Sagging offshore sales pinch Cisco earnings

By Penny Yi Wang for Medill News Service Cisco Systems Inc., reported a fiscal first quarter profit decline in line with expectations and reiterated a flat outlook, as emerging markets — which earlier fueled the Internet-equipment maker’s growth — continue to soften. For the quarter ended on October 25, net income of the router maker declined 8.4 […]

SpotHero shifts into high gear with parking app

By Penny Yi Wang

Parking in the city is never easy, but SpotHero, a Chicago-based technology company, has found a way to help commuters. The start-up’s mobile apps find discounted parking spots in real time and allow users to pay online or in the app. The company, which launched in 2011 with three co-founders, now has 30 employees. SpotHero has just added four new cities to its roster of seven.

Shot on an iPhone 6. Music: Batty McFaddin by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Family and medical leave not an option for many

Melissa Coleman was a nurse in the intensive care unit at Redmond Park Hospital, GA. In 2012, she was terminated while on leave. Coleman applied for several ICU nurse positions at Redmond, but she was not interviewed for any of them. The Family and Medical Leave Act regulated by the Department of Labor’s Wage and […]

Strong earnings push stock market into the green

By Penny Yi Wang for Medill News Service The U.S. stock market posted strong gains Tuesday with most indices rising for a fourth consecutive session as quarterly earnings reports drove investors’ confidence.

Not an average business

Illinois will gain $17.5 million in the process once business operations start next year. The Illinois River was quiet on June 15th, 2006, until a speedboat slammed into a barge. Tammy Warnke, 30 at the time, she lost her ability to talk and forgot how to walk, because of severe brain injuries as a result […]

CAT earnings bulldoze past forecasts

By Penny Yi Wang for Medill News Service Shares of Caterpillar Inc. jumped after the manufacturing giant, helped by a surge in North American sales that more than offset a slowdown in international market, reported third-quarter earnings that dramatically surpassed Wall Street expectations. Net income for the Peoria-based heavy equipment maker inched up less than one […]

Illinois Tool Works shares surge as 3Q earnings beat expectations

By Penny Yi Wang for Medill News Service Illinois Tool Works Inc. shares soared 3.8 percent on Tuesday after reporting third-quarter earnings that beat analysts’ expectations, as the company sheds unprofitable product lines. For the quarter ended September 14th, the company’s net income rose 17.5 percent, to $531 million, or $1.34 per diluted share, from the […]

Hedge funds hope for better days

By Penny Yi Wang for Medill News Service Hedge funds finally regained a shred of dignity in September: after a long stretch of frequently underperforming the broad stock market, the investment funds – which charge their clients hefty management fees – were able to do a bit better than the Standard & Poor 500 Index. A […]

ISM manufacturing index slipped in September

The nation’s manufacturing sector showed softer-than-expected growth in September, according to a trade report on Wednesday. The Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index slipped to 56.6 in September from 59 percent in August, indicating slowing expansion. The actual reading came below the economists’ estimate of 58.5, according to Bloomberg L.P.

Qatar driving culture explained

One of the first things expats need to get used to when they first come to Qatar is a distinct driving style some people have on the road. Where did it come from? No one seems to have an answer. Perhaps this audio clip might be able to help a little.

A Qatari perspective on driving culture in Qatar–

(Originally published on Qatar Living)