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Traders are running up the price of oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange despite some analysts’ predictions that oil will fall as the economy slows. In the past two months, $200 options have increased 10-fold, to 5,533 contracts, according to Bloomberg. That’s the fastest-growing bet on oil. Matthew Simmons, chairman of an energy-focused investment […]
Sharing stories of success are always a lot more fun for me than horror stories. Nevertheless, much like staring at an accident on the side of the road, most people can’t help but find them more interesting. Of course, you have recently completed your annual review with your financial professional. If not, schedule one as soon as you complete reading your IBJ. Here are two stories to illustrate why it is important. A near-miss The first story goes like this:…
Last week, I expounded on 11 of the most intriguing performances and exhibitions that I caught in 2007. But that list was compiled before I visited the Eiteljorg Museum for its Fellowship show. Having stopped in during the final days of 2007, I’m compelled to add the show as a 12th item on that list. And so, for the record: 12. “Diversity & Dialogue: The Eiteljorg Museum Fellowship for Native American Fine Art” The idea of Native American artists shattering…
A local not-for-profit has received a $1 million grant to help keep college kids safe from fires, some of which are set as pranks. The People’s Burn Foundation will begin pilot testing a DVD video on fire prevention and mail a final version to nearly 5,000 colleges and 38,000 fire departments, starting in April. The video was funded largely by a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It’s the latest in a string of grants received…
Back in 1999, investors in Gazelle TechVentures expected a sprint to spectacular profits. Instead, they got a marathon slog.
According to Gazelle Chairman and largest investor Scott Jones, it was like training for a race on a sunny day, then running
it through a blizzard.
Fear of China is a staple of protectionist rhetoric. Concern about China’s emergent power comes from the formerly thoughtful broadcasters from CNN, the presidential primary trail, the Pentagon and, of course, the blogosphere. What really is China’s economic role, and what do we have to fear? China’s billion souls, strategic location, emergent market economy and long history of tyranny make it an interesting, and now quite dynamic, area of study. China’s economy looks to be a powerful engine of growth,…
My holiday gift was the latest quarterly data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Santa put them in my e-mail box and I played with them when not attending to ritual family matters. Yes, personalincome numbers for all the states right up to the third quarter of 2007. Oh, joy; oh, ecstasy-feeding my lascivious quantitative desires. And what did I find? Over the past year, the third quarter of 2006 to the same quarter of 2007, Indiana has ranked…
How did it all seem so simple back in September? The reality of reform is sinking in for lawmakers and interest groups. Hoosiers who demanded serious property tax reform in November-and expected their wishes to be fulfilled-now see indications that the road to reform may be bumpier than foreseen. The property tax reform plan detailed in late October by Gov. Mitch Daniels was initially largely well-received by voters and lawmakers, but after it rattled around for a while and the…
Indiana’s friendly economic development rivalry against Michigan and Illinois is heating up. Confident that its business costs
are lower, Indiana has begun a six-month advertising campaign designed to attract companies across the state line.
inancial F Planning Titles A list of acronyms after an adviser’s name might look impressive, but those seeking credible advice need to sort through designations Investing your money is overwhelming enough already-especially with all the available options-without having to fret over whether a financial adviser has the credentials to keep your retirement account afloat. Sure, there are a litany of fancy titles financial planners can earn that may help ease your concerns. But what do they really mean? With more…
The handful of retailers who have persevered through hard times for Washington Square Mall felt encouraged in recent years as newcomers Steve & Barry’s University Sportswear and Buffalo Wild Wings arrived. But the holiday season brought grim news: Macy’s now plans to close, and Gap won’t be far behind. Besides Caramelcorn, MCL and change, few things have been constant at the east-side mall since it opened in 1974. The 965,000-square-foot mall was 21 percent vacant last year, the worst occupancy…
In a meeting that had more X’s and O’s than Indianapolis Colts Coach Tony Dungy’s game-day war room, FedEx District Sales
Manager Doug Knowles and his lieutenants decided which clients and prospective clients would be invited to the FedEx suite
which game, which FedEx employees would accompany them, and what ancillary activities would be planned.
Mayor Greg Ballard has less than a week under his belt of taking on a city that is both on a roll and full of challenges. It’s an exciting time to be mayor. An unknown commodity, Ballard has some big shoes to fill with little experience in government to help him out. (Note to self: That’s not necessarily a bad thing.) Indianapolis has been blessed with strong leadership for the last 40 years, beginning in 1968 with Republican Richard Lugar,…
When Marian College asked racecar driver Michael Crawford to help launch the school’s entrepreneur-in-residence program and mentor students about realworld business, he wasn’t sure if it was such a great idea. “My hesitation was I didn’t want to pursue it right away,” Crawford said. “What happens if I go out of business? That would be embarrassing.” But he decided to do it because he believes his experience as an entrepreneur is more realistic than anything the students will read about…
Retired Olympic distance runner Bob Kennedy and his business partner, Ashley Johnson, have expanded their Running Co. to four
stores. The most recent expansion is their boldest yet, pitting them against mall giants Dick’s Sporting Goods, The Finish
Line and Foot Locker for supremacy among south-side runners and walkers.
Tell the truth-you’ve “Googled” yourself, haven’t you? All of us have, or at least we should. It’s interesting for me to do it for myself, because I’ve been an Internet denizen since before the Web was woven, when all most of us did was exchange e-mails. What chills me sometimes is how far back the Google results for my name can go, clear into the mid-1990s in some cases. The ‘Net never forgets anything. If you have doubts about that,…
After nearly nine years of moving from stage to stage, the Children’s Theatre Institute is building its own 300-seat theater in hopes of becoming a hub for educational performing arts programs. The Indianapolis-based institute already has raised most of the $350,000 needed to transform 7,000 square feet of space at the Gene B. Glick Junior Achievement Education Center into a theater. Construction is under way. Our “vision is to do a full season of interdisciplinary performing arts in the space,”…
The spirit of the dearly departed Terry Hoeppner, if not his presence, was palpable during the New Year’s Eve Insight Bowl at Tempe, Ariz. Those footballshaped “Hep” buttons were ubiquitous. The phrases “Play 13” and “Don’t Quit” could be heard repeatedly. At a pre-game pep rally in a Tempe park, thousands of IU faithful gathered so the Indiana football team could honor Hep’s tradition of The Walk. IU’s new president, Michael McRobbie, led the players and coaches through the back-slapping,…
Paris-based utilities giant Veolia Water has reached a deal to move its North American headquarters into the 16-story National
City Center, providing a boost to a downtown building still reeling from the loss of Simon Property Group Inc.
The problem with public education is that it has become too “public.” Back in the days when boards of education possessed all power over construction of school facilities, a few boards around the state were far too eager to build elaborate educational and athletic palaces when functionally and technically efficient classrooms were all that were really needed. The outrage from a handful of property taxpayers finally reached the Statehouse. (The outcry over a proposed football facility in the Carmel-Clay School…
