was voted down by over 97% of the shareholders - including me.
are even worse than failed supposed rightist candidates who lose an election, see their sad entitled princess wife,
Sounds kind of bitter? The politics of personal destruction from the 1993-2000 era.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Bitter? Nah, sarcastic and amused. I'd be bitter if he had the moxie to actually do something that I disliked. Not worried. And it's not like I am saying anything incorrect. It was a funny choice, two empty suits.
A job hazard of seeking the job he sought is that your personal quirks go under the public microscope. I am sure he can handle it, so should his fans.
So Facebook is up 3.5% today on news they are buying a drone maker for $60 million. I'm guessing the laundry service Zuckerberg uses went through his pockets and found that spare change for him.
They make low orbit drones/satellites that can bring internet access to places that currently lack it. It really is an investment for internet.org which is a non-profit FB is involved with. But long term it could help them make more money.
And that kids, is why companies often invest in non profitable ventures.
Anyone for BitCoins?
http://nypost.com/2014/03/06/i-did-not-create-bitcoin/