Filed under: Competitive Strategy, Marketing and Advertising, Small Business

In my columns, I usually focus on new technologies that can help boost your business. But sometimes the old-fashioned approaches can still work quite well.

Yes, this includes mailers.

OK, it’s true that people still throw away much of their mail (and, it even looks like the U.S. Postal Service will cut back on its deliveries). But if a mailer is done right, you can get a nice return on your investment.

Continue reading Entrepreneur’s Journal: Done Right, Mailers Can Get Results

Entrepreneur’s Journal: Done Right, Mailers Can Get Results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Industry, Competitive Strategy, Amer Intl Group (AIG)

Catastrophe modelers, insurers and reinsurers are still sorting out the damage from Windstorm Xynthia in Europe and the earthquake in Chile. Taking only the highest of high-end estimates, the damage from these two catastrophes could exceed $12 billion, resulting in fairly steep property-catastrophe losses long before hurricane season begins. With three more major property reinsurance renewals remaining for the year — at April 1, June 1 (Florida) and July 1 — there’s plenty of time for the impact of these events to be absorbed into reinsurance pricing.

Continue reading Assessing the Tab for Q1 Catastrophes

Assessing the Tab for Q1 Catastrophes originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wachovia in talks to resolve money-laundering - CharlotteObserver.com
Wachovia, now part of Wells Fargo & Co., is in discussions with the U.S. Justice Department to resolve an investigation into the bank’s ties to Mexican money exchange houses and its compliance with money-laundering laws. San Francisco-based Wells

(Neb.)-Crime Victims Could Get More Money in Nebraska - KCSR
Pete Pirsch He states Nebraska ranks last for the amount of money it pays to victims. The extra dollars would come from a $1 court charge on those convicted of crimes, a small portion of wages earned by prison inmates on work release, and federal

Floyd Mayweather Disses Manny Pacquiao - Doghouseboxing.com
Floyd Mayweather Jr. is not the least bit impressed with Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Joshua Clottey this past Saturday. Quoted recently by GMA Television News, “Money” Mayweather Jr. dissed “Pacman” Pacquiao for being boring as well as a one-dimensional

Alvarez & Marsal Might Revive Lehman as Money Manager - BusinessWeek
Beyond Liquidation The new company would biggest investment bank, filed for bankruptcy in September 2008, listing $639 billion in assets, the most ever in a U.S. bankruptcy. The case is In re Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., 08-13555, U.

FEMA money extended for Hurricane Ike - KFDM-TV
GALVESTON, Texas (AP) - Galveston is getting more time to use federal dollars The Galveston County Daily News reported Monday that so far crews have removed more than 12,000 dead trees. City spokeswoman Alicia Cahill says contractors using vacuum

SPOILERS For Bret/Vince At WrestleMania, Money In The Bank - TheInsider.com
– The rumor backstage at RAW right now is that Steve Austin will serve at the guest referee for Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 26 . The announcement should be made tonight on RAW, if WWE goes through with this plan. As part of his duties hosting WWE RAW tonight, “Stone Cold” Steve

19 people busted statewide for staging accidents for insurance money - NW Florida Daily News
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Nineteen people have been caught this month in a statewide sweep of people staging accidents for insurance money. Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink made the announcement Monday, saying the arrests were made in Ft. Myers, Miami, Orlando, Pensacola, Tampa and West Palm Beach. The

NYC Hopes to Get Money Back to Scammed Cab Riders - FOX News
Mayor Michael Bloomberg states his administration is looking into ways to reimburse cheated passengers. The city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission stated last week it had discovered a scam where drivers routinely charged a rate double the usual rate.

DeMint and Florida U.S. Senate candidate raise money in - Anderson Independent-Mail
COLUMBIA, S.C. — U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint said Monday he’s “less confident” that Republicans can stop President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul from passing now that it’s down to a few votes. But the South Carolina Republican said he isn

Exclusive: Yahoo’s Top Ad Money-Maker Bradford Leaving for New Job at Demand Media - All Things Digital
According to several sources, Yahoo’s SVP of U.S. Revenue and Market Development Joanne Bradford (pictured here) is planning on leaving the Internet giant to take a new position as Chief Revenue Officer of on the internet content upstart Demand Media. The surprise move is sure to have reverberations

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Filed under: Economic Data, Housing, Federal Reserve

The Commerce Department reported that housing starts fell 5.9% in February to 575,000. Building permits also fell in February. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg news had forecast starts to fall to between 510,000 to 610,000.

