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I have been watching the S&P earnings reports so far this quarter. I'm not sure if these numbers forcast the future very accurately but 70% of the companies reporting so far have beat the profit estimates but only 42% have beat revenue estimates. Are the big companies doing it through a combination of raising prices and reducing head counts, or just doing it through reducing head counts? Either way it's a trend that seems to be not good for the economy.
I've been wondering if the election comes into play any with reguard to this numbers.
They are doing it using any method/s their greedy minds can conjure to do so, and do not give a flying flip what is good for the economy, or the country, or even their own mom and pop. (just my .02 ; )Quote:
Originally Posted by freonjoe
I would think the books are fudged every quarter to beat the "profit" estimates even with lower revenues, management has to get those bonuses. Reducing head count helps but also killing new product research (which is very costly).
count the peas in your can, half gallon of ice cream is now 1 3/4 qt. 1 lb of bacon is now 12 oz 1 lb jimmy dean sausage is now 14 oz. and reciently a 20 oz coke went to 16.9 oz while prices continue to go up. the reductions all seem small but % wise they are all huge increases they couldnt get by with by just raising the price.
I'm not sticking up for big business in general, but honestly most people in any sector of the working world find ways to increase profits. Heck, the main point of THIS forum is to do exactly that. And there is a large (in my opinion) percentage of people on here that do things daily that would fit in that category. For instance, how many people here separate ALL of their plastic from metal before going to the scrapyard? Or how many circuit boards within power supplies are being crushed as shred? None of those practices are good for our environment, which eventually makes it bad for economy, country, mom/pop/kids. I kinda get where you are coming from, but its become so common to blast "big business" when so many "little" guys are not doing their part either. In the end, people call for our leaders to overregulate, tax and basically turn our industries into state-run companies. Lets ease up on the rhetoric and let your spending $ do your talking. One thing about all businesses is that they learn to adapt when the bottom line is affected or else close the doors.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bear
The ice cream analogy is one of my pet peeves. Now i only buy Publix brand (which is still 1/2 gallon) and only when on BOGO :)Quote:
Originally Posted by olddude
precious metals at a six month low, stock market looks like crap, were approaching the fiscal cliff, does not look good for obama, he needs to cut government jobs and programs but cant because it will increase unemployment so will avoid the issue until after the election
No matter who wins some crazy things will happen after the election.
We should have just taken our medicine when $hit all went south so as to not prolong this crap.
^**^%^$#@#%^ well there went about $200 over night. shipment goes to E tomarro
this is a little scary.markets usualy move in sink. dollar goes down gold goes up. oil goes down market goes up. etc. it makes no sence when it all goes down at the same time logically or practicaly. kinda tells you something is screwey.
I feel your pain on that one...mine left today :-(Quote:
Originally Posted by olddude
I am still long on the metals, people have to put there money somewhere and its not going to be stocks or remain in cash while QE is going on, gold is holding on remarkably well still over $1712, that alone says it all less than 1% drop. 1% is nothing compared to how much everything else dropped today.
Funny, haven't seen my price drop yet, actualy was fixing to raise prices on a couple of things. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by olddude
agreed barren, i think everyone is overreacting the base metals didnt take much of a hit either i think copper was at 3.63 now its at 3.59
Showing an increase, and being an outright scoundrel are two different things. When the sky began falling all around us in 2007, the big corporations(which the OP here was addressing, as was I) that caused it (while raking in record profits, and robbing the masses) went crying to the government to bail them out, and the very next week they were sitting in a $1000 an hour spa for a week, at "company...uhmmm...taxpayer" expense, and the following month were granting themselves record (M-M-Megamillion dollar) bonuses.
You are certainly correct in stating an increase to be a business requirement, but doing it with sweat and blood is all too uncommon these days, on any level, most especially in big business. And if you must bring it on down the line, I've certainly seen people on here brag about things I'd never wish to consider doing to someone, but then, on the other hand I've also seen acts of outright generosity on a level that you'll never see in a large company.
Yes, we're on a greedy planet, and one day when space travel has became the norm, an old dirty sign will point to a distant hunk of molten muck, and read, "the greedy planet" ; )
Quote:
Originally Posted by shendog
You can't take your medicine when the reality is the world is insolvent any way you look at it.Quote:
Originally Posted by KZBell
I have no problem with big business, and never said I did, it is the multi nationals with no morals or ethics I have a problem with.
we have kept our mouths shut for decades thats why we are where we are.
most people dont pay attention, the multi corps know that, thats how they reduce their products but use the same package. you don't see them advertising "new convient smaller size (less for your money) to me this is immoral.
when you or me spend exta work to increase our profits thats one thing, the American way.
if we hosed down our loads before delivery or, loaded that frigs with sand or mud that would be more like what the multi nationals do.
when companys were American or Japaniese. they had care and pride in the country they were citizens of.
today the multi nationals only loyalty or concern is Money they are citizens of no where and care about no country. just my .02
Don't get me started. This year my cell and internet went up. Same slow service. "Pay more. Get less." is what I have been saying for some time, and it applies just about everywhere nowadays.
If anyone doesn't get what's behind all of this, check out Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind! Many years ago, I'd have called anyone like Alex Jones (who meticulously documents and sources all of his information; and, has a REALLY scary track record of being correct) a crackpot; but, "too many dots" have been connecting in the intervening years. There actually IS a systematic plan in place to decimate the US economy; since, at one time, it was the single greatest barrier to a one world government. They used to use ridicule to keep folks from being aware of the plan to force the US into a "North American Union" and onto an "Amero" currency; but, now, they not only don't try to hide it, they tout it in things like the Wall Street Journal as "such a wonderful idea..." I think anyone can see just how "wonderfully" that crap has worked out for the EU... (Only "wonderful" for the few at the very top, who consider the rest of us as rating below livestock...) Understand that these scumbags advance their agendas through a process of "problem / reaction / solution," in which "problems" are intentionally orchestrated for the purpose of generating a desired "reaction," which is typically a public outcry for the desired "solution," which would NEVER have been accepted, prior to the problem... If folks don't start waking up, we're going to be "boiled frogs." Something else that's interesting is to follow the money trail between some of the biggest multi-national companies and the Nazis... People need to start learning the differences between honest capitalism versus corporate fascism... Also, to be aware of the concept of "divide and conquer," which is currently at play in our radically polarized 2 party system, which in the spirit of "problem/reaction/solution," looks one heck of a lot like 2 "feet" that are attached to the same "body" - walking us somewhere that we definitely DON'T want to go; but, which we get manipulated into paving the road to...
while I agree with some of what you just said.. i dont resort to fearmongering which is what alex jones thrives on. infowars is interesting, but i am no sheep.
When profits are rising faster than revenue (sales) I usually suspect the company is feeding off of inventory. I think many are waiting until after the election to see which direction the economy is headed. If the economy takes off then those inventories are going to have to be built back up to optimum levels and that could be good for metal prices. Just my 0.02.Quote:
Originally Posted by freonjoe
yeah and a 1 dollar coke is now 14 oz.Quote:
Originally Posted by olddude
McDonalds sundae's changed to the sickly sweet corn syrup without the nice caramel taste, then they put the price up, them they shrunk the container.Quote:
Originally Posted by Arkansaw
So I stopped going to McDonalds.
That was the same year they made their first yearly loss... Ha ha.
precious metals broke out above there trading channels, looking for a move higher this week