Major US indices ended essentially flat for the day today, as investor anxiety mounted during the meetings in Europe concerning the state of the eurozone and what actions might be necessary. Yields on 10-year Treasury notes fell for the fourth day in a row, yet another sign of investor’s unease. In corporate news, Blackberry maker Research in Motion (RIMM) has replaced their co-CEOs with a single new CEO, Thorstein Heins, former COO of the company. Despite the company’s difficulty matching competitors in the smartphone market, Heins appears to be seeking a fairly conservative strategy. Starbucks (SBUX), meanwhile, has announced their intention to bring more and more alcoholic beverages to their cafes. Full Post…

What is shadow inventory?

It is an inventory of houses that will come to market as distressed properties at discounted prices. Each of the data companies define shadow inventory in slightly different ways. Standard & Poors defines it this way:

“We include in the shadow inventory all outstanding properties for which borrowers are 90 days or more delinquent on their mortgage payments, properties in foreclosure, and properties that are real estate owned (REO).

We also include 70% of the loans that “cured” from being 90 days delinquent (loans that once again became current) within the past 12 months because cured loans are more likely to re-default. Our ca

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As tax season begins, Americans should start to discover the different Federal Tax Brackets, how tax brackets work, and what percentage of their income will be taxed in each.

You can think of Federal tax brackets as “benchmarks” for taxation on each dollar of your income. The first few thousand dollars that you earn are untaxed. The next are taxed, but at the lowest rate. Thi

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Managing the cash flow of a transportation company can be very challenging. You have a number of expenses which have to be paid quickly fuel, drivers, repairs, etc. On the other hand your income from freight bills is slow to come by since shippers can take up to 60 days to pay their invoices. This can create a cash flow imbalance since expenses are going out faster than income is coming in. Larger companies can deal with this problem by either dipping into cash reserves or by getting a bank line of credit. Unfortunately, most small transportation companies don’t have cash reserves and can’t qualify for conventional bank financing. There

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