Much of the weakness can be blamed on the weather. You don’t start new construction in the midst of snowstorms and blizzards. Also, with a backlog of unsold existing homes, it becomes more difficult begin new constructions. Builders remain cautious of moving forward too rapidly.

Here is a breakdown of the stats:

Continue reading Housing Starts Fell 5.9% in February

Housing Starts Fell 5.9% in February originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indian film industry hit by losses in 2009: study - YAHOO!
AFP/File – Indian actor Aamir Khan reads a greeting card on his birthday in Mumbai on March 14. India’s film … 8 mins ago MUMBAI (AFP) – India’s film industry revenues declined by nearly 14 percent last year, hit by a damaging producers’ strike

Qualcomm and GreenRoad to Provide Industry’s First - Earthtimes
offer the first integrated solution that addresses mobile resource management (MRM), safety and driving behavior.  The solution, intended for local service fleets, is a combination of Qualcomm’s Service Fleet Manager and the GreenRoad 360?

Research and Markets: Chemicals: China Industry Guide - Forbes
BusinessWire - Research and Markets (http://www detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis with

IBM rethinks industry-standard servers - Zd Net Asia.com
IBM introduced a new class of industry standard servers that it hopes will widen its market share lead and put rivals like HP and Dell on defense. Huge Blue revealed on March 2 its new family of servers dubbed the eX5 portfolio, and it features

Movado to post 4Q loss, industry woes continue - Philadelphia Inquirer
Luxury watch maker Movado Group Inc. on Monday stated 7.6 million related to the writedown of asets and non-cash deferred tax expense of about $11.1 million. That’s partially offset by a cash income-tax benefit of about $8 million. Luxury goods

MU summit focuses on news industry - Columbia Daily Tribune
Top thinkers from the media, business and technology worlds are gathering at the University The school’s Reynolds Journalism Institute is hosting 40 industry leaders, including representatives from Samsung America, Apple, Wal-Mart and The

No maps, less music: China without Google could see loss for Web surfers, industry development - Los Angeles Times
BEIJING (AP) — China without Google — a prospect that looks increasingly likely — could mean no more maps on mobile phones. A free music service that has helped to fight piracy might be in jeopardy. China’s fledgling Web outfits would face less pressure to improve, eroding their ability to one

Research and Markets: 2010 Plimsoll Analysis - Web - Newsblaze.com
The UK Web Hosting market analysis This edition of the Plimsoll Analysis is the most wings the market could be set for a prolonged period of consolidation. David Pattison, author of the new Plimsoll Industry Analysis - Web Hosting, explains, I am

Research and Markets: UK Consumer Electronics Market - TMCnet
Story continues below ↓ WMIs UK Consumer Electronics Market Data & Forecast to 2013 market profile is the essential source for top-level retail industry data and analysis covering UK. The report provides historical data and forecasts for the UK

Research and Markets: Utilities: China Industry Guide - PR Inside
Research and Markets( www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ad2fbe/utilities_china_i China Industry Guide : is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the China Utilities industry. It includes detailed data on market size and

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Filed under: Major Movement, International Markets, Good news, Google (GOOG), China, Options, Technical Analysis

Baidu.com (BIDU - option chain) shares are rising today on reports that Google (GOOG) advertisers in China have been advised to switch to its rivals, including Baidu and Sohu.com (SOHU). This is on the heels of this weekend’s report that Google will shut down its Chinese search engine rather than bow to the countries strict censorship rules. If you think that the stock won’t fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on Baidu.

BIDU opened this morning at $570.48. So far this day the stock has hit a low of $563.20 and a high of $628.50. As of 12:35, BIDU is trading at $581.05 up $30.81 (5.6%). The chart for BIDU looks neutral and S&P gives BIDU a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Continue reading Baidu to Gain from Google’s China Search Exit

Baidu to Gain from Google’s China Search Exit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Major Movement, International Markets, Good news, Google (GOOG), China, Options, Technical Analysis

Baidu.com (BIDU - option chain) shares are rising this day on reports that Google (GOOG) advertisers in China have been advised to switch to its rivals, including Baidu and Sohu.com (SOHU). This is on the heels of this weekend’s report that Google will shut down its Chinese search engine rather than bow to the countries strict censorship rules. If you think that the stock won’t fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on Baidu.

