| TIX TAKEOVER 'SCALPS FANS'
At least that's what critics say after the company jumped into the resale market last week with the announcement of its $265 million purchase of TicketsNow, the nation's second-largest online reseller. In a statement, Ticketmaster, which already has a near-monopoly on the primary market, promised that the merger will "provide a safer, more reliable and efficient resale experience." But brokers - whose business could be threatened by the move - say fans will be getting the worst end of the deal. "Everybody can see what is going on: Ticketmaster is going to scalp its tickets legally," warned Bob Finnimore, an independent broker who runs the Milford, Conn.-based Tailgate Tickets. .
Souter jumps back on SNP bandwagon with £1/2 m donation
Dennis Goldie is labour's in Falkirk west, like souter against clause 28, but a least souter has his religious beliefs as an excuse. Goldie is just a bigot, pure and simple and labour's officially endorsed candidate. And souter has GIVEN half a million, Goldie has TA....let's not go there. But do folk at the Sunday herald even read their own paper?- you featured the Goldie story a month ago but seem to have forgotten about him today. www.youscotland.com .
Ahead of the Curve
On Wall Street, vultures don't go after dead things. They go after things that are alive and very cheap. And right now, they're going after troubled financial stocks in a big way, which means it's time to move in. I was way too early when I said in this column on Oct. 26 that it was time for bottom-fishing in the financial sector. Those stocks are off about 6% since I said that. But now it's time. The vultures have arrived. Investing billions of dollars, they're taking large equity stakes in companies whose capital structures have been wrecked by losses in subprime-mortgage securities. They wouldn't be doing this if they didn't believe two things. First, that there are no further shoes to drop the losses already announced pretty fully take account of the risks.
European stocks fall on rate decision
The US Federal Reserve was widely expected to cut rates again later in the day after last week's dramatic emergency reduction in lending costs aimed at keeping the economy out of recession. Dealers said the balance of opinion was for a 50 basis points cut to follow the 75 basis points of last week which would take the Fed's key lending rate down to 3.0 per cent. The latest US data showing the economy grew just 0.6 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2007 after 4.9 per cent in the third appeared to bolster that view and anything less than that could cause some disappointment, they said. Dealers cautioned that the markets would be looking very carefully at what the Fed would say about the outlook, with its room for manoeuvre on monetary policy getting tighter in the face of inflation.
King holiday
Destination Theatre: Auditions for the Canton Follies for singers and dancers. Singers should prepare 16 bars of a song that fits the theme of the show (Rock and Roll Hits of the 1950s, 60s and 70s) and bring sheet music if they can. Dancers should come dressed to move. Jan. 15 (singers at 7:30 p.m., dancers at 8:30 p.m. or both, 7:30-9:30 p.m.). Village Theater at Cherry Hill, 50400 Cherry Hill, Canton. 734-394-5300. "The Velveteen Rabbit"/Adults: Participants should prepare a monologue and a song (accompanist provided). 5 p.m. Jan. 20. Marquis Theatre, 133 E. Main, Northville. 248-349-8110. "The Velveteen Rabbit"/Kids: Auditions for ages 8-15. Participants should prepare a poem or monologue no longer than 90 seconds (it does not have to be memorized); sing "Do-Re-Mi." Also seeking kids who play the piano (bring your own sheet music).
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