Iflove Business Finance Review: Internet, Automaking and Mortgage financing

Internet
    Yahoo gives bright forecast to justify Microsoft rebuff
  Â
    Yahoo Inc. has released a rosy outlook for the next two years, hoping to give investors a better understanding of why the Internet pioneer isn’t willing to sell to Microsoft Corp. unless its suitor raises its bid above $45 billion.
    Analysts interpreted Tuesday’s unscheduled disclosure of Yahoo’s internal projections as a sign that the company’s attempts to find an alternative deal to Microsoft’s 6 1/2 -week-old offer aren’t bearing fruit.
    With its options narrowing, Yahoo appears determined to remain independent unless Microsoft boosts its unsolicited bid, originally valued at $44.6 billion, or $31 per share.
    Stanford Group analyst Clayton Moran called the release of Yahoo’s revenue forecasts through 2010 ”another step in the public negotiation between these two companies. We believe this deal is turning friendly.”
  Â
   Consumer credit
    Visa hopes $17B IPO is biggest sale in U.S. history
  Â
    Visa Inc. will proceed with its $17 billion initial public offering, betting it can pull off the biggest stock sale in U.S. history during the worst year for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index since 2001.

 Visa, the world’s largest credit card

network, may eclipse AT&T Wireless Group’s $10.6 billion offering in 2000, assuming the share price is set at the high end of the projected $37-to-$42 range. San Francisco-based Visa would rank as the world’s second-biggest IPO after the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.’s $22 billion offering in 2006.
    The offering will ‘’set the tone” for the equity markets this year, said Chip MacDonald, a capital markets lawyer in Atlanta. ”It’s going to be a bellwether.”
    CEO Joseph Saunders is pressing ahead as consumers pay for more purchases with credit and debit cards instead of cash.Â
   Â
    Television
    News Corp.’s Fox beats CBS as most-watched network
  Â
    News Corp.’s Fox passed CBS as the most-watched television network after its ”American Idol” singing contest topped ratings and the Hollywood writers’ strike limited competition from scripted shows.
    Fox’s 6.8 rating among U.S. households in prime time for the season through March 16 snatched the lead from CBS Corp., according to Nielsen Media Research. CBS has been first for five consecutive seasons, Nielsen spokesman Gary Holmes said.
    ”Idol,” the most-watched show, and unscripted programs including ”America’s Most Wanted” and ”Cops” gave Fox weapons to increase viewers as the TV and film writers’ strike forced CBS to air reruns. Fox already leads among total viewers this season after being first for three years among the 18-to-49-year-olds advertisers pay the most to reach.Â
   Â
    Mortgage financing
    Fannie, Freddie stocks up on eased regulation hopes
  Â
    Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac surged in New York Stock Exchange trading on speculation that regulators are set to ease restrictions that have constrained growth at the companies, the largest sources of money for U.S. home loans.
    Fannie Mae rose the most since at least 1980, climbing 27 percent to $28.22. Freddie Mac jumped $5.40, or 26 percent, to $26.02, its biggest one-day gain ever. The amount of capital the government-chartered mortgage-finance companies are required to hold may be eased, though not removed, as early as this week, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing unnamed sources.
    Lawmakers and investors have said lowering the capital requirements would free up cash that the companies could use to invest in the slumping mortgage market and bolster their own profits. 

    Automaking
    Ford Motor says time is up for workers to take buyouts
  Â
    Ford Motor Co., the world’s third-largest automaker, said it would end buyout offers to U.S. factory workers Tuesday night, as it cuts labor costs to help stem losses.
    Workers had until midnight local time at each facility to take the buyouts, spokeswoman Marcey Evans said in an interview. The Dearborn, Mich.-based company is offering as much as $140,000 each to 54,000 employees represented by the United Auto Workers. The departures will begin April 1.
    Ford is concluding its second round of buyouts for all U.S. factory workers in two years. About 33,600 UAW-represented employees left under the initial offers made in 2006. Ford is trimming labor costs amid $15.3 billion in losses in the past two years as its U.S. sales declined.
    The Detroit News said about 2,000 workers had signed up for the offers as of last week.

Iflove Business Finance Review: Internet, Automaking and Mortgage financing

Iflove Popular

• Iflove Finance, Your Business and Personal Finance Expert (0)
• Financial sector bounces back as profits at Lehman Brothers and Goldman Sachs clear Wall Street (0)
• Drugmaker’s incoming CEO believes his science background will help generate blockbusters (0)
• Bear Stearns receives short-term emergency funding to prevent its collapse (0)
• Visa IPO prices: Credit card company’s initial public offering surpasses estimates at $44 a share (0)
• Struggle for Bear Stearns’ emotion, and Sixth Day-Three Stories (0)
• Sony Slashed Annual Profit Forecast on Japanese Yen’s Gains Against Euro (0)
• President Bush to Interview with top US financial policymakers on Economic Recession (2)
• New Business Theories and Financial Views: Iflove Finance News Summary (1)
• Lehman Brothers shares soared after reporting results that beat forecasts (0)

Thank you for visting iflove.com, the fairy legend of Edward Chen the Movie Star! You may want to Find Love or subscribe to RSS feed. Enjoy or do a search!