VOL. 37 | NO. 38 | Friday, September 20, 2013
REALTY CHECK
Those in the hunt for housing in Nashville are going crazy, especially those who wish to purchase homes.
TERRY McCORMICK
As the Tennessee Titans enter their home opener this week against the San Diego Chargers, they do so in bittersweet fashion.
GUERRILLA MARKETING
We live in a digitally dominated world, and consumers quite often make decisions about brands based solely on their digital presence before ever making direct contact with an actual brand representative. While business owners and marketing professionals alike are beginning to recognize just how important it is to get their digital houses in order, there are still many internet marketing myths to be dispelled.
THE WORLDLY INVESTOR
A couple of weeks ago, we discussed the lack of unanimity in the emerging markets sell-off. While the emerging markets index suggested distress within the class, a closer look revealed that only a few countries were truly under fire.
SMART STUFF 4 WORK
For many of you, it’s that time of year again. It’s the season to complete your budgets. So, what’s the deal with budgets? Is all this budgeting activity worthwhile or not? I honestly don't know. Perhaps the most accurate answer is, maybe.
I SWEAR
Circa 1991, one of my golf buddies uttered a sentence using irregardless. Knowing what that meant, I didn’t challenge him. I figured someone else would. I was right, and he was able (at the other person’s expense) to point out that irregardless had been admitted to a certain dictionary the previous week. And thus was now part of his vocabulary.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey says he sees little chance of state Rep. Joe Carr upsetting U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander in next year's Republican primary.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security Foundation has selected Keith Perrigan to be its executive director.
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - After years of talking about ending homelessness, Nashville's Metropolitan Homelessness Commission is finally doing something about it.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. government is starting another phase of selling off its General Motors stock after cutting its stake in the automaker to just over 7 percent.
NEW YORK (AP) — Toyota says it will begin sending U.S.-built Corolla sedans to 18 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean starting next year.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The National Right to Work Foundation says it is representing eight workers at the Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, who allege they were misled and coerced by the United Auto Workers union.
HEALTH CARE
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is promoting the benefits of his health care law before new insurance exchanges open for business next week.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy U.S. homes in August, the third straight decline. The drop could mean that higher mortgage rates are starting to deter buyers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell 5,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 305,000, the second-lowest level in six years. Steady declines in applications show that very few companies are laying off workers.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a 2.5 percent annual rate from April through June, an improvement from the first three months of the year. But economists are worried that growth may now be slowing.
NEW YORK (AP) — The National Football league struck a deal to show game highlights and other video content on Twitter ahead of the short messaging service's initial public offering of stock.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell this week to their lowest point in two months. The decline follows the Federal Reserve's decision last week to hold off slowing its monthly bond purchases.
NEW YORK (AP) — Encouraging news about the economy lifted the stock market in late-morning trading Thursday.
BANGKOK (AP) — The price of oil hovered near a 3-month low Thursday, held back by worries about the U.S. economy and signs of a slowdown in demand.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will not simply pass a temporary spending bill from the Democratic Senate after it is shorn clean of a tea party plan to "defund Obamacare," House Speaker John Boehner said on Thursday.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Senate Speaker Ron Ramsey predicts that lawmakers will approve a bill to allow wine to be sold in supermarkets and convenience stores next session.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee State Library and Archives is adding more than 1 million newspaper pages to its free online collection.
BOSTON (AP) — Forty attorneys general, including Tennessee's Bob Cooper, sent a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday urging the agency to meet its own deadline and regulate electronic cigarettes in the same way it regulates tobacco products.
MUSIC INDUSTRY
NASHVILLE (AP) - Willie Nelson has been forced to pull out of the Southern Ground Music & Food Festival and three other shows due to a shoulder injury.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - State Sen. Mae Beavers' political action committee has corrected its registration filing with the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance in advance of a major fundraiser next week.
FRANKLIN (AP) - Nissan is donating $50,000 to the Harpeth River Watershed Association to support its water quality programs.
HEALTH CARE
NAPLES, Fla. (AP) - Hospital operator Health Management Associates said Wednesday its new board of directors is reviewing its planned $3.9 billion sale to Community Health Systems.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Average premiums for Tennesseans seeking coverage under new health insurance markets launching next week rank near the lowest among the 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead to cover uninsured residents.
