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NEWS ABOUT: economic downturn

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Aluminum Giant Alcoa to Lay Off 13,500

Pittsburgh company slashes 13% of its work force

(AP) - Alcoa, the world's third-largest aluminum maker, said today it will cut 13,500 jobs—13% of its work force—and slash spending and output to cope with the global economic slowdown. The reductions expand on cost-cutting measures announced in October, when the Pittsburgh-based company reported a 52% decline in third-quarter... More »

Fed Sees Recession Lingering Through '09

(Newser) - The Federal Reserve anticipates the recession will continue through 2009 despite its recent rate slash and other planned “nontraditional policies,” the Wall Street Journal reports. Minutes of the Fed's December 15-16 meeting, at which it cut rates to nearly zero, indicate a deep pessimism about the economy. Officials... More »

Billionaire Merckle Kills Self

(Newser) - German businessman Adolf Merckle, 74, killed himself yesterday in the face of mounting debt and a crumbling multibillion dollar empire, Bloomberg reports. Merckle’s personal fortune of $9.2 billion put him 94th on Forbes' list of the world’s richest people, but his holding company, which owned stake in... More »

In Rare Move, Toyota to Suspend Production in Japan

11-day break amid shrinking demand is first since 1993

(AP) - Toyota is suspending production at all 12 of its Japanese plants for 11 days over February and March, a stoppage of unprecedented scale for the nation's top automaker as it grapples with shrinking global demand. The last time it halted production at all its Japanese plants was in August 1993,... More »

Tough Times Force Gen Y to Buckle Down

Young talent may have to stay put, but Managers need to keep them engaged

(Newser) - They're just out of school, but Millennials—the Gen Y techies who expect jobs-a-plenty and accommodating bosses—are hitting career walls in a plunging economy, the Economist reports. These Internet-savvy job-hoppers are cringing as managers get tough and autonomy withers. “The recession is creating lower turnover, but also higher... More »

Help Wanted: Must Make Coffee, Change World

(Newser) - Coffee is pretty serious stuff in Portland, Oregon, but a relatively new shop on the block is taking the preparation of caffeinated beverages to a rarified extreme, the New York Times reports. The Ladybug Organic Coffee Company requires applicants for barista positions to fill out a five-page application, complete with... More »

Strapped? Sell Your Gold—at the Mall

(Newser) - Up and down the East coast, cash-strapped shoppers are trading in gold and silver, not at pawn shops, but at the mall, the Boston Globe reports. Merchants at kiosks buy the precious metals for less than half of market value, but customers are still pouring in. “It's certainly something... More »

Recession Shreds Publishing Industry; Is Literature Next?

Until outfits learn to cope with digital challenges, it'll be a tough go for writers

(Newser) - The publishing industry has been battered in the past month, as large houses hemorrhage editors and consolidate divisions, leading some to wonder if literary publishing will ever be the same, Jason Boog writes on Salon. The list of ills is long: too-high advances paid to a dwindling number of sure... More »

Shoppers Turn to Funny, Useful Gifts

Boots, joke books, comfort clothes score big in recession

(Newser) - Christmas shoppers are thinking small this year, and the gifts they're buying reveal how Americans are coping with recession, USA Today reports. Here's a list of today's trends:
  • Practical: Nearly half of the most popular items searched for online were boots, according to one mall inventory service. Gifts that help
... More »

Invest in Gardens, Where Yields Make Wall St. Blush

25-to-1 return includes benefits 'that, literally, money can’t buy,' seed-seller says

(Newser) - With the economic outlook darkening, there’s still one good investment that will help you weather the downturn, George Ball writes in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: a garden. The “astonishing garden-grown return on investment is not modern-day speculative sleight-of-hand, but real, tangible and fungible,” the chairman of the Burpee... More »

Economy Spells Weary Christmas for Toy Charities

Donations off as much as 30%, some say

(Newser) - Across the country, charities that dole out gifts to underprivileged kids have seen donations fall off steeply compared to last holiday season, USA Today reports. Some are reporting as much as a 30% decline in giving as the economy flags. “Families that would normally have been helping us by... More »

Cash-Poor Newspapers Decamp From Washington

Cost of covering DC wins out over concerns about informing the public

(Newser) - US newspapers are shuttering their Washington bureaus—though hardly for lack of news, the New York Times reports. Consolidation and a steep fall-off in ad dollars have forced many to reevaluate their coverage in recent years, leading to a focus on local news and a reliance on agencies for coverage... More »

4 Financial Doomsday Scenarios

(Newser) - James Rickards is far more pessimistic about the economic crisis and its global implications than most of his analyst colleagues, Politico reports. But he’s also well respected by US intelligence and defense services. Here are four of his nightmare scenarios.
  • Terrorism: Al-Qaeda has long sought to disrupt the US 
... More »

OPEC Slashes a Record 2.2M Barrels

(Newser) - OPEC has approved a cut in output of 2.2 million barrels of crude a day, the largest reduction ever, MSNBC reports. The consortium believes that stabilizing prices now by decreasing supply will guard against a price spike when consumer confidence increases. OPEC’s monthly report predicts that demand will... More »

GM Picks Mets Over Yankees for Ad Dollars

Cash-poor automaker wants toehold in NYC but 'can't do both'

(Newser) - General Motors, citing the poor economic climate and its shortage of cash, has declined to renew its sponsorship of the New York Yankees, Bloomberg reports. The struggling car manufacturer will, however, re-up with the New York Mets. “We still want a presence in New York and we can’t... More »

Obama Team's Stimulus 'Jolt' Nears $1T

(Newser) - Barack Obama’s economic advisers are devising a new stimulus package that could top $1 trillion over 2 years, the Wall Street Journal reports. Insiders say the $500 billion plan considered last month is too cautious given America’s mounting economic woes. "Every day there's a new bad number"... More »

Yes, It's a Crisis: But We Still Need a Catchy Name

(Newser) - Though it's no secret the country is weathering a financial calamity, the crisis still lacks a catchy handle. The New York Times takes a look at news organizations' so-far unsuccessful efforts to find one: Some obvious contenders such as “credit crunch” and “Wall Street crisis” have popped up,... More »

Japan, EU Boost Economies as Bailout Dies

New stimulus packages announced to avert global paralysis

(Newser) - Japan and the European Union announced new measures to bolster their economies in the wake of the collapse of the US auto industry bailout. The Japanese government multiplied its bank recapitalization fund sixfold, to $131 billion, and announced an $11 billion package to save jobs. "We are working at... More »

BofA Will Lay Off 35K

Recession, takeover of Merrill to blame for latest employee dump

(Newser) - Bank of America said today it will cut between 30,000 and 35,000 jobs in the next 3 years, the AP reports; the move is spurred by the continuing economic downturn and the bank’s recent purchase of Merrill Lynch. Cuts will be broad and will affect both the... More »

At Deep-Sixed Prices, Consider the Lobster

Cost of crustaceans hits 25-year low

(Newser) - Prices are dropping on all sorts of luxury goods—and lobster, now less than $10 a pound, is no exception. It’s the lowest price in 25 years, and might not last as fishermen give up on the trade. Spending $30 for the star of a weeknight dinner at home... More »

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