Outsourcing

Foxconn, the Chinese manufacturer that probably assembled your new iPad, is on the hot seat again this week, reviving discussions about evils of offshoring. But if you think money is the only reason why Apple doesn't make its gadgets closer to home, you're missing the bigger picture.

I recently penned a column pointing out that when America "lost" the TV manufacturing industry to Japan, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing, because the business has become a low-margin money loser. A lot of readers disagreed.

While the overall stock market has plunged, IBM has remained flat. What's its secret to stability? We take a look under the hood to figure out what makes it a safe-haven stock -- and what elements investors should look for as they seek out others.

Shares of technology outsourcing and consulting giant Accenture have been on a tear lately, with the company bulking up its insurance offerings. Trefis thinks Accenture's acquisition of Duck Creek Technologies could give it a boost, but maintains its price estimate for now.

How many problems with the U.S. economy would be solved if more people bought American, and if more companies would were willing to help them do so by manufacturing here? Joel Joseph of the Made in the USA Foundation thinks it would help plenty, and he's honoring those that have taken the lead.

The U.S. set the forces of globalization in motion, and now more than ever, it's clear we're suffering the consequences: high unemployment, stagnant or declining incomes, and rising costs for goods. Can the policies of the surging Tea Party provide solutions, or will they just make matters worse?

Banks created the Mortgage Electronic Registration System to save themselves a boatload in fees by keeping mortgage transfers off the books of local governments. Now, a New York judge says the whole system violates state law, and banks holding MERS mortgages there can't foreclose. Where will this disaster go from here?

Why is that so -- when the average worker hasn't enjoyed even a small raise? That's because Wall Street enjoys at least four major advantages that other industries can only dream about, including an implied backstop against losses by the federal government.

If we measure competitiveness by profits and cash balances, domestic companies have never been stronger. Unfortunately, that competitiveness has come out of the hides of the country's workers -- nearly 15 million of whom are out of work.

Tech layoffs came to just under 47,000 last year, according to employment-services firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Better still, during the next 10 years, the sector is forecast to have one of the fastest paces of job creation of any industry.