WASHINGTON (AP) — With new health insurance markets launching next week, the Obama administration is unveiling premiums and plan choices for 36 states where the federal government is taking the lead to cover uninsured residents.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart spooked the stock market Wednesday — helping push stocks lower for a fifth straight day.
Oil fell for a fifth straight day as an unexpected increase in U.S. oil and gasoline supplies offset positive economic news.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An $11 billion national settlement is under discussion to resolve claims over JPMorgan's handling of mortgage-backed securities in the run-up to the recession, said a government official familiar with ongoing negotiations among bank, federal and state officials.
DALLAS (AP) — Belo Corp. shareholders on Wednesday approved Gannett Co.'s proposed acquisition of the broadcast company.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. household net worth jumped $1.3 trillion in the spring, fueled by gains in home and stock values.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans stepped up purchases of new homes in August after cutting back in July, suggesting that higher mortgage rates are not yet slowing the housing recovery.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Companies placed slightly more orders in August for U.S. long-lasting manufactured goods, stepping up demand for cars, trucks and machinery. Even with the gain, business spending on factory goods may not be strong enough to accelerate economic growth in the July-September quarter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The financially ailing Postal Service is seeking a 3-cent increase in the cost of mailing a letter — and that would raise the price of a first-class stamp to 49 cents.
SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon is refreshing its lineup of tablet computers with new devices called Kindle Fire HDX, which are significantly faster and lighter than the previous generation.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Unanimous but far from united, the Senate advanced legislation to prevent a partial government shutdown on Wednesday, the 100-0 vote certain to mark merely a brief pause in a fierce partisan struggle over the future of President Barack Obama's signature health care law.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - Tennessee Rep. Joshua Evans says he will run for the newly formed 25th District seat of the state Senate.
NASHVILLE (AP) - A new conservative political action committee holding a fundraiser outside Nashville next week has so far failed to register with the state.
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Department of Transportation has released the projects for which it will accept bids next month.
AUTO INDUSTRY
NEW YORK (AP) — CarMax's fiscal second-quarter net income rose 26 percent, as the chain of used car dealerships continued to be bolstered by higher sales.
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — About 500 workers have been temporarily laid off from a northwest Ohio plant that produces the new Jeep Cherokee.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street couldn't shrug off doubts about the economy and government gridlock on Tuesday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil fell for the seventh time in eight days, as the U.S. signaled a willingness to pursue a diplomatic path with Iran.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve is concerned about suspiciously heavy trading of gold futures after its meeting last week that may have been triggered by a premature release of market-sensitive information.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home prices rose 12.4 percent in July compared with a year ago, the most since February 2006. An increase in sales on a limited supply of available homes drove the gains.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' confidence in the economy fell slightly in September from August, as many became less optimistic about hiring and pay increases over the next six months.
NEW YORK (AP) — Burger King wants people to feel less guilty about gobbling up its french fries.
NEW YORK (AP) — Toys R Us plans to hire 45,000 seasonal workers at its stores and distribution centers, the same number as last year, as it ramps up for the all-important holiday season.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Under relentless pressure from their right wing, Republicans are in the midst of a risky fight with President Barack Obama they know they will lose, little more than a year before an election that history says they should win.
NEW YORK (AP) — Health care is reuniting President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican lawmakers and industry groups are vowing to fight President Barack Obama's climate change plan and its first-ever emission limits on new power plants. But they're finding their options are limited — at least in the short term.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a break with tea party-aligned Senate conservatives, Republican leader Mitch McConnell announced Monday he will not vote to block legislation aimed at preventing a partial government shutdown, even though Democrats intend to rewrite it to restore funds needed to keep the nation's three-year-old health care law in existence.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
STATEWIDE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Seven Islands Wildlife Refuge will become the 56th state park in Tennessee.
MIDSTATE
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Valley Authority is beginning work this week on part of a project that will reduce emissions at its coal-burning power plant in Gallatin.
AUTO INDUSTRY
DETROIT (AP) — A key ratings agency has restored General Motors' debt to investment grade status, eight years after the company lost the rating as it spiraled toward bankruptcy protection.
SAO PAULO (AP) — It carried hippies through the 1960s, hauled surfers in search of killer waves during endless summers and serves as a workhorse across the developing world, but the long, strange trip of the Volkswagen van is ending.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores is hiring 55,000 seasonal workers and is elevating 70,000 more to part- or full-time positions as the holiday season ramps up.
NEW YORK (AP) — Concerns about the strength of the economy and the potential for a budget fight in Washington pushed down the stock market Monday.
