The Supreme court in a 7-1 decision found that consumers can do what they want with the printers they buy, despite Lexmark forcing buyers to “sign” a “post-sale restriction” contract that the buyer won’t tamper with their patented product after they buy it. The case is “Impression v Lexmark.” Lexmark makes two similar types of … Read more
“The United States will withdraw from the Paris climate agreement,” said Trump this week. Trump said he wants to negotiate for better terms, and that other countries are given an economic edge by the current accord. The U.S., he said, suffers lost jobs, lower wages, closed factories, and diminished economic production because of the agreement. … Read more
China protested when the investors service lowered its credit rating 1 notch because of China’s rising debt load (which could be difficult to service) and slowing growth. It is the first time in the 30 years since the end of the devastation caused by Mao and the Cultural Revolution that China’s credit rating has been … Read more
The new bill has been approved, and it includes an extra $20 billion for defense. Immigration and border patrol get an 8% increase, but there is nothing for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. The defense amount includes a 2.1% pay raise for military personnel. There was also nothing in the bill about … Read more
6 Major companies reported weaker showing than 2016 at this time. Read more
The loonie might go as low as 70 cents to the U.S. dollar in 2017, according to experts. Right now it’s around 73 cents, a 14-month low. The fall of the loonie is tied to the same old things: a strong period for the U.S. economy, interest rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, and … Read more
This week they hit their lowest level since last November. Brent went below $50 U.S. Crude was at $46.47. Read more
217 – 213 was the vote that passed without motion to reconsider, but all 193 Democrats and 20 Republicans voted “Nay.” Democrats made news by shouting “Hey Hey, Goodbye” on the Senate floor, and protesters staged public demonstrations against the move in the streets. Trump said of the bill, “Make no mistake. This is a … Read more
The largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history is taking place in the territory of Puerto Rico. $120b debt and pension obligations need to be restructured. It owes $72m to creditors, many of which will have to eat the losses. The 3 million-strong territory will close 184 schools as part of its cutting down of social … Read more
The group owes around $1.1t of the America’s $3.6t in consumer debt, and consumer debt it getting closer to 20% of GDP. Where is the debt coming from? A lot comes from rising student and auto loans. In addition to the economic risk involved in this kind of debt, it also has effects on psychology … Read more
140,000 Americans are now employed by 3,200 Chinese companies operating in the U.S., according to Chinese state media organization Xinhua. The 140k is 9 times the 2009 number. And the dollar figure for investment, $46b, is three times what it was a year earlier. Read more
Q1 for 2017 GDP was weak: 0.7% annualized. Of that, one of the weaker components was consumer spending, which rose only 0.3%, the weakest level for spending since Q4 2009. Read more