BIDU opened this morning at $570.48. So far this day the stock has hit a low of $563.20 and a high of $628.50. As of 12:35, BIDU is trading at $581.05 up $30.81 (5.6%). The chart for BIDU looks neutral and S&P gives BIDU a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

Continue reading Baidu to Gain from Google’s China Seach Exit

Baidu to Gain from Google’s China Seach Exit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Americans’ net worth rises 1.3% in 4Q - New Haven Register
value of assets such as homes, checking accounts and investments minus debts like mortgages and credit cards. Even with the gain, Americans’ net worth would have to rise an additional 21 percent just to get back to its pre-recession peak of

Stocks edge higher - Courier-Journal
CEO Vikram Pandit stated the bank was on a path toward “sustained profitability” as it Jim Dunigan, managing executive of investments at PNC Wealth Management, stated he anticipates that China will be able to contain prices for now. “

Kingdom Holding in $375 mln bid for KHI stake - Maktoob Business
RIYADH - Kingdom Holding, the investment firm of Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, will make a cash offer for the remaining shares in Kingdom Hotel Investments in a deal worth $375 million, KHI said on Monday. Kingdom Holding’s BIDCO unit would pay $5

Smart Grid Market Outlook: Market and Technological - PRLog (free press release)
PR Log (Press Release) – Mar 15, 2010 – The development of global smart grid market was led by the US and the European Union (EU) in 2009. The US emerged as the top smart grid destination in 2009. Investments from global power electronics majors

Kingdom Hotel Investments - Preliminary results - Zawya.com
Management’s discussion and analysis of the company’s financial condition and results of operations are available online at www.kingdomhotels.com Kingdom Hotel Investments (”KHI”), the leading emerging markets hotel investment company, today reports

Blumenthal sues Moody’s, S&P over debt ratings - Norwalk Hour
agencies issued on risky investments. In the civil lawsuit filed Wednesday, Attorney General Richard Blumenthal Steven Weiss, a spokesman for S&P’s parent McGraw-Hill Cos., said, “We believe the claim has no legal or factual merit and we

Consumers keep tight grip on pocketbooks - Columbia Daily Herald
such as homes, checking accounts and investments minus the economy and financial conditions slowly recover, consumer spending is projected to grow around a modest 2.2 percent, according to the National Association for Business Economics.

IFM Investments Limited Reports Fourth Quarter and - Earthtimes
Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2009 Highlights(1) — Net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2009 was RMB208.0 million (US$30.5 million), a 222.5% increase from the same quarter of 2008. — Net revenue for fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 was RMB651

Saudi Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding offers to purchase - Cleveland Plain Dealer
Citigroup stake states its wants to buy all shares of Kingdom Hotel Investments that it doesn’t already own. In an e-mailed statement Monday, Kingdom Holding Co share and GDS for the 44 percent stake it does not already own in KHI.

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Finance Bookshelf: Questions for each life stage - Oregonian
Which professions are worth exploring right now? How do you instill good money habits in your children? What financial future do you imagine for yourself? Those are some of the large life questions tackled in three new personal finance titles. Which

Greek Bailout Tops EU Finance Ministers’ Agenda - ABC News
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Finance ministers from countries using the euro hope to agree on Monday on a way of providing heavily indebted Greece with financial aid, despite French and German doubts that a deal will be reached. European policymakers are

Germany’s Finance Minister: EMF Needs Expulsion Powers - NASDAQ
BERLIN -(Dow Jones)- The euro zone needs stricter oversight and sanctions for policing its members, including the power to push a country out if its finances become too dire, Germany’s finance minister said Monday. “We need a (European Monetary Fund

Chamber: Unions to gain from campaign finance decision - Thehill.com
The senior attorney at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce stated the Supreme Court’s loosening of campaign finance restrictions will have little effect on the group’s politicking. Steven Law, chief legal officer and general counsel for the Chamber, stated

