VOL. 38 | NO. 17 | Friday, April 25, 2014
Termites are back. Swarming in their swat-evasive flurries, they can exact a debilitating toll on anything that stands in their way.
Top March 2014 commercial real estate transactions for Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson and Sumner counties, as compiled by Chandler Reports.
Franklin-based CapWealth Advisors has tapped former Goldman Sachs investment veteran John Lueken to lead its research efforts.
BUSINESS BOOK REVIEW
Fast, faster, fastest. That pretty much describes your workday. You hit the floor running every morning and, physically or mentally, you don’t stop moving until bedtime.
Savvy salespeople adjust their approach when selling to first-time vs. seasoned buyers in their category – especially when selling complex products or business services.
Frustrating. A word often used to describe computers, smartphones, tablets and, quite often, the stock market.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – Overheard in the gallery:
KAY'S COOKING CORNER
I love roasted vegetables. The flavor that comes about when roasting, as opposed to steaming or boiling, is completely different.
DETROIT (AP) — American car buyers came out of hibernation in April to spend on pickup trucks and SUVs, fueling an auto sales rebound that analysts expect to last the rest of the year.
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Alan Mulally, the man who transformed Ford Motor Co. from a dysfunctional money-loser to a thriving company, will retire July 1 and be replaced by Mark Fields, the current chief operating officer.
DETROIT (AP) — U.S. consumers continued buying cars at a fast clip in April as the last snow melted from dealers' lots.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. construction spending rose slightly in March, fueled by increases for apartments, single-family homes, factories, health care centers and office projects.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumers ramped up their spending in March at the fastest pace in 4½ years, a sign that the economy is gaining momentum after its winter slowdown.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to the highest level since February, a dose of mixed news for an economy that appears to be gaining momentum.
WASHINGTON (AP) — As the Federal Reserve works to ensure that the nation's largest banks pose no undue threats to the financial system, it will avoid imposing unnecessary rules on small banks, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks were mixed on Thursday as investors assessed the latest round of company earnings, a survey on manufacturing and news on the U.S. job market. Satellite TV company Dish gained on reports that AT&T had approached the company about a merger.
The price of oil was down again Thursday after falling below $100 a barrel for the first time in three weeks on slower U.S. economic growth and higher supplies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages declined slightly this week as the spring home-buying season has gotten off to a slow start.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30
NEW YORK (AP) - You can soon buy concert tickets from StubHub for shows produced by StubHub.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights is investigating allegations of sexual violence at Vanderbilt University, a spokesman for the federal agency told The Associated Press.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The city of Nashville and a victims' rights group have honored John Seigenthaler, chairman emeritus of The Tennessean, for his lifelong commitment to victims' causes.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart is bringing one-stop shopping to another area: auto insurance.
Investors pushed WellPoint shares closer to their all-time high price on Wednesday after the company raised its 2014 forecast again and became the latest health insurer to ease some worry about a key health care overhaul coverage expansion.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The nation's top telecommunications regulator defended his latest proposal to protect an open Internet, warning cable companies that manipulating data traffic on their networks for profit would not be tolerated.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook says it will let users log in to apps anonymously, without sharing their identities and personal information with mobile applications they don't trust.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Dow Jones industrial average is closing at an all-time high.
The price of oil fell below $100 a barrel for the first time in three weeks Wednesday as reports showed U.S. economic growth stalled in the first quarter and oil supplies in the U.S. rose to record levels last week.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve struck an encouraging note Wednesday: It will further cut its bond purchases because the U.S. job market needs less help. And it said the economy had strengthened after all but stalling during a harsh winter.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. businesses boosted hiring in April, according to a private survey, a sign the economy may improve after a sluggish start this year.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy slowed drastically in the first three months of the year as a harsh winter exacted a toll on business activity. The slowdown, while worse than expected, is likely to be temporary as growth rebounds with warmer weather.
NEW YORK (AP) — Shares of Twitter dropped in morning trading Wednesday to their lowest point since the company went public in November. Investor concern remains over the short messaging service's ability to keep adding users and keep existing users engaged.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A government watchdog confirmed Wednesday what airline passengers are finding when they try to book a flight: Service to communities of all sizes is declining, but especially to small and medium airports.
