December 22, 2000 - As evidence of an economic slowdown mounts, consumers are cutting back on spending. Retailers are reporting weak profits, and warning of difficult times ahead. But despite the downturn and the harsh winter weather, holiday shoppers are still flocking to stores and malls. Whether they spend enough to boost Minnesota retailers flagging prospects is another question altogether. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
December 26, 2000 - NASDAQ is down 38% at the end of the year. Make sure your portfolio is up to date.
December 27, 2000 - Future Tense for December 27th looks at shopping bots. One of the most sought-after items this holiday season is the Sony PlayStation 2, the powerful game console that's been in short supply. Some of those lucky enough to find PS2s did so with shopping bots, software that crawls through the Web looking for product availability and price. Shopping bots allow consumers to comparison shop and hunt for bargains; they can cover more ground than a human shopper. Carrie Johnson with Forrester Research says bots are beginning to make their presence felt.
December 27, 2000 -
December 27, 2000 - To find out more about what's fueling all these mergers Minnesota Public Radion news talked with Mark Sirower. He's a mergers and acquisitions specialist at the Boston Consulting Group and a visiting professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Sirower says 20 years of academic research shows that 65 percent of mergers don't create value for the aquiring company, while 35 percent do. So if the odds are against a successful merger, why do so many companies walk down the aisle? Sirower says even a bad deal might not be so bad.
December 28, 2000 - December has been a bad month for .coms and January looks even worse.
December 28, 2000 - The University of Minnesota will play North Carolina State in the Micron P-C Dot Com Bowl in Miami at seven o'clock tonight (Thurs). The resurgent football program is in a good position to help improve the financial outlook in a men's athletic department that's run up some big debts in the last few years. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
December 28, 2000 -
December 29, 2000 - The National Weather Service says we'll be ringing in the new year in bitterly cold weather . According to the forecast, it will be as cold AS 20 below zero this weekend. All around the region people are struggling with higher energy bills. It's been a double whammy this winter: colder than normal temperatures coupled with about a 50 percent increase in the cost of natural gas. There are several ways to cut down on your energy expenses this winter all the while remaining comfortable in your home or apartment. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
December 29, 2000 - Salvation Army officials are worried the organization won't meet its 5 (M)millon dollar holiday fundraising goal. By this time last year, the organization had raised 3.7 million dollars compared to 3.2 million this year. Spokeswoman Annette Bauer says Salvation Army workers have spent the past couple weeks trying to figure out why people aren't giving as much this year: