Boston Finance – Online Trends – Local Search

Consumers Head Online for Local Business Information By Gregg Stewart // It’s time for the release of TMP Directional Marketing & comScore’s Annual Local Search Study results. Before we dive into the data, full disclosure: I preside over an interactive division at TMP. ComScore has administered the study each of the last three years with the purpose of identifying media trends... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Super Bowl Advertising

Super Bowl 2010 commercials featured (again) on YouTube AdBlitz // Would marketers be smarter to take the money they’ll spend on Super Bowl 2010 commercials and use it to by YouTube ads instead? Image by SESConferenceSeries via Flickr Last year, the Super Bowl ranked in $213 million in advertising revenue, according to Kantar Media, until recently known as TNS Media Intelligence.And, for many... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Several Hyatt Boston Hotels are Embarrassed by Thoughtless Firings

Hyatt offers 98 cleaners new jobs Hotel firm bows to outcry over firings By Katie Johnston Chase and Megan Woolhouse Globe Staff Article Courtesy of:  The Boston Globe Hyatt Hotels Corp., responding to public outcry, political pressure, and threatened boycotts, yesterday offered the 98 housekeepers it fired last month new jobs at their old wages, a move that was met with mixed... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – The Women Who Control the Cash Flow

The 25 Most Powerful Women In Banking There’s been a lot to mull over this year about gender equality in finance and business. One recent survey by Catalyst, a nonprofit group that promotes women in business, found that 19% of women have lost their jobs in the past two year, compared with 6% of men. Then, there was Jack Welch’s comment a few months ago that women who take time off for their... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Google Does Something New & Exciting AGAIN

Google Unveils Fast Flip and Startups Take a Gamble By Jennifer Martinez | Monday, September 14, 2009 Google today launched a new feature that organizes articles on the web in a way that resembles print magazines, called Google Fast Flip. Marissa Mayer, the search engine giant’s VP of search products and user experience, who unveiled the feature at TechCrunch 50 this afternoon, explained that... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Walmart’s Project Impact – The Juggernaut Rolls on and Over the Competition

Walmart’s Project Impact: A Move to Crush Competition By SEAN GREGORY – View this article on Time.com Walmart loves to shock and awe. City-size stores, absurdly low prices ($8 jeans!) and everything from milk to Matchbox toys on its shelves. And with the recession forcing legions of stores into bankruptcy, the world’s largest retailer now apparently wants to take out the remaining... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Such a Deal… Cheap Office Space Downtown! Smart…

Freelancers bag cheap office space By Christine McConville |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets Photo by Christopher Evans Three or four days a week, Boston-area entrepreneur Hooman Hodjat stops into a second-floor office just across the street from Boston’s South Station. One day, he’ll use the conference room to meet with potential investors. The next day, he may... [Read more]

Boston Financial Politics – Christy Mihos Republican Millions =’s Early Advantage

Christy Mihos aide: ’Financial advantage’ key in 2010 race By Associated Press |   http://www.bostonherald.com |  Local Politics BOSTON — The chief political consultant for Cape Cod businessman Christy Mihos said Tuesday his client lost the 2006 gubernatorial race solely because he ran as an independent. Conservative commentator and author Dick Morris also predicted that Mihos will... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – BioPharma Acquisitions HOT – BioPharma Giants – The Motley Fool Speaks!

Will Biopharma Acquisitions Never Cease? http://www.fool.com/investing/high-growth/2008/08/29/will-biopharma-acquisitions-never-cease.aspx Brian Lawler August 29, 2008 In both the size and quantity of proposed deals, the past 24 months have been busier than ever for biopharma dealmakers. From industry giants like Genentech and Biogen Idec (Nasdaq: BIIB) to tiny players such as Mirus... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Automotive – Americans Kicking the Tires Online

Americans Renew Their Love for Cars — Online By KEVIN HELLIKER Anne Fleming felt deeply confident as a negotiator—except whenever she entered an automotive dealership, where research shows that women pay more for cars than men. So last October the former apparel executive in Pittsburgh launched a Web site called Women-Drivers.com, which offers negotiating tips, as well as reviews of female-friendly... [Read more]

