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The Breakdown of Wall Street Alchemy
The trend is striking because it shows that the credit crunch is starting to affect the financing plans of companies, not just in the highly leveraged sector but in the investment grade arena as well. It also casts fresh doubt on the ability of the European corporate bond market to challenge the US." February 13 - Bloomberg (John Glover): "Half of the loans backing leveraged buyouts in Europe risk breaching investor safeguards or defaulting as company earnings and debt projections miss targets, Standard & Poor's said... 'There is a heightened potential for defaults,' S&P analysts led by Taron Wade... wrote. Fifty-three percent of the companies owned by buyout firms in S&P's study have more debt than forecast, making them vulnerable to default... In LBOs, firms borrow about two-thirds of the acquisition price, piling the debt onto the takeover target." February 13 - Bloomberg (Stephanie Bodoni): "Luxembourg Finance Minister Jean-Claude Juncker is 'worried' European economies will endure for 'some more time' the consequences of the financial-market turmoil...
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AS CONSUMERS AND lenders suffer the harsh consequences of the credit crunch, another industry is experiencing a boom in business: debt collectors. Just ask Sandy Lubin, owner of the Credit Bureau of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Based in Grover Beach, Calif., Lubin's 28-employee firm serves as both a credit bureau, selling consumer credit reports to businesses, and as a collection agency, recovering medical and property management debts, such as unpaid rent. While the credit reporting side of Lubin's business has dropped "fairly substantially," the collection side has seen a 10% increase in new business this year a trend he predicts will accelerate as the weakening economy and rising debt levels take their toll on consumers' finances. "We're fortunate because we have both sides of the business," he notes.
Confidence vote on Afghan mission expected for March
Government spending is up, but we have a bigger economy. This government is no weaker on the environment than the last one. But it's a very devisive issue between regions. It will be a tough one to unite around. The military issue is difficult for both parties..The Liberals sent our troops there. I think that was right. Now they want to "cut and run" for the sake of their politcal fortunes. Our people do need, and deserve help. Hopefully that is going to happen. They have done more than their fair share. But don't forget about the decades that went by when Canada contibuted almost nothing to NATO. We must insist our people are not taken advantage of now, but to return to our status as "freeloaders" on defense,is not they way to have influence anywhere in the world.
What's new: Nampa store offers upscale apparel
The former "Sex in the City" star's character, Carrie Bradshaw, lived in New York and acquired a vast high-fashion wardrobe on a limited budget. To that end, her $20-or-less clothing line includes nearly 1,000 apparel and accessories pieces, including jeans, woven and knit shirts, suit separates, wool and cashmere sweaters, dresses, jackets, lingerie, T-shirts, sweatshirts, sleepwear, swimwear, bags, jewelry, belts and footwear. Sizes range from XS to XXL in tops, 0 to 22 in bottoms, and 5 to 11 in shoes."We conduct extensive research to identify those cities and towns that make the most sense for a store like ours," said Howard Schacter, Steve & Barry's chief partnerships officer. "All our research tells us Idaho will be great because people here know a great value when they see it. We're very excited to have our first store in Idaho be here in Nampa." As Karcher Mall undergoes a $14 million renovation, attracting trendy new businesses is a top priority, representatives said.
MacBook Pro Reviewer's Notebook
If you think the PowerBooks are too hot, the MacBook Pro won't change your mind. Video issues, TVs, and Front Row I've heard a couple of people gripe about how the MacBook Pro doesn't have the S-Video port that the PowerBook has, and it surprised me: I didn't know even a couple of people were using that port. Of course, now that the MacBook Pro has built-in Front Row and an infrared remote control, having built-in a TV-style video port finally makes sense. Sigh. In any event, for $19 you can get a lovely DVI-to-S-Video adapter from Apple that does the trick. I used one of those adapters to attach my MacBook Pro to my TV set, and after a few false starts it worked well. While the laptop was open, I attached the adapter. The computer immediately went into mirroring mode, so I could see the same information on the laptop's screen and on my TV screen.
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