Amazon to Buy Whole Foods
| Published June 18, 2017 |
By R. Alan Clanton,
Thursday Review
staff writers
In a deal exceeding $13.5 billion, online retailer Amazon has agreed to buy grocery chain Whole Foods, a move most Wall Street and business analysts say is Amazon’s latest...(click to read more)
JC Penney to Close 140 Stores in 2017
| Published February 25, 2017 |
By Thursday Review
staff writers
Despite stronger-than-expected earnings in the fourth quarter of 2016 and missing expectations on some factors by only a tiny percentage, struggling retail giant JC Penney plans to...(click to read more)
Microsoft May Announce Layoffs of 700
| Published January 22, 2017 |
By Thursday Review business editors
The software and tech giant Microsoft—facing possible criticism of lower-than-expected earnings numbers this week—may layoff between 650 and 700 employees, according to company insiders and...(click to read more)
OPEC Agrees to Production Cuts
| Published December 2, 2016 |
By Keith H. Roberts,
Thursday Review contributor
OPEC agreed to cut production of oil and gas production this week, breaking an eight-year stalemate in which member nations were unable to reach an agreement to more tightly...(click to read more)
Twitter Announces Possible Layoffs, Kills Vine
| Published November 1, 2016 |
By Keith H. Roberts,
Thursday Review contributor
Adding to the list of tech companies letting some employees go, social media giant Twitter announced last week that it plans to lay off nearly 10 percent of its...(click to read more)
Wells Fargo’s Expanding Scandals
| Published October 1, 2016 |
By Keith H. Roberts,
Thursday Review contributor
The problems facing U.S. banking giant Wells Fargo do not appear to be going away anytime soon. Top executives for the largest bank still face a storm of...(click to read more)
Wells Fargo Ex-Employees: Fired for Shunning Fake Account Scheme
| Published September 25, 2016 |
By Keith H. Roberts,
Thursday Review staff
Wells Fargo, one of the largest banks in the U.S., remains in hot water with banking regulators and Congress for an unfolding scandal still reverberating through...(click to read more)
Cisco Systems to Cut Up to 5,500 Jobs
| Published August 19, 2016 |
By Thursday Review staff
Tech giant Cisco Systems says that falling revenue and financial shortfalls are forcing it to cut as many as 5,500 workers, or roughly 7% of its total...(click to read more)
Delta Outage Forces Hundreds of Flight Cancellations
| Published August 8, 2016 |
By Thursday Review staff
A massive computer crash impacted one of the world’s largest airlines, grounding departing flights worldwide on Monday while engineers and computer technicians worked to restore the...(click to read more)
Federal Judge:
Trump University Case Will Go to Trial
| Published August 5, 2016 |
By Keith H. Roberts,
Thursday Review contributor
A Federal judge has denied an attempt by Donald Trump to dismiss the pending court case against Trump University, the business school created to...(click to read more)
British Exit:
Impact Spreads to Markets,
Labour Party
| Published June 26, 2016 |
By R. Alan Clanton,
Thursday Review editor
The ramifications of the British vote to leave the European Union continue to reverberate across the continent and around the world, with markets...(click to read more)
Bayer Buyout of Monsanto Gives Investors Headaches
| Published June 6, 2016 |
By Keith H. Roberts, Thursday Review contributor
Bayer AG has offered so much money in its bid to buy Monsanto that investors on all sides of the matter are deeply concerned, after all Bayer’s proposal of...(click to read more)
Gap, Old Navy:
Profits Drop, Again
| Published May 10, 2016 |
By Thursday Review staff
Gap stores—and the parent company’s related brands, such as Old Navy and Banana Republic—have had one their worst quarters in a decade. Falling sales have prompted the retailer to...(click to read more)
Florida Cities Top Home-Flipping List
| Published April 8, 2016 |
By Thursday Review staff
For better or worse, for richer or poorer, the economic trend is back, and it will have an especially large impact on you and your family if...(click to read more)
The Joys & Perils of the Driverless Car
| Published March 16, 2016 |
By Earl Perkins, Thursday Review features writer
Scent of a Woman wouldn't have been such an exciting movie if Al Pacino were tooling around in a self-driving car with Chris O’Donnell as the...(click to read more)
Jos. A. Bank and Men’s Wearhouse to Shutter 250 Stores
| Published March 10, 2016 |
By Thursday Review staff
The company which owns and manages the Men’s Wearhouse and Jos. A. Bank line of retail stores says it is in the early stages of...(click to read more)
Walmart Closing 269 Stores, Will Cut 16,000 Jobs
| Published January 17, 2016 |
By Thursday Review staff
This giant retailer’s move could be more of a sign of certain economic troubles ahead than the record-shattering two week...(click to read more)
A Grey Area:
Black Friday’s Pricing Truths
| Published November 28, 2015 |
By Keith H. Roberts,
Thursday Review staff
It’s no secret that Black Friday has crept its way into everything—from clothing stores to appliances, from books and music, to car sales and even...(click to read more)
Anheuser-Busch to Merge With SAB Miller
| Published October 13, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
It would be one of the largest international mergers in history, and the biggest for beer drinkers worldwide.