Boston Finance – National Health Care – Less Likely Without Teddy

Kennedy Death Cuts Broad Health Bill Odds, Hatch Says By Nicole Gaouette Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) — Congress is less likely to pass sweeping health-care overhaul legislation following the death of Senator Edward Kennedy, a leading Republican said. “You’re not going to get this big, broad Democrat spending bill — you’re not going to get Republican support,” Senator Orrin Hatch, a Utah... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Credit Card Security – Credit Card Networks

U.S. payment-card industry grapples with security By Ross Kerber BOSTON (Reuters) – Fresh details of large-scale cyber attacks against data processor Heartland Payment Systems Inc and supermarket chain Hannaford Brothers show the challenges facing the efforts of the U.S. credit-card industry to upgrade security measures. While both companies say their computer networks met the tough new standards... [Read more]

Boston Politics – Succession Debate “Who Replaces Kennedy?”

Kennedy’s Death Opens Up Succession Debate By FRED THYS BOSTON — Under Massachusetts law, voters will choose the successor to Sen. Kennedy in a special election in January. But that’s too long to wait for many Democrats, because Massachusetts would be without what could be a crucial vote as the U.S. Senate debates health insurance reform, Kennedy’s lifelong goal. Gov. Deval Patrick told... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – South Shore Popping Social Media for More Business!

// South Shore merchants use Twitter to spread the word By Steve Adams – The Patriot Ledger MILTON — When the newly-opened Abby Park restaurant in Milton prepared to add lunch service this week, it announced the news on its Twitter page. The restaurant just opened this month and already has 149 people following its “tweets,” the 140-character messages that are the standard... [Read more]

Boston Financial Guide News – Ted Kennedy dead at 77

A torch extinguished: Ted Kennedy dead at 77 By CALVIN WOODWARD and GLEN JOHNSON, Associated Press Writers Calvin Woodward And Glen Johnson, Associated Press Writers Thu Aug 27, 1:41 am ET HYANNIS PORT, Mass. – The greatest heights eluded Ted Kennedy over a lifetime of achievement and pain. No presidency. No universal health care, chief among his causes. Instead, Kennedy... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – National Consumer Confidence Report

Consumer confidence soars Sentiment reading increased to 54.1 in August, well above economists’ expectations. By Julianne Pepitone, CNNMoney.com staff writer NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — A key measure of consumer confidence jumped much more than predicted in August, as the job market outlook and business expectations improved, said a report released Tuesday. The Conference Board, a New York-based... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Automotive – Final Cash for Clunkers Weekend

Monday, August 24, 2009 Final weekend of clunkers program draws big crowds EMILY FREDRIX / AP Business Writer From Vermont to California, exhausted but appreciative car dealers watched their lots grow empty as crowds rushed to trade in gas guzzlers during the final weekend of the popular Cash for Clunkers program. The hectic pace of the $3 billion rebate program accelerated in the final weekend, after... [Read more]

Boston Financial – MBTA Mega Projects – Dream On Greater Boston… No Way…

On the slow train to financial reality THE MBTA, Turnpike Authority, and other parts of a sprawling transportation bureaucracy are about to be consolidated into a single agency. One job for this new authority must be to rethink which mega-projects the state should pursue aggressively. Some projects, including the long-discussed $8 billion tunnel linking North and South stations, won’t survive... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Boston Based Swiss Bank Snitch Gives up the Rich and Famous Off Shore $Cash$

A Privileged World Begins to Give Up Its Secrets By GRAHAM BOWLEY – Article Courtesy of the New York Times CLICK HERE About 10 years ago, when I was working in Frankfurt, Germany’s banking capital, I was invited to the top floor of the glittering skyscraper headquarters of one of the country’s most venerable banks. There, I was treated to something that, it was made clear to me, few eyes... [Read more]

Saturday’s Boston Financial FUN! – 12 Most Annoying Facebookers

The 12 most annoying types of Facebookers By Brandon Griggs CNN (CNN) — Facebook, for better or worse, is like being at a big party with all your friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers. There are lots of fun, interesting people you’re happy to talk to when they stroll up. Then there are the other people, the ones who make you cringe when you see them coming. This article is about... [Read more]

