Market forces
Guardian Unlimited - Merrill Lynch helped to bring retailer Sports Direct to the market, promoting the shares to investors. Now, after a welter of profits warnings under founder Mike Ashley, the broker has labeled Ashley’s company as one of its least preferred stocks

City Eye: We talk up a crisis and then set the house ablaze
The Independent - Massive stocks have it even worse. You could feel the shudder in the City when Merrill Lynch announced a $4bn loss on Thursday. The FTSE 100 folded like a deckchair. Next up, a storm of rhetoric on the dire future for the property market. Over the years

Why do so many men still think the sex trade is fine?
Guardian Unlimited - So long as stocks last. Coaker is on the case, Harriet Harman wants to penalise ‘the demand side’ and Denis MacShane has tabled a suitable amendment to the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill, with the result that websites usually preoccupied with

Israeli airstrike kills 2 Hamas militants in Gaza
International Herald Tribune - Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman Shlomo Dror said Gazans had adequate food stocks. “There is a government decision that there will not be a humanitarian crisis in Gaza,” Dror stated. It was too early Saturday to gauge the impact of the latest

Trains and buses and a transport of delight in the City
The Independent - Trains and buses and a transport of delight in the City From ports to railways to roads, transport stocks look poised to accelerate in 2008, while the low-cost carriers will fly the flag for the airlines as the long-haul routes suffer. David Parsley

BUMPY RIDE: A focus on growth stocks might be the ideal bet in turbulent
Patriot Ledger - Growth stocks could be well-positioned to ride out what’s looking like a bumpy economic ride in 2008, financial advisers state. Dan Heitzman of Marshfield, founder and president of Rockland-based Stonebridge Financial Consultants, recommends clients

How to tell when it’s time to buy
Times Online - The FTSE 250 index of medium-sized firms is already in a bear market on some measures, having slumped 21% since its peak in May, and some of Britain’s most popular stocks are down by as much as they were during the 1990s recession. Retailers, for

Dreadful Stocks to Avoid
MSN MoneyCentral - Genentech Inc ( DNA ) Stock Quote , Chart , News , Add to Watchlist Warren Buffett’s first rule of investing is: “Never lose money.” To this, he often adds rule No. 2: “Never forget rule No. 1.” Of course, following these rules is easier said than

US STOCKS-Market snaps back; GE, IBM help
Reuters - Last: NEW YORK, Jan 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rebounded on Friday from losses this week as earnings from bellwethers IBM (IBM.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) and General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote , Profile , Research ) provided some relief to worries

European stocks snap losing streak; banks blended
Reuters - PARIS, Jan 18 (Reuters) - European equities were higher around midday on Friday, snapping a three-day losing streak as merger talk lifted miners while investors started to snap up recently beaten-down shares. But fears over the prospect of a U.S

Stocks get no stimulus from economic news
Kansas City Star - Wall Street ended a painful week with another decline Friday as investors unable to hold on to much optimism about the economy drew tiny comfort from President Bush’s stimulus plan. Investors pulled back from a huge early advance, with the major

Stocks End Rough Week With Modest Drop
Chicago Tribune - NEW YORK - Wall Street ended a painful week with another decline Friday as skittish investors unable to hold on to much optimism about the economy drew tiny comfort from President Bush’s stimulus plan. The day’s trading reflected how fractious Wall

To cut rates would harm the Bank’s reputation
Daily Telegraph - The last example was when the 2001/02 technology meltdown decimated US stocks. The resulting “dotcom” bear market was quite short-lived, lasting around two years. In recent weeks, we’ve seen alarming signs - in terms of both numbers and

Stocks Speed Their Descent
Wall Street Journal - Call it Unsightly ‘08. The New Year’s stock drubbing accelerated last week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 4% and the Nasdaq Composite Index dropping 4.1%. In the Dow benchmark’s worst January begin, the industrials are off 8.8% so far in

Europe stocks fall 1 percent, recession fears weigh
Reuters - LONDON, Jan 18 (Reuters) - European shares fell 1 percent early on Friday, continuing their torrid begin to 2008 as recession fears continued to weigh, with banks hit by worries over writedowns and a weakening housing market. At 0917 GMT, the

Stocks On The Move This Week: Home Depot, AMD
CNBC - Following are the week’s biggest winners and losers. Find out why shares of Home Depot (HD) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) popped while Google (GOOG) and Schlumberger (SLB) dropped. POPS (stocks that jumped higher) Homebuilders ETF (XHB) popped 2

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Filed under: Google (GOOG), Yahoo! (YHOO), Citigroup Inc. (C), Merrill Lynch (MER), Small business

Lately, the headlines have been scary. Unemployment is increasing. There are concerns from the presidential candidates. Real estate values are sagging and foreclosures are skyrocketing. And, premier companies - like Citigroup (NYSE: C) and Merrill Lynch (NYSE: MER) - have raised billions of dollars to deal with heavy losses.

So, if the economy is slowing down, how can your business deal with things?

Let’s take a look:

Deal with hidden costs: When looking at expense items, some might seem small. But it’s often the case that these items - in aggregate - can turn into a large deal.

According to Tom Sharples, president of Qorvus Systems: “Typical small- or medium-sized businesses that have been around for a few years can find duplicative costs: unused cell-phone contracts that continue to rack up charges, subscriptions to services associated with long-departed employees and often all sorts of legacy junk that no one even remembers ordering, but that you’re still paying for each month.”