Euro Falls Versus Dollar Before EU Finance Ministers - Bloomberg
March 15 (Bloomberg) — The euro snapped three days of gains versus the dollar after some European finance ministers ruled out aid for Greece as it seeks to narrow a budget deficit that is the largest in the common-currency region. The euro weakened

Eileen Ambrose: Personal Finance - baltimoresun.com - Baltimore Sun
C redit card issuers are going to have to play by a whole new set of rules that take effect Monday and are considered consumer-friendly - but will also cut into some of their traditional sources of revenue

Zuuply.com Provides Comprehensive Answers to Consumers - PRWeb
com, a comprehensive resource website for consumers who want answers to common finance-related questions. Site visitors can post their financial questions on the site’s homepage or search thousands of resources available on the site to learn more

Confidence Rises as Finance Leaders Look to Hire Again - Yahoo Finance
LONDON , March 15, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — There are positive signs the UK job market is set to improve this year, according to the latest ‘Robert Half CFO Confidence Index’. Nearly half (47%) of chief financial officers (CFOs) and finance directors

Finance minister: Ukraine on brink of financial - KPNews.com
Ukraine’s total pension fund deficit is Hr 29.8 billion, Finance Minister Fedir Yaroshenko stated at a briefing in Kyiv. “The total pension deficit in the first quarter is Hr 29.8 billion, required funding - Hr 44.5 billion, the balance at the

Personal Finance: Some timely tax tips - Sacramento Bee
Care about it or not, the April 15 tax deadline is fast approaching. With a month to go, here’s a roundup of timely tax tips. Wildfires, mudslides, floods: For thousands of Californians – including Auburn residents burned out of their homes in the 49

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RiverSource Lasalle International Real Estate Fund, Inc - MSN Money
the “Fund”) SLS this day declared a first quarter distribution of $0.085 per share of Common Stock. Dividends on Common Stock will be paid on March 29, 2010 to Common Stockholders of record funds in the RiverSource Family of Funds.

InnVest REIT Reports Fourth Quarter Results - Market Wire
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire - March 12, 2010) - InnVest Real Estate Investment Trust (”InnVest Our operating performance in 2009 reflected the broader economic environment, with declining demand and increasingly competitive pricing resulting in

EPA Recognizes USAA Real Estate Company With 2010 - Earthtimes
SAN ANTONIO, March 11– The U.S. Environmental Protection Bureau (EPA) has awarded USAA Real Estate Co. a 2010 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award in recognition of its continued leadership in protecting our environment through energy efficiency

Real estate research firm reports 972 foreclosure - Washington Examiner
Even so, February’s count was the fourth-highest on record in Hawaii. RealtyTrac’s marketing communications manager, Daren Blomquist, states its too early to call two months of decline a downward trend. The 972 foreclosure filings works out to one

Monterey Real Estate Firm To Pay Back $315K - KPIX-TV5
the Salinas office of Ed Veronick Mortgage Loans Inc. employed a man named Ronnie Esparza to help bring in Hispanic clients for the company’s loans and other products. Esparza, who wasn’t licensed by the state’s Department of Real Estate

Carlos Slim Tops Forbes List of Billionaires - New York Times
Slim, 70, who built a telecommunications empire after buying Mexico’s state-run phone monopoly two decades ago outside the United States led the ranking — the Japanese real estate tycoon Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. “We’ve been watching Trim for a

Priest pleads guilty to $2.7M real estate scheme - NWI.com
A northern Indiana man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to a scheme defrauding real estate developers and churches of more than $2.7 million while presenting himself as a priest, court documents stated. Byron “Father Barney” Canada pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in South Bend to 31

Quinlan directors set up real estate firm under Avestus - Irish Times
THE DIRECTORS of property investment firm Quinlan Private have set up a new real estate business under the name Avestus Capital Partners. The move follows the resignation of founding partner Derek Quinlan from the company last year. Thomas Dowd

Paint can be a wallpaper alternative - The Ledger
Elaine Griffin is crazy about stripes - in small rooms and kids’ rooms, powder rooms and halls Bonnie Roberts-Burke, a real estate agent, had 80 feet of stripes painted in her 100-year-old Washington town home. They start in the living room, go

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