Boston Advertising News – Ahhhhh The Good Old Days – TV Glut =’s Less Ad $$$’s

Lisa van der Pool – Article Courtesy of the BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL TV’s decline follows heady days of Mad Men One of television’s hottest shows is AMC’s “Mad Men,” featuring ad executives who work (and imbibe) on Madison Avenue during the 1960s, an era many would argue was the heyday of advertising. It was a period when TV commercials ruled over all other advertising... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – Bond Portfolios and Retirement

Retirees Ignore Bonds At Their Own Risk Robert Powell – Robert Powell is the editor of Retirement Weekly. Learn more about Retirement Weekly here . BOSTON — When it comes to investing, most retired Americans have it backwards. Instead of investing in bonds — things that provide a return on capital, those seeking retirement-income security tend to invest in things that provide... [Read more]

Boston Financial – JetBlue & Southwest Faceoff

Beantown showdown: JetBlue and Southwest face off By SAMANTHA BOMKAMP (AP) Article Courtesy of:  Associated Press NEW YORK — The cool kids of the airline industry are giving big-city travelers more opportunities to show who they like more. For years, JetBlue and Southwest catered to customers in the same way — with cheap fares and good customer service — but avoided much head-to-head competition... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Investments – Cleantech Forum Boston

Cleantech Forum Boston Visit the Cleantech Boston Website: CLICK HERE and Learn More. The first cleantech investment boom (2001-2008) was driven by rapid growth and experimentation. A second cleantech investment boom is being driven by a new emphasis on capital efficiency, and engaging governments—which, combined, are now the single largest investor in cleantech. Leverage new government... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Top 10 Stimulus Spending – Massachusetts

The Martha’s Vineyard Times Mass in top 10 for stimulus spending By Kyle Cheney Published: August 13, 2009 STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, AUG. 13, 2009…..The state, local governments and private entities in Massachusetts have received $4.44 billion and spent more than $2.02 billion, 45 percent, through the federal stimulus law, known as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That percentage... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Cash For Clunkers National Impact – Camaro

AutoTrader.com sees big jump from ‘clunkers’ The Chevrolet Camaro claimed the No. 1 spot on AutoTrader.com’s most viewed new vehicles list for the third month in a row, topping off what has become one of the first positive months for new car sales in over a year. Cash-for-Clunkers brought consumers on-line and into showrooms in July to look for cars, reflected in AutoTrader.com... [Read more]

Boston Startups News – Finance Strategies

Innovative finance strategies for startups Lawrence Gennari, partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart, LLP With the stock market entering a modest equilibrium, many emerging growth companies, whether venture-backed or privately funded, are reconsidering financing strategies and looking at their next steps. Yet, bank financing remains elusive, and many venture capitalists, particularly... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Downsizing Big Banks

Downsizing the big banks: A long-term solution James Cullen // The hundreds of billions in rescue funds needed to support banks — and the trillions in implicit subsidies — has brought the question of appropriate institutional size to the forefront of regulatory reform. Not surprisingly, FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke favor measures collectively intended... [Read more]

Global Financial News – International Monetary Fund

Financial News – Can IMF be global banker? THINK AGAIN BY ANDREW SHENG FLYING to Boston for a conference on the global crisis, I went into the famous Harvard Coop bookstore in Cambridge. It was like my favourite candy store, I dashed here and there, picking up books I could not get in Asia and browsed new books that I could not see from Amazon. Sitting in Harvard amongst the teachers of my teachers,... [Read more]

Boston Finance News – Latino Accounting & Finance Convention

Boston hosting 1st Latino professional convention By Christine McConville |   Saturday, August 8, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets As the nation’s first Latino Supreme Court justice is set to be sworn in today, Boston will welcome its first-ever convention of Latino professionals. Some 2,000 members of the Association of Latino Professionals in Finance... [Read more]