After months of speculation, rumors, bids, counter-bids, and...(click to read more)
Volkswagen’s Long Road Ahead
| Published September 24, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
The so-called "Dieselgate" emissions scandal that rocked automaker Volkswagen this week has left millions of car owners and thousands of dealerships wondering...(click to read more)
Seattle’s
Big Dig:
Bertha is Still Stuck, For Now
| Published September 9, 2015 |
By R. Alan Clanton
Thursday Review editor
One of the biggest tunneling projects in the world is stuck, sort of literally. Seattle’s massive tunnel project—which has as its main attraction a giant...(click to read more)
China Triggers Global Market Bloodbath
| Published August 24, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
Yet another calamitous day on the troubled Shanghai market has triggered a big round of selloffs around the world. China’s stock market opened early on Monday to a massive slide—down 8.5 percent in one day of hectic trading, and yet setting the tone for another horrible...(click to read more)
China Devalues its Currency
| Published August 12, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
International markets saw stocks slide across the board in the wake of Beijing’s decision to again devalue the yuan, the Chinese currency. China’s decision to lower its currency was meant to attract buyers of government bonds, but the Chinese stock market slump is triggering... (click to read more)
A&P Files for Bankruptcy Protection
| Published July 22, 2015 |
Thursday Review staff
The iconic grocery store chain A&P—also known as the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company—has again filed for bankruptcy. A&P completed its Chapter 11 filings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York. In its documents and papers, the company said that it was in... (click to read more)
Greek Default Could Have Wide Impact
| Published June 30, 2015 |
Thursday Review staff
Greece will not make its $1.9 billion debt payment to the International Monetary Fund, according to Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis. Greece becomes the first developed nation to...(click to read more)
Greek Debt Crisis Spurs ATM Panic and Bank Closures
| Published June 29, 2015 |
By Keith H. Roberts
Thursday Review contributor
The failure of negotiations between Greece and its numerous creditors has triggered panic and fear in Greece, as pensioners and investors overrun banks, shoppers swarm into stores in search of milk, bottled water and food and supplies, and as average...(click to read more)
Takata Agrees to Mass Airbag Recall
| Published May 20, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
By almost all official and unofficial estimates it is the largest automotive recall in U.S. history, and it will affect more than 34 million vehicles in the United States—or roughly one fifth of all passenger cars and SUVs on the road.
After more than a year of wrangling with regulators, investigators and safety officials—at the state and local levels—and after at least 18 months of growing legal action by attorneys and plaintiffs seeking...(click to read more)
Will Low Oil Prices Delay Electric’s Rollout?
| Published May 6, 2015 |
By Keith H. Roberts
Thursday Review contributor
The tipping point may have arrived in the delicate market balance between traditional gas-sucking cars and trucks, and those high tech hybrids and electric cars now entering so many U.S. cities and towns.
But with oil and gas prices at a low not seen in more than five years, will consumers begin to make the full-scale migration to alternative fuel vehicles?
That question hangs in the balance, as some of the major players begin to push their efficient hybrids, smart cars, electric and battery powered cars, and even...(click to read more)
Greek Default Threatens European Economy
| Published April 18, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
Greece’s fiscal crisis is troubling U.S. markets and investors, and Wall Street analysts say that last week’s stock prices drops are linked directly to worries that Greece will default on its substantial debt and dissolve its relationship with the European Union.
The Greek problem spilled into almost every part of U.S. investment: the Dow Jones industrial average fell roughly 1.3 percent last week; the Standard & Poor’s index lost 21 points; and the NASDAQ lost about 70 points, or 1.4 percent.
Within Greece, there is little political consensus for a...(click to read more)
Oil Prices May Continue to Decline
| Published April 14, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff writers
It may yet prove to be a valuable stimulus to the U.S. economy, as well as the economies of scores of other countries, though businesses and nations engaged in oil and gas are displeased.
Oil prices are certain to drop even further this year, driven downward by a variety of factors certain to keep the price of U.S. gasoline at low levels, and possibly...(click to read more)
Heinz & Kraft Merger Will Form Food Behemoth
| Published April 4, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
Get ready for some serious realignment in the food industry, with the possibility of price increase at the grocery stores.
No, we are not referring to the California drought—now in its third year—which will eventually drive up the cost of more than one hundred staples of U.S. grocery stores and markets. The sustained drought, the worst in California history, has already...(click to read more)
Which is the Busiest Airport?
| Published March 29, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
The old joke used to be that when you die, your soul still has to pass through Atlanta to get to heaven or to hell. Whether that is true remains for all of us to see at some later point.
For now, however, the debate still rages over how to define the busiest airport in the United States—by the total number of people and passengers who pass through its halls and terminals, or by the...(click to read more)
Is the Smart Watch the Next Big Thing?
| Published March 12, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
After more than a year of discussion and speculation, Apple released its smart watch this week during a live presentation by Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Technologists and investors have had their eye on wearables for several years now, but it has been Apple’s long-awaited roll out which has intrigued technology writers and Apple enthusiasts the most.
