The Wall Street Journal reports, U.S. companies with junk credit ratings, are piling into the debt markets at a record pace, seizing on some of the lowest borrowing costs in history. According to Barclays, the so-called junk bonds, those with below-investment-grade credit ratings, have handed investors among the best returns, of any fixed-income asset this year. The rally in junk bonds, can be traced largely to the Federal Reserve’s policy, of keeping benchmark interest rates near zero. But investors run the risk of having the tide turn against them, should interest rates start rising. Some analysts have begun suggesting that day could come soon.
The Wall Street Journal also reports, The new chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, is overhauling the company’s executive ranks and exploring strategic options, including a sale of the struggling smartphone pioneer. The changes include the exit of longtime executive Jim Balsillie, who helped run the company for 20 years. With the company’s sales tumbling 25% in the latest quarter, new BlackBerrys piling up unsold, and a crucial lineup of new devices, still not expected to arrive until later this year, Mr. Heins is taking more drastic actions. The company also said its chief operating officer, Jim Rowan, and its chief technology officer, David Yach, would be leaving. The moves are an attempt to ensure the survival of the Canadian company, as it makes an effort to catch up with rivals like Apple and Google.
Bloomberg reports, Iran is breaching United Nations resolutions and increasing the size of its nuclear program, amid an “alarming” escalation in global rhetoric toward its atomic plans, said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Iran faces growing economic and financial sanctions, over its nuclear program, which the U.S. and its allies say, is a cover for making atomic weapons. Iran says it’s for civilian purposes. While Russia opposes military action or increased sanctions in Iran, it backed European Union foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton’s call, for the nation to reach a “full settlement,” clarifying questions about its nuclear program.
Finally, the Wall Street Journal also reports, Google heightens its rivalry with iPad. After a short-lived attempt to market and sell smartphones on its own, Google is now trying the approach with tablet computers, in a quest to capture market share, from Apple’s iPad. The Internet search company, will sell co-branded tablets, directly to consumers, through an online store, like rivals Apple and Amazon. The move is an effort to turn around sluggish sales of tablet computers, powered by Google’s Android software.
The Wall Street Journal reports, U.S. companies with junk credit ratings, are piling into the debt markets at a record pace, seizing on some of the lowest borrowing costs in history. According to Barclays, the so-called junk bonds, those with below-investment-grade credit ratings, have handed investors among the best returns, of any fixed-income asset this year. The rally in junk bonds, can be traced largely to the Federal Reserve’s policy, of keeping benchmark interest rates near zero. But investors run the risk of having the tide turn against them, should interest rates start rising. Some analysts have begun suggesting that day could come soon.
The Wall Street Journal also reports, The new chief executive of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, is overhauling the company’s executive ranks and exploring strategic options, including a sale of the struggling smartphone pioneer. The changes include the exit of longtime executive Jim Balsillie, who helped run the company for 20 years. With the company’s sales tumbling 25% in the latest quarter, new BlackBerrys piling up unsold, and a crucial lineup of new devices, still not expected to arrive until later this year, Mr. Heins is taking more drastic actions. The company also said its chief operating officer, Jim Rowan, and its chief technology officer, David Yach, would be leaving. The moves are an attempt to ensure the survival of the Canadian company, as it makes an effort to catch up with rivals like Apple and Google.
Bloomberg reports, Iran is breaching United Nations resolutions and increasing the size of its nuclear program, amid an “alarming” escalation in global rhetoric toward its atomic plans, said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov. Iran faces growing economic and financial sanctions, over its nuclear program, which the U.S. and its allies say, is a cover for making atomic weapons. Iran says it’s for civilian purposes. While Russia opposes military action or increased sanctions in Iran, it backed European Union foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton’s call, for the nation to reach a “full settlement,” clarifying questions about its nuclear program.
Finally, the Wall Street Journal also reports, Google heightens its rivalry with iPad. After a short-lived attempt to market and sell smartphones on its own, Google is now trying the approach with tablet computers, in a quest to capture market share, from Apple’s iPad. The Internet search company, will sell co-branded tablets, directly to consumers, through an online store, like rivals Apple and Amazon. The move is an effort to turn around sluggish sales of tablet computers, powered by Google’s Android software.