Boston Financial Developement – Rose Kennedy Greenway

Apartments, museum lead race for Greenway site BRA says proposals most consistent with its plans for parcel By Casey Ross Globe Staff / August 7, 2009 A 78-unit apartment building and a museum focused on local history became the front-runners yesterday in a competition to develop a sliver of land that would become the cornerstone of a public market... [Read more]

Food, Finance & Boston Restaurants – Hell’s Kitchen Roasts Boston Chefs

Boston chefs scalded in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ By Donna Goodison / Turning the Tables  |   Friday, July 24, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets It was a rough night for the two Massachusetts chefs competing in “Hell’s Kitchen,” which premiered Tuesday on Fox TV. Fitchburg diner owner David “Louie” Cordio was booted in the middle of dinner service... [Read more]

Boston Globe – Will You Pay for Globe Website?

Globe says readers to pay for Web site By Christine McConville |   Friday, August 7, 2009 http://www.bostonherald.com |  Media & Marketing Photo by boston.com The Boston Globe will soon begin charging for its Web site, publisher P. Steven Ainsley told the paper’s union bosses yesterday as the Globe’s parent New York Times [NYT] Co. confirmed in a regulatory filing that the... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Young investors wary of jumping into market lows

Young investors wary of jumping into market lows By Erin Kutz BOSTON (Reuters) – Young investors may accept the argument that those who begin investing when stocks are cheap end up with more retirement money, but after the turmoil of the past year, some find it hard to put their money in the market. Asset managers and analysts say that those who invest in rock-bottom stocks of a bear market... [Read more]

Boston Financial – National Health & Mob Rule

‘Yes We Can’ vs. ‘Tell Washington No’: Public passions seen rising on health care overhaul Kimberly Hefling Public passions are rising on health care overhaul WASHINGTON — Booed, jeered and occasionally cheered in a raucous session with the public, a Democratic senator said Monday that other lawmakers can expect the same as they face voters on the divisive issue of overhauling health care. “I... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Barney Frank Comments tied to GE Stock Rise

GE stock rises after Barney Frank says it should keep finance unit By: Rachel Layne and Alexis Xydias Bloomberg News July 30, 2009 General Electric Co. rose the most in three months after U.S. Representative Barney Frank said manufacturers that already own finance businesses should be allowed to keep the units under revised banking rules. GE increased 92 cents, or 7.5 percent, to $13.18 at 10:27... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Panjiva Esoteric Investment Data

Financial tech web plays arise from ashes of economy Article Courtesy of:  MASS HIGH TECH Former MIT computer scientist Jim Psota hopes that Panjiva can attract more gatherers of esoteric data to help serve traders. When the world financial markets fell apart last fall, the prognosis was dire for startups bent on selling information technology to financial services firms. But entrepreneurs and investors... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Awesome Foundation

Awesome Foundation attracts small-project entrepreneurs About 50 people turned up at the BetaHouse technology co-working space in Cambridge last night to hear how they could get $1,000 to fund their own “awesome” pet project. Twelve trustees have each agreed to contribute $100 a month to the loosely organized “Awesome Foundation,” which promises $1,000 each month to fund “awesome” projects. “It’s... [Read more]

Boston Clunkers – Fed is a Wreck

White House reviewing ‘cash for clunkers’ program By KEN THOMAS, Associated Press Writer Ken Thomas, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON – The White House said Thursday it was reviewing what has turned out to be a wildly popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns the $1 billion budget for rebates for new auto purchases may have been exhausted in... [Read more]

Boston Finance & Fear Mongering – George Regan

Questions raised about George Regan award Hub PR exec denies using ethnic slur By Jessica Heslam / MediaBiz  |   Thursday, July 30, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Media & Marketing An ex-Boston magazine scribe insists Boston PR man George Regan called him an ethnic slur, and now there’s a call to block one of the country’s biggest civil rights organizations from... [Read more]

Finance – Yahoo & Microsoft – Deal Done?

