- Germany’s considering a plan with its EU partners to offer Greece and other troubled euro zone members loan guarantees.
- Debt problems in Europe seem to be growing by the day. But Greece is tiny compared to the rest of Europe. So are Portugal and Ireland. Paul Krugman argues the problem is contained. But isn’t that the same thing they said about subprime in 2007?
- Barnes & Noble’s (BKS) Nook e-reader will finally be available in stores tomorrow, only about four months after original unveiling. “Better late than never. But not a lot better,” Peter Kafka says, as iPad has essentially redefined e-reader market. “It’s now Amazon’s Kindle vs Apple’s iPad.”
- Google’s (GOOG) new foray into social networking, dubbed Google Buzz, has pros and cons. Seems like a clean design, but “lacks any imagination,” Dan Frommer notes.
- Apple’s repudiation of Flash follows its same pattern with floppy drives in the first iMacs, John Paczkowski writes. “It’s a move that inevitably generates great controversy and criticism, but ultimately proves to be ahead of its time.”
- “If you want to understand Obamanomics one year out, look at the demand-side hole we’re still in, the gargantuan boomer deficit we’re heading for, and the mad-as-hell party these bad times have spawned,” former labor secretary Robert Reich says. “How Obama deals with all three will be the real economic test of his presidency.”
- EBay looks to users for help enhancing search. “It’s imperative that we have a deeper conversation with customers and buyers,” Christopher Payne, eBay VP of search, tells NYT’s Bits blog. “It’s fair to say it’s a cultural change at eBay.”
- Hiring won’t ramp up without demand. “No responsible business owner would incur additional debt to hire more workers – unless the company anticipates a major demand increase,” The Atlantic’s Daniel Indiviglio says. “I doubt that’s happening at many smaller firms right now.”
- Average length of time unemployed workers have been out of jobs is at an all-time high, NYT’s Economix blog notes.
- Morningstar buys financial blog Footnoted. Deal’s terms weren’t disclosed. “While I negotiated mightily for the keys to the Gulfstream, the corporate apartment in Paris, the company yacht, the lifetime consulting contract and, of course, a tax gross up — all crazy perks we’ve written about in various M&A deals — I came up empty handed,” Michelle Leder says. “That’s because Morningstar doesn’t believe in those sorts of things. Nor do I.”
