PowerOptions WeBlog

The global economic downturn has had devastating effects car manufacturers as consumers worldwide have put off buying new vehicles and have chosen to keep and maintain their current ones. While this has severely affected the likes of General Motors (GM), Ford (F), and Toyota (TM), it provides unprecedented opportunities for auto parts stores, parts suppliers, [...]

The Obama Administration has proposed a program to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Under a “cap and trade” scenario, companies exceeding the set limits could purchase and emission allowances on the open market. Republican detractors label the proposal a veiled tax on business, and predict job losses and further damage to the economy. The Environmental Defense [...]

High-speed rail development is a growing industry worldwide, and President Barack Obama recently committed $13 billion in seed money to the United States’ foray into this hot market. If the federal government follows through with visionary plans for a cross-country high-speed rail system, U.S. companies that specialize in railway equipment, technology and vehicles could get [...]

The Federal Communications Commission, with the support of the Obama administration, has made a commitment to make high-speed, broadband Internet affordable and available to everyone. This initiative is part of the Obama administrations’ plan to help spur economic growth by creating jobs and encouraging innovation. The companies who are most likely to benefit from the [...]

The Treasury Department recently announced that it has decided to extend federal bailout eligibility to struggling life insurance companies. Treasury officials are reviewing applications from about a dozen large insurance companies seeking a share of what is left of the Trouble Asset Relief Program (TARP) after the financial and auto industry bailouts. The insurance companies [...]

The Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (FASB) mark-to-market rule requires firms to report the fair-market value of their assets on a quarterly basis. The valuation is based on the sales price fair market price of equivalent assets. Opponents of mark-to-market contend that in illiquid markets, mark-to-market unduly penalizes companies by making them write-down their assets, [...]

The fears of an imminent bankruptcy for both General Motors (GM) and Chrysler are already having effects on their sales numbers. In March, Chrysler experienced a 39% decline in sales, GM experienced a 45% decline in sales and Ford Motors (F) experienced a 41% decline in sales. Overall, the number of units sold currently stands [...]

The Apple (AAPL) iPhone looks so peaceful who’d believe the boardroom wars this hand size device has sparked. Marketed as the Swiss Army knife of cell phones it already had more uses than any other cell when they threw open the gates and gave the application software code up to any comers. The resulting [...]