BEIJING (AP) — China has rejected a World Bank report that suggests it might pass the United States this year to become the biggest economy measured by its currency's purchasing power.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans blocked an election-year Democratic bill on Wednesday that would boost the federal minimum wage, handing a defeat to President Barack Obama on a vote that is sure to reverberate in this year's congressional elections.
TUESDAY, APRIL 29
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Netflix will pay Verizon Communications to help clear up some of the congestion that has been bogging down its Internet video service.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Tuesday handed the Obama administration an important victory in its effort to reduce power plant pollution that contributes to unhealthy air in neighboring states.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Republican Gov. Bill Haslam and his Democratic predecessor, Phil Bredesen, are kicking off a campaign in support of a constitutional amendment on the way Tennessee Supreme Court justices and appeals judges are appointed and retained.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has approved bipartisan legislation that would exempt U.S. health plans sold to expatriate workers from having to comply with requirements under the Affordable Care Act.
NASHVILLE (AP) - Shares of HCA Holdings Inc. slipped Tuesday after the hospital operator reported first-quarter earnings that inched up but fell short of Wall Street's expectations.
DETROIT (AP) — Mercedes-Benz is recalling more than 284,000 C-Class cars in the U.S. and Canada because the rear lights can fail.
DETROIT (AP) — BMW is recalling more than 156,000 cars and SUVs in the U.S. because the engines can lose power or stall.
BERLIN (AP) — German automaker Volkswagen is reporting a 26.8 percent rise in net profits despite a slump in earnings for its namesake brand.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Toyota delivered a surprise pink slip to California on Monday, announcing the company would move its U.S. headquarters and about 3,000 jobs from the Los Angeles suburbs to the outskirts of Dallas.
NEW YORK (AP) — Solid earnings from a broad swath of U.S. companies pushed the stock market higher on Tuesday.
The price of oil crept above $101 a barrel Tuesday as investors assessed the latest sanctions on Russia over the country's role in the crisis in Ukraine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Expect a dreary report Wednesday when the government issues its first estimate of how fast the U.S. economy grew in the January-March quarter. Brutal weather kept consumers and businesses in hibernation for much of the winter and likely slowed growth to a scant annual pace of just 1.1 percent.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence fell in April over concerns about hiring and business conditions, even though many people foresee a strengthening economy in the months ahead.
NEW YORK (AP) — Whether to allow more exports of U.S. oil and natural gas has become a matter of political debate in Washington. But to economists, the answer is clear: The nation would benefit.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. home price gains cooled in February from the previous year for the third month in a row, as harsh winter weather and high buying costs have slowed sales.
NEW YORK (AP) — Advertisers are backing away from the Los Angeles Clippers after racist comments attributed to the NBA team's owner.
MONDAY, APRIL 28
SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) - Approaching a year since the Food Network pulled the plug on her TV show, Paula Deen plans to hit the road this summer to cook live for fans.
NASHVILLE (AP) — A new report shows Tennessee is on pace to meet a goal of a 90 percent high school graduation rate by the Class of 2020.
NATCHEZ, Miss. (AP) - Natchez Regional Medical Center officials are in negotiations to sale the hospital to Community Health Systems.
NASHVILLE (AP) - The marriages of three same-sex Tennessee couples who are suing the state have been invalidated, at least temporarily, by a federal appeals court panel.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Not even Supreme Court justices can resist a good fish story.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has declined to take up software maker Novell Inc.'s appeal in a long-running antitrust case against Microsoft Corp.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Supreme Court cases about police searches of cellphones without warrants present vastly different views of the ubiquitous device.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Nine candidates have applied to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Court of Criminal Appeals caused by the Judge Jerry Smith's decision to leave the bench in August.
NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Supreme Court's Access to Justice Commission says the number of hours Tennessee attorneys are devoting to free and reduced-rate legal services for the poor has increased dramatically.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Google says it has turned a corner in its pursuit of a car that can drive itself.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The director of Google's self-driving car project wrote in a blog post Monday that development of the technology has entered a new stage: trying to master driving on city streets. Many times more complex than freeways, which the cars can now reliably navigate, city streets represent a huge challenge.
