December 2008

I was out in the trenches last Friday reporting from Lord and Taylor on Fifth Avenue.  One thing I noticed not just Friday but all weekend long in New York City:  less crowds. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was less crowded, the streets were less crowded, and on Friday, I can say with complete certainty, there were less shoppers.  Lord and Taylor isn't a "doorbuster" type of store, but ... read more

Well, first, thanks to all of you for your feedback on your spending habits on Black Friday. We got retail November sales figures this morning, and they were awful. Sure, WalMart reported a gain, but overall we're talking numbers down 20 percent for most major names. And now we know why.  Unemployment is now at 6.7% and September and October were revised to reflect more job losses.  (I long ... read more

We had an interesting and well, spirited discussion today with David Cole from the Center for Automotive Research.  Let's just say David has a bone to pick with the media and their (our) coverage of the automaker bailout.  You have to watch the video, but I'll give you a hint:  he thinks we, and judging from the comments on my blog, you as well, are misinformed about the U.S. auto ... read more

In a First on Fox Business interview, I had the chance to sit down with Ted Turner, founder of CNN, the legend behind Turner Broadcasting which eventually merged with Time Warner, then AOL, owner of the Atlanta Braves, and of course, the former husband of Jane Fonda. There have been many books written about Ted Turner, but never one written by Ted Turner until now. His book "Call Me Ted" is on the ... read more

Today we had Daniel Koren on the show, he is the President of Daniel K Jewelers here in New York City.  He's one of the men who dresses the stars for red carpet events, but he also has a strong understanding of investing in diamonds.  He's been holding speaking events here in NYC on the value of putting cash into diamonds for appreciated value versus bonds, stocks, or treasuries. With global ... read more