Samsung sparks anxiety at Google
- the South Korean company sells about 40% of the gadgets that use Google’s Android software;
- Samsung’s growing might—it shipped nearly 200 million more Android smartphones last year than the next-biggest Android-device maker—has boosted Google’s mobile-ad revenue;
- Google fears that Samsung will demand a greater share of the online-advertising revenue that Google generates from its Web-search engine;
- Google has said it wouldn’t show favoritism toward Motorola over other manufacturers;
- Samsung is spreading its bets by making devices powered by Microsoft Corp.’s Windows mobile software, as well as with Tizen, an operating system that is being co-developed by Samsung and microprocessor maker Intel Corp;
- Google has hopes for some new Android entrants such as H-P;
Bernanke sets out aggressive goal for congress
- focus on debt-to-GDP: between 1960s and the onset of crisis, federal debt averages less than 40% of GDP; replenishing this fiscal capacity will give future Congresses and Administrations greater scope to deal with unforeseen events.
- if 40% should be the long-run goal? “If we could bring it down from here some it would be helpful.”
A look at Case-Shiller, by metro area
- composite 20-city home price index, up 6.8% in December from a year earlier; 0.2% from the previous month amid winter season;
- 19 of the 20 cities posted annual increases in December. Just New York notched an annual decline;
- (Dan Greenhaus) Since most people have their wealth tied up in their home, rising home prices makes consumers more confident, more credit worthy and more willing to spend acquired income.
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