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Driven by record sales at retail along with an 84 percent jump in online consumer
spending; global install base lead over PlayStation 3 expands to more than 8
million units.
REDMOND, Wash., Jan 05, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — Despite a tough
economy, the gaming industry held strong in 2008 and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360
video game and entertainment system [...]

“A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.”
“We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that “thousands” has almost passed out of the dictionary.”
“But the basic difficulty still remains: It is the expansion of Federal power, about which I wish to express my alarm. How easily [...]

BEIJING (AP) — China said it plans to increase the amount of money circulating in its economy next year in a new effort to spur consumer spending and shield the country from a global downturn.
Saturday’s announcement by the country’s State Council, or Cabinet, comes on the heels of a multibillion-dollar economic stimulus package announced last [...]

What do you think will be the near future of employment, economic growth and productivity?
THE APOCALYPSE 2010
Our Government will have total control of our entire financial system and most of America will be indebted to the US Government.
Disaster Capitalism?
Could it be avoided?
If the government would have invested it’s money on the consumer, the producer of [...]

The biggest issue next year in the American economy will be jobs. Not credit, not consumer credit. Our economy doesn’t rest on consumer spending. No! It rests on jobs. We’ve been careless and shipped them overseas. We’ve let the CEOs follow their bliss (profits) and they’ve managed to drag our economy over a cliff.
There was [...]

“The U.S. credit-card industry may pull back well over $2 trillion of lines over the next 18 months due to risk aversion and regulatory changes, leading to sharp declines in consumer spending, prominent banking analyst Meredith Whitney said.
The credit card is the second key source of consumer liquidity, the first being jobs, the Oppenheimer & [...]

J.Crew, Coldwater Creek shares fall after results
TiVo swings to a profit; Limited Brands’ debt rating cut to junk by Moody’s
By Carla Mozee, MarketWatch
Last Update: 11/25/2008 8:38:00 PM
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Apparel retailers J. Crew Group Inc. and Coldwater
Creek Inc. shares fell late Tuesday, as J. Crew cut its yearly forecast and
Coldwater Creek posted a double-digit [...]

Without a very strong manufacturing base where “real wealth” is created this system will be doomed.
The stock market is not a true measure of wealth creation, it’s a game for the Oligarchy and yes, an average investor can have some limited success playing the stock market game but ultimately the success will be fleeting.
How can [...]

Real wages are not likely to increase in an era of declining corporate profits and a larger more desperate pool of available labor. Unemployment will increase due to accelerating decreases in consumer spending and the jobs that remain will have depressed wages and decreased benefits such as health insurance. As there are more foreclosures this [...]

Suddenly, our consumer society is doing a lot less consuming and slaming the door on the ” Buying Binge ” we’ve been on in the last few years! The numbers are pretty incredible. Sales of new vehicles have dropped 32 percent in the third quarter. Consumer spending appears likely to fall next year for the [...]

I have a feeling that this recession is going to be deep and very long and unlike what I have experienced in the last 37 years. This recession is not only national but global in scope. There is also a possibility that we may be entering a period of Deflation in the economies of the [...]

The consumer has gone home to a house they can’t afford to sort through credit card bills they can’t pay and — oh yeah — check the want ads for a job. Unemployment numbers can be jiggered, but the consumer spending can’t be because it comes through retail earnings. Watch what happens to the retail [...]

It’s good to see that consumers think it’s smart to pay off debt. Too bad the message hasn’t penetrated the thick skulls in government.
If unemployment rate is to hit 8-8.5% as Goldman Sachs says then we have numerous 100K, 200K, or even 300K months to come. Certain states will likely see double digit unemployment. [...]

Stock futures pared declines after some of the economic data, including the Commerce Department’s report that U.S. consumer spending in September tallied its largest drop in four years.
Yeah - that makes perfect sense. Largest drop in four years…so the futures bounce off the lows!!! As usual…was not “abysmal” or “wasn’t worse than expected.”
Another [...]

Dollar strength continues or doesn’t
How far reaching the global slowdown will be
Home foreclosures
Job loss
City and State spending cuts and layoffs
Business closing (144,000 projected)
Foreign earnings coverted to dollars
Inflation effect on stock prices
Consumer spending vs. saving sentiment
If you are trying to use current or projected earning to say stocks are cheap, who is projecting them or saying [...]