Author: Tom Silva

Despite rising gas prices, retail sales in the U.S. rose 0.8 percent in March, proof that consumers are still filling up their tanks, according to economists.  The rise in purchases follows a 1.1 percent increased in February that was the biggest in five months, according to a survey of 71 economists.  The gain sent retail […]

Facebook is friending Nasdaq in one of the most-desirable deals among the Internet companies jockeying ahead in the race for social-media IPOs.  The addition of Facebook’s listing enhances Nasdaq’s reputation as the favored exchange among high-tech companies.  The exchange is home to several tech firms, including Apple and Google.  The stock will trade under the […]

A new report from the Pew Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ) tells a gloomy story. Its main point is that the search for a new business model to revive the newspaper industry is making extremely halting progress.  The most startling revelation is that, on average, for every dollar newspapers earn in digital advertising […]

First, there were flash mobs.  Now, there are cash mobs. A cash mob is an organized group of do-gooders who suddenly descend on small businesses, snap up merchandise and gather at pubs and restaurants afterward to celebrate their pro-community mission.  The shopping sprees have taken place in cities ranging from San Diego to Buffalo.  The […]

Scam artists across the country are stealing billions of dollars in tax refunds through a shameless form of fraud that takes advantage of the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) fast online returns.  Thanks to laptops and free Wi-Fi connections, these thieves steal identities and use the names of genuine taxpayers to file fraudulent online returns.  They’ve […]

February retail sales climbed the fastest in five months. Even rising gas prices didn’t dampen demand for cars, clothing and other goods.  According to the Commerce Department, retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 1.1 percent to $407.8 billion in February; January retail sales were revised upwards to show a 0.6 percent rise instead of the […]

The “Kony 2012” film, made by an organization called Invisible Children, Inc., (IC) is a prime example of how social media can push out a video and people react to it without time to get context and background to make an informed judgment. Joseph Kony, who is believed to be in his early 50s, is […]

American public transportation ridership rose 2.3 percent last year as gas prices rose to their highest-ever annual average, according to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).  The 10.4 billion trips recorded last year was the highest since 2008, when gas prices hit more than $4 a gallon nationwide for seven weeks in the summer. APTA […]

Linsanity has infected New York City. The economic impact of Jeremy Lin, the 23-year-old basketball phenomenon for the New York Knicks in just one week is hard to grasp. According to Times’ Brad Tuttle, “The phenomenon of undrafted Harvard grad and previous NBA benchwarmer Jeremy Lin is translating into serious money, as Knicks’ ticket prices […]

Actor Michael Douglas is playing a new and rather surprising role as spokesman for the FBI to fight corruption on Wall Street.  The actor – famous for his line “greed is good” in the 1987 film “Wall Street” – is sending a new message in a public service announcement, explaining that insider trading is a […]