He advocates looking at expenses for:

o. Telecom charges
o. Web hosting costs
o. Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) and Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) search marketing expenses
o. Facilities costs (utilities, janitorial services, and so on)

Establish a Credit Policy: Basically, you need to take preventative measures with customers. So before extending credit, make sure they’re in good standing and up-to-date on all invoices.

“If you’ve signed credit applications and are authorized to pull credit reports and check with banks and vendors on someone’s payment history, now is the time to revaluate each customer’s credit and credit limits,” stated Michelle Dunn, who is the author of Become the Squeaky Wheel: A Credit & Collections Guide for Everyone (Collecting Money Series) and operates a credit advisory business. “Check for things such as late or slow payments, change or loss of jobs, changes in income, change of address, and divorce. Take immediate action if a customer’s mail is returned or the phone is disconnected. Speed is critical. The longer you wait, the less chance you’ve of getting paid.”

Work with your vendors: As a small business, it won’t be easy to get better terms from vendors. Yet, it’s worth asking for.

Or, it might mean dealing with smaller vendors, who may be more amenable for negotiation.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.

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Filed under: Estates

Yesterday’s estate had 70 pics, this day, just seven but what a lovely seven they are. This modern house in Phoenix, Arizona just hit the market. The five-bedroom home has around the same square footage as yesterday’s home but with less land and a far better view. You couldn’t ask for a dreamier infinity pool than this one. The home has three levels, each with expansive decks.There’s a huge media room on the lower level that’s built into the mountain. The contemporary blue kitchen has Snaidero cabinets, Miele appliances and a Gaggenau pizza oven. It is listed at $7.9 million.

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Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

Today’s estate listing has 70 pictures, but that’s because there’s a lot to check out. The 12,000-square-foot mansion is Michael Andretti’s home in Bushkill Township, Pennsylvania. Andretti the son of racing legend Mario Andretti and the dad of current Indy Racing League star Marco Andretti. He’s also a former racer and is now the owner of Andretti Green Racing as well as other businesses. Andretti built the home in 1986. The ten acres include a six-hole golf course, six-car garage, pool, tennis court and a pond. The home is lavish and developed to the owner’s specifications with hand-painted murals that reference the family’s Italian heritage. There are six-bedrooms total as well as a gym, game room and wine cellar and big two-story dome. The home is listed at $3.4 million.

[via Penn Live]

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Continue reading Michael Andretti’s Home, Estate of the Day

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A home in London where JM Barrie is believed to have written Peter Pan is now up for sale. The six-bedroom home in South Kensington is where Barrie met the Llewelyn Davies boys who inspired the story (as dramatized in the movie Finding Neverland). The home is a classic Victorian with two living and amusing rooms, a dining/breakfast room, balconies and a private garden as well as access to communal gardens. It definitely seems to be in need of a gentle restoration but it’s still a magical home. It is listed at

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Filed under: Estates

Luxury condos in one of the most anticipated buildings in the U.S. went on sale this week. CBS2 in Chicago reports that the sales office for the Chicago Spire is now open. The sales office is as posh as the condos themselves with designs created by the architect of the Spire, Santiago Calatrava. Residences at the 2,000-foot-tall Spire are price from $750,000 to $15 million each. I had my doubts about the building when I first heard about it in 2005 but was soundly rebuked by commenters who insisted that this building is exactly what Chicago needs. Despite the sky-high prices and a sluggish real estate market, it is expected that the Spire will sell, not just to people in Chicago, but to people around the world who are eager to live in a Calatrava building. Those who buy are in for a long wait, move in isn’t expected until 2012.

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Filed under: Estates

A million dollars might buy you a sizable place in the U.S. but abroad you would have to settle for something a bit smaller. In Paris, $1 million will get you a historical apartment of 615 square feet. In other countries it will buy you a high-rise apartment with two beds and one bath — if you’re lucky. Peruse the fabulous photos and see what a million could do for your living conditions. Unfortunately there wasn’t an example in Antartica — guess we’ll just have to leave that icy estate to our imaginations.

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Filed under: Estates

Limited edition homes? That’s the pitch for the new 34 Leonard loft project in Manhattan’s TriBeCa neighborhood. 34 Leonard Street is a building of 16 loft-style homes with open floor plans and walls of windows offering urban and park views. The lobby will be dominated by an art installation from Jennifer Steinkamp, which will be a three-dimensional visual illusion of translucent glass with embedded leaves, sculptured wood benches and artisan crafted limestone walls. The development’s units are designed to accommodate art collections, and art expert Carol Dorksy will offer advice to potential buyers interested in starting or expanding their art collections. Other amenities include a wine cellar that can provide storage of 300 bottles per unit, a grill and bar area on the roof deck, a sunbathing area with an outdoor shower, a pet spa, fitness center, storage and a round-the-clock doorman.

GlobeSt.com reports that the approximate construction cost for the project is $45 million. The 16 homes include, one, two and three bedroom residences as well as a 3,086-square-foot penthouse that has a 2,215-square-foot wrap-around terrace. No presales yet but there are 150 people on the waiting list to pick up the homes, which range from $2 million to $8 million for the penthouse.
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Filed under: Estates

Today’s home in the ritzy Tuxedo Park area of Atlanta was once the home of Robert Woodruff, former president of Coca-Cola. The five-bedroom home was built in the 1930s but has a new pool and pool house. The home is done in a sweeping Regency style, and decorated in that gracious, slightly old-fashioned style that fights with bare contemporary spaces for page space in Architectural Digest. All seems to be in perfect charming order except for that kitchen. This is one home that should not have black stone countertops. The home sits on seven well-landscaped acres. It is listed at $13.9 million.

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Continue reading Windcrofte, Estate of the Day

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