Major cellular carriers will soon begin to carry emergency text alerts for the U.S. government in the event of major disasters, turning the mobile devices of 250 million people into emergency alert devices.
The major players in the auto industry have had it rough in the past few years, first with the massive sales declines caused by the recession, and more recently, with the disaster in Japan. But the next challenge they face is already looming on the horizon: A slowdown in Chinese car sales.
Markets hate uncertainty more than bad news, which is one reason they've swooned recently. But technical analysis looks at the patterns deeper than the daily news, and charts suggest a real bear ahead.
A resilient performance by Japanese shares helped stocks in Europe and the U.S. Thursday, while the yen pulled back from a record high against the dollar amid expectations that finance chiefs from the world's industrialized nations will discuss how to ease the currency's rise.
The Japanese automaker has extended its halt on vehicle production at its plants in Japan through March 22, as the country continues to reel from the devastation of last week's massive 9.0 earthquake and ensuing tsunami.
Toyota, Nissan and Honda, among other companies, have shut down plants temporarily in Japan in the wake of Friday's earthquake and tsunami. While many of their factories were undamaged, crippled nuclear plants are causing power shortages, and there has been damage to parts makers and transportation infrastructure.
An 8.9 earthquake rocked Japan to its core, rattling businesses with operations in the affected areas. But the epicenter's distance from Tokyo saved many businesses from the worst of the damage. Could one of the aftershocks be an economic stimulus for the debt-ridden country?
Japan suffered a massive 8.8 earthquake Friday, the strongest to occur in the past century, sending Asian stock markets tumbling. In Japan the Nikkei 225 Index spiraled down 1.7% and in Hong Kong the Hang Seng Index dropped 1.6%. China's Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.8%.