NEW YORK (AP) — Google, Jay Z and crowdfunding site Kickstarter are among the winners of this year's Webby Awards, a celebration of Internet achievement that got its start nearly two decades ago.
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft says a security gap in Internet Explorer could allow an attacker to take complete control of a computer if the user clicks on a malicious link.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are ending a choppy day mostly higher as investors balanced enthusiasm over a possible merger in the health care industry with bad news from Bank of America.
The price of U.S. oil inched slightly higher Monday but global oil fell more than 1 percent on expectations of increased exports from Libya.
WASHINGTON (AP) — In her first weeks as Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen has made one thing clear: The Fed will keep all options open in deciding when to raise interest rates from record lows.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More Americans signed contracts to buy homes in March, the first increase since June and a sign that the housing market might pick up after a sluggish start to the year.
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America is shelving plans to increase its dividend and buy back more stock.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Comcast announced on Monday a series of transactions designed to lower its debt and help clear the way for its acquisition of Time Warner Cable, including the sale of cable systems with 1.4 million subscribers to Charter and the spinoff of an additional 2.5 million subscribers into a new company.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The push by President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats to raise the federal minimum wage seems ready to join the parade of issues that gets buried in Congress but — the party hopes — propels voters to the polls this November.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress gets back to work Monday after a two-week vacation, and it's looking like lawmakers will do what they do best: the bare minimum.
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
NASHVILLE (AP) — The state Supreme Court has reinstated a medical malpractice lawsuit that had been thrown out by lower courts because the plaintiff failed to file paperwork to confirm it had met notice requirements.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Google, Apple, Intel and Adobe have settled a class-action lawsuit alleging they conspired to prevent their engineers and highly sought technology workers from getting better job offers from one another.
NASHVILLE (AP) — Volkswagen warned Tennessee officials during difficult negotiations over incentives to expand the German automaker's lone U.S. plant that the company has already secured offers to build a new SUV elsewhere.
DETROIT (AP) — The cost of recalling nearly 7 million cars and trucks sank General Motors' first-quarter profit, but the company's CEO said the much-publicized recalls have yet to cut into sales.
NEW YORK (AP) — Target, Nordstrom and other big chains are pinning their hopes of attracting shoppers on social media.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. consumer confidence surged in April, approaching the highest level since the recession began in 2007 as Americans reported greater optimism about their financial situation and the economy.
WASHINGTON (AP) — For three decades, the U.S. middle class enjoyed a rare financial advantage over the wealthy: lower mortgage rates.
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. manufacturers have grown more competitive over the past decade compared with factories in China, Brazil and most of the world's other major economies.
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks mostly fell Monday afternoon, led by declines in technology and bank stocks, as investors' excitement about a potential blockbuster pharmaceutical deal was snuffed out.
LONDON (AP) — The price of oil declined below $101 per barrel after disappointing earnings in the U.S. on Friday, having earlier risen on worries about the tensions in Ukraine.
DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford Motor Co.'s worldwide sales rose in the first quarter, propelled by growing strength in Asia and Europe. But weakness in North America dragged down the company's profit.
NEW YORK (AP) — Companies are finally starting to spend some of the cash they've been sitting on, and that could mean a stronger economy and more jobs are on the way.
REDMOND, Wash. (AP) — Microsoft Corp. posted flat revenue and a decline in net income for the January-March quarter. Revenue gains from its Windows operating system and cloud computing services like Azure were offset by the lack of special upgrade offer revenues from a year ago.
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon is taking aim at grocery stores and discounters like Wal-Mart with a grocery service that lets its Prime loyalty club members fill up to a 45-pound box with groceries and get it shipped for a flat rate of $5.99.
DALLAS (AP) — Even with the turbulence of severe winter storms and stubbornly high fuel prices, many of the major airlines are cruising and their stock prices are soaring.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages rose this week as the spring home-buying season has gotten off to a slow start.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government wants to ban sales of electronic cigarettes to minors and require approval for new products and health warning labels.
Meredith Corp. says it is ending subscription service of "Ladies' Home Journal" due to declining advertiser interest.