NEW YORK (AP) — The price of oil closed at a six-week low as the catalysts that drove it above $110 earlier this month lost strength.
TORONTO (AP) — BlackBerry has agreed to sell itself for $4.7 billion to a group led by largest shareholder, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd.
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple says shoppers snapped up 9 million of its newest iPhones since the devices were launched Friday, and that demand is exceeding supply.
NEW YORK (AP) — As Apple pitches its newest smartphones, users may find something lacking compared with last year's model: They could break more easily.
NEW YORK (AP) — Microsoft introduced new Surface tablets, including a professional model that allows people to use it more like a laptop or a desktop computer.
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — US Airways and American Airlines are extending their merger deadline by a month to give themselves time for the antitrust trial scheduled for November.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — With a week left to hammer out a deal to avoid a government shutdown, some lawmakers seem resigned — if not rushing — to that end.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
NASHVILLE AREA
NASHVILLE (AP) - The Tennessee Titans want fans coming to their home opener to help domestic violence victims through the YWCA by bringing some clothes for women and children of all ages.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Vanderbilt University Medical Center has cut 275 positions as part of a plan to eliminate more than 1,000 positions by the end of the year.
STATE LEGISLATURE
NASHVILLE (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam's administration discouraged a schools director who signed a petition critical of Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman from remaining among speakers to a Senate committee evaluating common core standards in Tennessee schools.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Senate Education Committee members expressed concerns Friday about Tennessee's Common Core standards during a hearing on the issue.
AUTO INDUSTRY
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Japan's Nissan Motor Co. said Friday it will build a car assembly plant in Myanmar to begin manufacturing the Nissan Sunny compact sedan in 2015.
DETROIT (AP) — BMW is recalling more than 134,000 5-Series cars in the U.S. because the rear lights can fail.
The stock market has been heating up, driving demand for IPOs. There have been 140 initial public offerings of stock this year, up 46 percent from the same time in 2012, according to IPO tracking firm Renaissance Capital. Of the eight companies that went public this week, two — cybersecurity software maker FireEye and technology advertising company RocketFuel — nearly doubled in value Friday.
NATIONAL BUSINESS
Washington's budget fight jolted Wall Street on Friday, reminding it that the next few weeks could bring a lot of uncertainty.
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil fell more than 1 percent Friday as fears of a disruption to Middle East supplies eased while concerns about a shutdown of the U.S. government grew stronger.
TORONTO (AP) — BlackBerry said Friday that it will lay off 4,500 employees, or 40 percent of its global workforce, as it reports a nearly $1 billion second-quarter loss a week earlier than expected.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Employers cut jobs in 20 states last month, suggesting modest improvement in the U.S. job market this year is not enough to benefit all areas of the country.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Target plans to hire about 70,000 seasonal workers for the holiday shopping season, down about 20 percent from a year ago. The discounter is aiming to be more efficient in its hiring practices.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Kroger says CEO David Dillon will retire from that post when the new year begins, with President and Chief Operating Officer W. Rodney McMullen stepping into the role as part of its long-term CEO succession plan.
Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages declined this week amid signs the economic recovery is slowing.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo plans to lay off an additional 1,800 employees from its mortgage department, after cutting about 2,300 jobs from the same unit in August.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home sales rose last month to the highest level since February 2007 as buyers rushed to close deals before mortgage rates increased further.
WASHINGTON (AP) — JPMorgan Chase & Co. will pay $920 million and has admitted that it failed to oversee trading that led to a $6 billion loss and renewed worries about serious risk-taking by major banks.
NATIONAL POLITICS
WASHINGTON (AP) — Linking global warming to public health, disease and extreme weather, the Obama administration pressed ahead Friday with tough requirements to limit carbon pollution from new power plants, despite protests from industry and Republicans that it would dim coal's future.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The GOP-controlled House voted Friday to cripple President Barack Obama's health care law as part of a risky ploy that threatens a partial shutdown of the government in a week and a half.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Republican-controlled House has approved a bill to sharply increase logging in national forests.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says global warming is one of the most significant public health threats of our time.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Farm-state lawmakers hoping for passage of a farm bill by the end of the year will have to bridge a deep divide between the House and the Senate over the role of the government in helping the nation's poor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says rising U.S. exports have been "one of the biggest bright spots" of the U.S. economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said Thursday his agency is in "the midst of a financial disaster" and may need an emergency increase in postage rates to keep operating.