Microsoft, Yahoo agree on long-sought search deal Microsoft Corp. has finally roped Yahoo Inc. into an Internet search partnership, capping a convoluted cat-and-mouse game that dragged on for years. The 10-year deal announced Wednesday gives Microsoft access to the Internet’s second-largest search engine audience, adding a potentially potent weapon to the software maker’s Internet arsenal... [Read more]

Boston Irish News – Sgt. James Crowley

Prez’s mea culpa goes over smooth at Irish pub By Marie Szaniszlo |   Sunday, July 26, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com Photo by Mark Garfinkel President Obama’s call to Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley wasn’t only a turning point in a national firestorm – it was also a big hit among the beer drinkers and eavesdroppers who heard Crowley take the call at Tommy Doyle’s... [Read more]

Financial News – Sales Tax Mass Suicide

Buyers trying to beat hike in state sales tax MAD RUSH? Bob and Sylvia Myhal bought a new Kia Amani yesterday at Wagner Motor Sales Shrewsbury. (T&G Staff/STEVE LANAVA) By Priyanka Dayal TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF Retailers of big-ticket items from refrigerators to cars are preparing for shoppers to come in droves this weekend and make purchases before the sales tax jumps... [Read more]

GOOGLE Financial – Microsoft under Pressure

Now Google parks its tanks right outside Microsoft’s gates * John Naughton What’s the toughest question a venture capitalist can ask? Answer: “What will you do if Google enters your market?” The web has been buzzing with speculation that senior Microsoft executives are now asking that question. The truth is that they have been asking it for quite a while. In an intriguing interview... [Read more]

Local Finance – Harvard Endowment Decline

Harvard pres.: School has tough choices in decline By MELISSA TRUJILLO – 18 hours ago Courtesy of: Associated Press Billions of lost endowment dollars later, though, Faust faces a much different reality. “We can’t have chocolate and vanilla and strawberry. We have to decide which one,” she said. It’s a question few at Harvard expected Faust to be forced to answer in the... [Read more]

Boston Financial – CrossHarbor Capital Partners

Montana resort for elite sold for $115 million By MATTHEW BROWN (AP) – 1 day ago BILLINGS, Mont. — Montana’s ultra-posh Yellowstone Club is in new hands, following a $115 million deal that the new owner hopes will close the door on the resort’s much publicized descent into bankruptcy. Eight months ago, the millionaires-only club was on the verge of liquidation, a victim of its prior... [Read more]

Financial Scandals – Shapiro Family Boston

Uneasy times for the Shapiro family Ties to Madoff could spur effort to recover investment gains Ruth and Carl Shapiro, in an undated photo. (The Nourses) By Beth Healy and Steven Syre Globe Staff / July 6, 2009 Eleven days ago, while Bernard Madoff was in a Manhattan jail cell awaiting his 150-year sentence, his old friend Carl Shapiro was enjoying... [Read more]

Boston Radio – WBCN – GONE!

Rocking no more Its eye on sports, CBS pulls plug on legendary WBCN By James Reed and Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff | July 15, 2009 It was more than 40 years ago, on a March night in 1968, when WBCN-FM (104.1) decided to break from its classical music format. Instead of Bach, listeners that evening heard “I Feel Free,’’ by the Eric Clapton-led rock band Cream, and right then Boston’s local music... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Throwing Keys to Fed Risky

MARK T. WILLIAMS Don’t throw the keys to the Fed By Mark T. Williams  |  July 2, 2009 THE OBAMA administration’s plan to close the existing regulatory gap by using the Federal Reserve Bank as the main systemic-risk regulator is theoretically sound but a bad idea under existing Fed structure. The Fed employs thousands of examiners stretching from Boston to San Francisco in an attempt to ensure... [Read more]

Boston Banks – SEC May Sue!

State Street Says SEC May Sue Over Bond Investments (Update4) By Christopher Condon June 29 (Bloomberg) — State Street Corp., the world’s largest asset manager for institutions, may be sued by federal regulators over bond funds that investors said lost money because of bets on risky mortgage-backed securities. The company, based in Boston, said in a regulatory filing that it received a Wells... [Read more]

Boston Startups – Our Stage Inc.

