A "Depression Era" mentality takes hold of consumers

Filed under: Internet, Getting started, Small business, TechnologyBack in the late 1990s, Parker Conrad and Michael Sha daytraded from their dorm room. At first, it went very well - that is, until the dot-coms crashed. Despite all this, they are still stock market junkies. In fact, they have created a unique site for traders to hang out in -- Wikinvest. But this is no fly-by-night operation -- the company recently snagged $2.5 million in venture capital. However, are wikis really a good platfo... more

Crude oil prices rose above $90 overnight as the US dollar sunk to a new low against the euro, according to the FT. The paper says that "persistent worries about tight supplies ahead of the winter peak season and fresh geopolitical tensions also helped to push prices higher." Douglas A. McIntyre is an editor at 247wallst.com.Permalink | Email this | Comments... more

Filed under: BooksLooking at global warming, water scarcity, increasing pollution and population, and declining natural resources, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that these problems are too large and intractable, no matter how much money and effort we throw at them. Stuart Hall’s Capitalism at the Crossroads: Aligning Business, Earth and Humanity, with a foreword by recent Noble Peace Prize recipient Al Gore, provides reason for cautious optimism. Just as concentrated human c... more

Filed under: Good news, Consumer experience, Money and Finance Today, Personal financeYou will soon be able to stop everyone from using your good credit name, even if you have not yet had the misfortune of dealing with the mess created by a stolen identity. That’s because by November 1 all three credit bureaus will allow you to "freeze" your credit report, which means no one can access your report until you give them permission. It’s not only a good idea to prevent identity theft, ... more