Business Pundit

Is the Internet becoming less like the Wild West? The three pieces of news below describe government action being taken on Internet activity. Are these isolated cases, or signs of a bigger trend to clamp down on Internet activity? You decide: 1…. Read more

The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), a 55-member organization of central banks, announced today that “financial products should be treated like medicines,” according to Reuters. More: The BIS was alarmed by how a collapse in the… Read more

The last time we saw the swine flu was in 1976, when it killed a New Jersey army recruit. Today, the swine flu is back with a vengeance, infecting hundreds of people in Mexico, killing at least 18 of them, and spreading into five US states,… Read more

The Group of 20, or G-20, is a coalition made up of the countries that make up 85% of the world economy. In light of the ongoing crisis, this year’s G-20 conference is especially important. It could result in globally coordinated bailout action, new… Read more

Fiat’s coolest creation Reading about Obama’s Chrysler/Fiat restructuring mandate made me wonder: What’s in it for Fiat? Quite a bit, it turns out (from ANSA): Fiat in January signed a preliminary non-binding agreement with the struggling… Read more

Knauf drywall, a German brand of drywall manufactured in China, could be releasing toxic gases in tens of thousands of US homes built between 2004-2007. ABC reports: The Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating whether (Knauf)… Read more

Breitbart reports: Chief executives of leading banks from Japan, Europe and the United States will meet in London to discuss regulation of the financial sector, according to a report. The British government will host the talks on March 24,… Read more

In the last decade, medical tourism has hit the tipping point as a viable alternative to overpriced domestic procedures. Why buy a $3,000 dental crown treatment in the United States when you can get the same thing–plus a flight, hotel, and fun… Read more

Not really, according to Dean Baker. Here’s his scenario in case everyone else loses confidence in US financial markets (haven’t they already?): Suppose that foreign investors refuse to buy U.S. bonds. This would have two effects. First it… Read more

I generally ignore Google AdWords ads, but this one caught my eye: Life of a Farm Blog – blog.mahindrausa.com – Follow the stories of a guy with 3 kids, a red tractor and 170 acres Mahindra & Mahindra is an Indian automaker. At first, it… Read more

It’s always a good market for somebody. From the Financial Times: Chinese bargain hunters are preparing to descend on American cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, where homeowners have suffered some of the steepest price falls in… Read more

The other night while I was preparing dinner, a man with a heavy Indian accent called me. ‘Mike Johnson’ wanted to know if I needed satellite dish service. Most people I know have become accustomed to making calls to or receiving calls from… Read more

Shenzhen Undercover makes an important point about how losing an essential sector of the economy can actually be of benefit: …as much as this economic downturn in the globalized economy has hurt a lot of export-driven businesses, and its… Read more

The Brookings Institute underlines some of the characteristics the next US President must exhibit in order to effectively navigate the country through one of the biggest global cesspools in its history: Mr Bush’s successor will confront a… Read more