ALL BUSINESS: Crippling effect of global inflation
(AP) - There is nowhere to hide from inflation.
Prices in one in four countries, many of them in emerging markets, are accelerating at a double-digit pace, which puts them at least two and a half times the 4 percent annual U.
Credit scores hit by card limits
(AP) - Just as Americans grow more reliant on credit cards to help pay monthly bills, they're being hit with a one-two punch: Card companies are reducing borrowing limits for tens of thousands of consumers, which then can lead to lower credit scores.
Fidelity: $85,000 needed for long-term care costs
(AP) - A 65-year-old couple needs $85,000 on average to cover insurance costs for long-term care such as nursing home stays in retirement, according to a study to be released Thursday by Fidelity Investments.
Small businesses need midyear financial checkups
(AP) - The end of June and beginning of July is an important time for savvy small business owners, who'll be assessing their companies' finances and thinking about strategies for the second half of 2008.
Shareholders take brunt of banks' capital raising
(AP) - America's banks and brokerages are scrambling to raise badly needed cash, but it may be at the expense of shareholders.
Since the subprime mortgage market imploded, financial companies caught in the fallout have been raising capital in two major ways _ cutting dividends and issuing more shares.
ALL BUSINESS: Spam, TVs on consumers buying lists
(AP) - Spam's back on the menu at American homes. That says a lot about the state of the economy.
While we all haven't turned into couch potatoes, some recent corporate news from the likes of Hormel Foods Corp.
Leisure Living: Reverse mortgages more popular
(AP) - The distinguished voice on the radio advertisement pitching reverse mortgages has a familiar ring: Yes, that's James Garner, the venerable television and film actor.
Garner, in ads for a lender, touts reverse mortgages as an option for homeowners age 62 or older who are seeking an influx of cash to better manage their ever-mounting expenses _ or just live a bit better in retirement.
ALL BUSINESS: Lehman's financial health questioned
(AP) - Here's a bit of ancient history: Lehman's CFO high-fiving people on the trading floor after the investment bank's first-quarter profits pleased Wall Street.
Suddenly, the company finds itself in an eerily similar spot as the former Bear Stearns.
Consumers turn to bartering for goods, services
(AP) - As the economy slows, a growing number of consumers are trying to find a wider market for their goods and services by offering to barter them.
Local newspapers and Internet sites such as Craigslist are seeing a sharp rise in postings by people willing to swap their used cameras or baby-sitting services for other people's electric drills or guitar lessons, rather than taking cash.
ALL BUSINESS: Wachovia, WaMu executive shakeups
(AP) - Wachovia's CEO gets fired, while Washington Mutual's top executive is stripped of his chairman's title. And guess what? Investors don't feel any better about the either company's prospects.
Column: Institutional money drives up commodities
(AP) - Next time you face sticker shock at the gas pump over a $4 gallon of gas, check out your pension fund's investments. They may explain much about the surge in oil prices.
ALL BUSINESS: Commodities risky for pension funds
(AP) - Next time you face sticker shock at the gas pump over a $4 gallon of gas, check out your pension fund's investments. They may explain much about the surge in oil prices.
ALL BUSINESS: Mortgage-bond guru hit by loan bust
(AP) - Lewis Ranieri is credited with inventing mortgage-backed securities two decades ago, and recently he sounded warnings about mortgage risks. Yet he couldn't save his own company from getting tangled in the real-estate loan bust.
ALL BUSINESS: A tale of 2 resorts
(AP) - This is not a good economy to take a gamble in.
Las Vegas has, and it's hurting casino profits. Disney has not, and the "Magic Kingdom" is reaping the winnings.
ALL BUSINESS: Government-backed housing bailout badly needed
(AP) - A government-backed mortgage bailout is needed, and it must be done right away.
Before shouting about all the reasons why taxpayers shouldn't rescue the profligate who took on more debt than they could handle, think about this: New research estimates one in 33 subprime borrowers will foreclose on their homes in the next two years.