Archive for July 6th, 2009

Log on to a popular online shooter games like “Call of Duty” or “Battlefield: 2142″ and you’re not likely to hear female voices coming through the microphones of your squad mates. A young man’s tenor-or rumble-is more often the norm here, as well as communications laced with profanity and swagger .But companies are increasingly targeting… »

Despite the brief strengthening of aluminum in the second quarter, prices remain flimsy and demand from China is likely to thin as the country revs up its smelters, adding the additional threat of oversupply. None of these factors bode well for aluminum’s pricing power in the near term, or for aluminum producer Alcoa, which is… »

Star analyst Meredith Whitney expects the number of mortgage modifications to become exponentially higher, which is good news for the banking sector. But she hasn’t always felt this way.Over the past two years, Whitney, who recently opened the Meredith Whitney Advisory Group, has been relatively dismissive of the idea, “primarily due to the fact that… »

High-riding sugar futures finally slipped on Monday, as economic uncertainty weighed on commodity prices and investors tried to take profits. Sugar for October delivery shed 0.26 cents, to settle at 17.32 cents, on the IntercontinentalExchange. At the end of June, ICE sugar futures hit a three-month high at 18.09 cents. Analysts have been bullish on… »

Renewed economic pessimism fueled gains for the dollar and yen on Monday, but the greenback’s supremacy is still being questioned.”The U.S. dollar and yen have been absolutely soaring against the euro and Sterling since trading resumed [Sunday],” said Dan Cook, chief market analyst at IG Markets, a European-based Forex and foreign exchange derivatives trading outfit…. »

After seeing its plans to sell off Alcan’s packaging division squashed by the credit crunch, Rio Tinto has chosen the next best alternative: selling the assets bit by bit. Bemis , a Wisconsin-based packaging producer, will buy the Food Americas division of Alcan Packaging for 1 billion in cash and 200 million in shares, Rio… »

Porsche’s stake in Volkswagen was looking less like a hot commodity on Monday. The German carmaker denied reports that five more potential bidders have emerged for a Porsche-owned derivatives package which controls around 20% of Volkswagen voting shares.Shares of Porsche fell 3.7%, or 1.66 euros , to 43.61 euros after the company said exclusive talks… »