Panasonic Corp., once one of the most powerful electronics companies in the world, now finds that its credit rating has been lowered by Moody’s Investors Service to the lowest level still considered investment grade – only one step above junk. Moody’s, one of the largest credit rating agencies, has revised Panasonic’s rating twice before this year – and this third revision dropped the company’s credit rating two grades to Baa3…the lowest level considered investment grade.
Archives for November 20, 2012
Sharp Asks 2,000 Employees to Leave – 3,000 Raise Their Hands
Sharp Corp., the struggling Japanese manufacturer that is widely reported to be scrambling to survive, recently offered buyout packages to employees hoping that 2,000 would agree to leave the company. To their surprise, almost 3,000 employees volunteered to leave – good for the company, but a sign of their lack of confidence in the company’s ability to return to profit anytime soon.
See more on this latest indicator of the company’s struggles…
[Read more…] about Sharp Asks 2,000 Employees to Leave – 3,000 Raise Their Hands
A Major Housing Starts Surprise – Highest Level in 4 Years
The U.S.Commerce Department released new data today detailing an unexpected uptick in housing “starts” or the number of homes that had begun construction during the month of October. According to the report, starts in October increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 894,000 units or 3.6 percent higher than the revised September level of 863,000.
