Microsoft to Ax 5K Jobs

Don't they know Obama wants to heap money on infrastructure?

(NEWSER) - Caterpillar Inc will cut 20,000 jobs—or 18% of its workforce—after posting a 32% drop in fourth-quarter income, the Wall Street Journal reports. “We were whipsawed in the fourth quarter,” said CEO Jim Owens. “Key industries were hit by a rapidly deteriorating global economy.” The manufacturer of heavy machinery is often seen as an indicator for various parts of the economy, particularly construction. More»

(NEWSER) - FedEx net income plunged 75% in the third quarter, the company announced today, a bad sign for economists who consider the shipping giant a bellwether. FedEx also announced plans to cut $1 billion in costs, though it didn’t detail how many job cuts that might entail. The company has already lowered salaries, with CEO Fred Smith taking a 20% pay cut. Shares fell 5.9% in premarket trading, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Finishes first profitable year since its bankruptcy

(NEWSER) - Call it a comeback if you want, because it looks like Chrysler is finally back on its feet. Detroit's smallest automaker posted a $225 million profit today to complete its first profitable year since its bankruptcy and bailout in 2009, the New York Times reports. The profit came on the back of $15.1 billion in revenues, up a whopping 41% from this time last year. More»

Bank faces 'extremely challenging' conditions, CEO says

(NEWSER) - Citigroup plans to cut some 4,500 jobs—2% of its global workforce—in the coming months as it "faces an extremely challenging operating environment," CEO Vikram Pandit warns. Pandit, who has cut more than 100,000 jobs at Citi since taking charge in 2007, says regulatory changes and the euro zone crisis are among the factors forcing the company to cut costs as revenue slumps, Reuters reports. More»

It's the second time it's ever lost money as a public company

(NEWSER) - It was a bad three months to be a vampire squid: Goldman Sachs reported a $428 million third-quarter loss today, or 84 cents a share—far worse than the 16 cents per share that analysts were expecting, according to Reuters . The blow came largely thanks to $2.48 billion in negative revenue from its Investment & Lending division, which holds the companies stocks, bonds, and other long-term assets. More»