Music network startup OurStage tunes in $3M funding If you had a wager on which startups could put together venture cash right now, you probably wouldn’t pick an online social community for pop bands and their fans. Our Stage In the case of OurStage Inc., you’d lose that bet. The Chelmsford-based startup, launched in 2006, has raised $3 million of a $6 million new round of financing, bringing... [Read more]

Boston Public Relations – PR Does Not Stand for Press Release

PR Does Not Stand for Press Release: Equalizing Spikes and Valleys Courtesy of: Brian Solis Every now and again, a PR meme appears on the Web – almost to the point where you could set your watch by it. This time around, Claire Cain Miller of the New York Times sparked the conversation with an in-depth article, “Spinning the Web: P.R. in Silicon Valley.” I respect Claire and I believe she... [Read more]

Local Financial – Boston Magazine Slumps

Glossy in search of new sheen Boston magazine hoping change at top will bring lift By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff Boston Magazine - Financial Challenge Larry Platt, the top editor of Boston magazine, is from Philadelphia and it shows. During a breakfast interview last week, his description of an upcoming story about recently indicted former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi hit a pronunciation... [Read more]

Boston Startups – Local Motors Wareham

If you sketch it, they will build: Rally Fighter from Wareham Posted by Clifford Atiyeh (Steve Haines/Globe Staff) Lots of car companies claim to build dream cars. Nearly every luxury and exotic car manufacturer has a department for special orders, and there’s no shortage of tuners that turn these cars inside-out, but aside from Louis Vuitton seats and stainless steel hoods, there’s not... [Read more]

Investments & Finance – Historic Gloucester Distillery – Ryan & Wood Inc.

Spirits of Cape Ann – Ryan & Wood Inc. – Beauport Vodka Launch Ryan & Wood Distillery Gloucester MA – Beauport Vodka Gloucester distillery brings craft approach to alcoholic beverages By Joel Brown, Globe Correspondent | July 2, 2009 GLOUCESTER – Beauport, Knockabout, Folly Cove. The names have historic meaning on Cape Ann. Beauport – “good harbor’’ in French... [Read more]

Boston – Springfield in the BLACK

Springfield’s overseers leave a city in the black But as state control ends, some fear return of fiscal woes By Sarah Schweitzer, Globe Staff  |  July 1, 2009 Springfield MA SPRINGFIELD – It got so bad here that even the trees were falling – their dead limbs crashing onto parked cars and into houses, spurring lawsuits against the city that couldn’t afford to cut the trees down. How... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Talls Ships in July Mean $$$$’s

Trans-Atlantic tall ship race open to Mass. public The Associated Press Sail Boston 2009 - Boston Tall Ships BOSTON—Months of squabbling between the mayor of Boston and organizers of the Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009 ended with a deal that should provide clear sailing for a scheduled five-day visit by the vessels next month.Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on Wednesday... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Central Bank Concerns

Fed Documents Fuel Concerns About Expanding Central Bank’s Role By DAMIAN PALETTA WASHINGTON — Documents unearthed by congressional investigators reveal disagreements among senior Federal Reserve officials about how to handle Bank of America Corp.’s acquisition of Merrill Lynch, fueling concern on Capitol Hill over giving the central bank even more power to regulate the... [Read more]

Boston Finance – BikeNow Inc. Seeks 2 Million

BikeNow Inc. Seeks 2 Million BikeNow Inc. Headquarters: Boston Employees: 3 Founded: 2008 Web: www.bcycle.com E-mail: amytrus@gmail.com Phone: 301-461-6170 The Pitch: BikeNow is seeking funding to buy and install its technology, pay its staff and market its product. Bike Now Boston www.bcycle.com PITCHING THE TECHNOLOGY BikeNow’s product is an automated bicycle-share program for the Boston area,... [Read more]

Boston Finance – Comedy Connection Boston

US – Thursday, June 18 Despite the weak economy, comedy clubs around Boston like the Improv Asylum are seeing a steady flow of customers. Photo: NICOLAUS CZARNECKI/METRO Comedy clubs bank on recession laughs When the economy is bad, laughter is often an effective way to cope. That’s a good thing for area comedy clubs, several of which say patrons are still crowding their venues... [Read more]