Starting at the low end, the cheapest Apple wrist product will sell for about...(click to read more)
Expedia Will Buy Orbitz
| Published February 13, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
China May be Behind Anthem Cyber Attack
| Published February 6, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
It may turn out to be the largest cyber-attack of an insurance provider in U.S. history. Last week, hackers broke into the computer network at Anthem Incorporated, and hauled off with the personal information of more than 80 million customers and employees. Among the data stolen: full names, Social Security numbers, home addresses, landline phone numbers, cell numbers, and email...(click to read more)
Good Deflation, Bad Deflation
| Published January 28, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
If we told you that prices are going down across the board—and never mind the fact that six months ago we warned you that all prices were going up, up, up, thanks to Polar Vortex and drought—you would almost automatically assume that falling prices are a good thing. It’s an intuitive reaction.
But the fact is, there’s good deflation and bad deflation. No, we are not referring to Tom Brady and the New England Patriots—the accusation that the Pats may have...(click to read more)
Radio Shack’s Hard Times
| Published January 19, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
Radio Shack’s slow business demise has been both predictable and—some would argue—probably inevitable. Though its coming meltdown was not as obvious as the business model collapses of, say Blockbuster or My Space, it has nevertheless suffered from a remarkable lack of flexibility and adaptability over the last two decades. Its very name has a musty, dusty, garage-like scent to it: “radio” and “shack,” terms which were in fact already a...(click to read more)
Oil Prices & Saudi Arabia's Endgame
| Published January 8, 2015 |
By R. Alan Clanton
Thursday Review editor
There are a lot of reasons why gasoline prices are falling dramatically in the United States and Canada. Many of those causes are of no particular or immediate worry to the average American. Most U.S. households are expected to save an average of $1100 (roughly $550 per vehicle) in the 12 month period beginning late last summer, when prices first began their slide down. That windfall will surely create additional disposable income for the majority of consumers—cash which economists believe will be used to make purchases...(click to read more)
Energy Uncertainty Sparks New Year's Dow Plunge
| Published January 6, 2015 |
By Thursday Review staff
Oil prices continue to drop worldwide, and that—coupled with a striking drop of the cost of gas at the pump for Americans—should bring all good news. But, as is the case with anything economic, there is a downside. On Monday, January 5, 2015, the first full trading day of the New Year, the Dow plunged 312 points—a massive selloff in direct response, analysts...(click to read more)
Oil Prices May Drop, But Food & Coffee Will Cost More in 2015
| Published December 28, 2014 |
By Thursday Review staff
Americans and Canadians may be paying a lot less for oil and gas this year, at least for the next several months. Oil analysts expect prices to drop more, and then stay low through at least until the end of March. Some economists, as well as the U.S. Department of Commerce, estimate that the typical U.S. household will save about $1100 over the course of one year if those...(click to read more)
Oil Prices May Continue to Drop
| Published December 23, 2014 |
Right now, in several U.S. states and municipalities, gasoline at the pump is as low as $2 per gallon. Thursday Review readers in South Carolina and Oklahoma have sent pictures, or told us about, buying gas for $1.92 and $1.89. Gas prices are rapidly approaching their lowest mark in more than seven years, and some experts think the price could edge even lower by New Years. A gift from Santa, right? And right on time to save everyone a few bucks at the peak of holiday...(click to read more)
Will Hong Kong's Protest Movement Falter?
| Published November 26, 2014 |
By R. Alan Clanton
Thursday Review editor
Police and security teams in Hong Kong have begun a street-level campaign to disperse throngs of demonstrators and remove or demolish barricades and other protest structures in some downtown neighborhoods, including Mong Kok. As police slowly clear the streets—some of which have been blocked or disrupted for months—they are also making arrests. Among thosel...(click to read more)
Tesla: A Case of Supply Versus Demand
| Published November 7, 2014 |
By Thursday Review staff
Billionaires can afford to lose some money, and sometimes it makes perfect sense—especially if what they seek is a game-changing result for all that toil and investment. Elon Musk’s automotive division, Tesla Motors, just closed another unprofitable quarter, reporting to investors a loss of about $74.6 million for the third quarter of 2014. This is about twice Tesla’s loss when compared to the same quarter in 2013. But that’s...(click to read more)
Hong Kong's Economy May Suffer From Political Chaos
| Published September 18, 2014 |
By R. Alan Clanton
Thursday Review editor
They call themselves Occupy Central, and their goal is to establish an “era of civil disobedience” in Hong Kong, the once British colonial outpost which reconnected with the People’s Republic of China in 1997. Occupy Central intends to raise the stakes in a variety of non-violent...(click to read more)
Taxis, Drivers & Digital Disruptors
| Published June 23, 2014 |
By R. Alan Clanton
Thursday Review editor
There are hardly any venues in which the term “digital disruption” applies more than in the worlds of cab drivers and delivery folk. Digital disruption, in case you’ve been asleep during recent years, are words to describe how technology shatters conventional business models and up-ends time-honored processes. For example, Amazon has... (click to read more)
