Yesterday, Wall Street had another low. After the sharp fall in January, the stock market was hit again severely. The reason why this is happening again is because of the depressing economic market, negative corporate reports and high oil prices.
Consumers still don’t have confidence in our economic future. The tax deadline is right around the corner. Even with the federal tax rebate, most of the middle-income class is still in bad shape. Besides that, consumers fear the uncertainty of the market in the future. The real estate market is still experiencing its lowest point and banks and lenders are making borrowing tougher. A good credit history, 5% down payment, and W-2 forms are required form many lenders.
Corporate reports have reported lower revenues for 2007. Many firms are still eliminating their fixed cost. Companies like BMW have decided to cut another 2,500 positions by the end of this year. Firms are holding back on their investment. Prices for goods and services are increasing because of inflation, which makes corporate revenues decline further.
For the first time ever, oil prices are over $103 per barrel. On average, the price of gas is over $3.20 per gallon nationwide. The president said that the gas prices are not likely to go over $4.00 per gallon. He pointed out it was uncertain. However, it looks like it might keep going up.
Stock markets had some gain at the beginning of last week. Anyway, on Friday, it lost all the gain it has made. The Dow fell 315.79 points, which was a 2.51% decline. The 500 index lost 37.05 points, or a 2.71 % decline. The only thing that is rising now is the bond price. Investors are expecting more negative news this weekend.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080301/wall_street.html?.v=5
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/Business/Detail?contentId=5912857&version=4&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=4.1.1
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Auto Safety Features
The auto manufactures are making safety features more convenient for divers. New vehicles even have more safety feature packages for the customers to choose from. All these features can help reduce auto accidents and minimize the damage during a car accident.
By the year 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will make electronic equipment mandatory in all vehicles. Electronic Stability Control is also known as ESC. It is designed to protect the occupants, as well as avoid accidents. ESC is usually built on the increasing electronic sophistications of vehicles. ESC has contributed to driver safety as much as seat belts and bumpers.
Here is an excellent example. Volvo’s new S80 Sedan offers a technology called BSIS (blind spot information system) that warns of other vehicles in the drivers’ blind spot. This will help so many careless drivers by preventing them from merging lanes at the wrong time. Another example that uses this type of technology is the collision mitigation. It involves the use of radar to anticipate the crash and charges the brakes for better stopping. I think this is useful, but it might not stop the crash. In other words, charging the brakes for better stopping is not going to prevent the driver from crashing into another vehicle. One more example is the rollover protection system, which means using airbags on the sides of large SUVs and convertibles. It is known that SUV’s lack sufficient protection above the occupants shoulders and the rollover protection system will help save lives.
Most new models or luxury vehicles have updated ESC. It is up to the consumer which package they prefer. It can be pricy, especially for those luxury vehicles. Hopefully, all these new modern technologies will not make our drivers lazy or careless when they are on the road.
http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/104482/Autos-Top-10-Safety-Features-for-the-Future
http://www.carsdirect.com/features/safetyfeatures#NHTSA
By the year 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will make electronic equipment mandatory in all vehicles. Electronic Stability Control is also known as ESC. It is designed to protect the occupants, as well as avoid accidents. ESC is usually built on the increasing electronic sophistications of vehicles. ESC has contributed to driver safety as much as seat belts and bumpers.
Here is an excellent example. Volvo’s new S80 Sedan offers a technology called BSIS (blind spot information system) that warns of other vehicles in the drivers’ blind spot. This will help so many careless drivers by preventing them from merging lanes at the wrong time. Another example that uses this type of technology is the collision mitigation. It involves the use of radar to anticipate the crash and charges the brakes for better stopping. I think this is useful, but it might not stop the crash. In other words, charging the brakes for better stopping is not going to prevent the driver from crashing into another vehicle. One more example is the rollover protection system, which means using airbags on the sides of large SUVs and convertibles. It is known that SUV’s lack sufficient protection above the occupants shoulders and the rollover protection system will help save lives.
Most new models or luxury vehicles have updated ESC. It is up to the consumer which package they prefer. It can be pricy, especially for those luxury vehicles. Hopefully, all these new modern technologies will not make our drivers lazy or careless when they are on the road.
http://finance.yahoo.com/insurance/article/104482/Autos-Top-10-Safety-Features-for-the-Future
http://www.carsdirect.com/features/safetyfeatures#NHTSA
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