Real Estate Financial – REIT Vultures

Here come the real estate vultures REITs are raising cash to take advantage of bargain prices on distressed commercial properties and mortgages. By Michael V. Copeland, senior writer Last Updated: June 22, 2009: 11:53 AM ET (Fortune Magazine) — These are tempting times for real estate bargain hunters. Whether it’s the tony house down the street with an asking price that keeps... [Read more]

Federal Reserve – GE Finance

Fed’s specter could steer GE Capital revamp Thu Jun 18, 2009 2:13pm EDT By Scott Malone – Analysis BOSTON (Reuters) – The possibility of the Federal Reserve gaining regulatory authority over General Electric Co’s hefty finance arm could influence how the company restructures that business. Jeffrey R Immelt GE When President Barack Obama this week unveiled his proposal for... [Read more]

Financial System – President Obama

Prez targets finance system Seeks to prevent Wall St. abuses By Jay Fitzgerald |   Thursday, June 18, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets Photo by AP President Obama’s plan to overhaul the nation’s financial regulatory system received support yesterday from key Massachusetts congressional members who said changes are long overdue. Saying America had... [Read more]

Automotive Financial – Saab SOLD

New investors face tough road ahead to right Saab by The Associated Press Tuesday June 16, 2009, 11:19 PM Eric J. Shelton / APSaab automobiles are seen on the lot of Herb Chambers Saab of Boston on Tuesday. Saab Automobile, General Motors Corp.’s struggling Swedish unit known for its family cars, was rescued Tuesday by a consortium led by Koenigsegg Automotive AB, a tiny company that produces... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – State Street

State Street fights to put uncertainty behind it A Boston stalwart fights its way through a crisis that’s putting even its steady strategy to the test By Beth Healy, Globe Staff | June 14, 2009 Ronald Logue had a nagging suspicion the financial climate was getting dangerous. But he didn’t know where the risks were looming, or how close they would come to his company. Logue, the chief... [Read more]

Financial Planner Matthew Weitzman – Fraud

// An Adviser (Mine) Is Charged With Fraud By RON LIEBER Ron Lieber New York Times About two months ago, I wrote a column about how Matthew Weitzman, our family’s financial planner, was under investigation for reportedly siphoning money from clients’ accounts. Well, the ax finally fell on Wednesday. The Securities and Exchange Commission accused him of looting client accounts of at least... [Read more]

Plymouth Rock Studios – Finance Denied

Massachusetts denies $50M for movie studio By Associated Press |   Thursday, June 11, 2009  |  http://www.bostonherald.com |  Business & Markets PLYMOUTH — Officials with the company building a movie studio in Plymouth are vowing to forge ahead despite the state’s decision not to provide $50 million in bond money for infrastructure upgrades. Hollywood East Plymouth Rock Studios Bill... [Read more]

GM Dealerships Closing – Financial Impact

GM Dealerships Closing Huffington Post | Ryan McCarthy The list of the more than 1,000 dealerships that GM plans to close has begun to trickle in. On Friday, GM dealerships across the country began receiving FedEx packages indicating which franchises could be shut down by next year. GM has announced that it will not renew its franchise agreements with nearly one quarter of its U.S. dealerships. GM,... [Read more]

Boston Financial News – AOL Buys Going

With 2 acquisitions, AOL looks to tap local ad market Boston’s Going Inc. Web firm bought By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | June 12, 2009 AOL, the troubled Internet company that is being spun off by parent company Time Warner Inc., is buying itself a parting gift. It is acquiring a pair of start-ups, including one in Boston, that run websites featuring neighborhood news. Going Inc. of Boston,... [Read more]

Boston Financial – Who’s Buying the Globe?

Potential Globe buyers emerge 3 businessmen have local roots Courtesy of Boston.com By Keith O’Brien and Beth Healy, Globe Staff | June 12, 2009 Three Boston businessmen – a Boston Celtics owner, a former advertising mogul, and a member of the family that ran the Globe for generations – have emerged as prominent potential buyers of the Globe, according to people knowledgeable about... [Read more]

Read More Posts From This Category »