The Week Unpeeled
The week started with focus on President Barack Hussein Obama’s inaugural address, which itself focused on several themes outside of the US economy: civil and gay rights and climate change, or as The New York Times called “modern liberalism in America,” rhetoric that was in stark contrast to campaign talk on jobs, jobs and more jobs. Stay tuned for continued focus on all fronts on the debt ceiling, fiscal cliff and, of course, jobs.
Elsewhere:
- BlackRock invested in Twitter, valuing the company at $9 billion, #awholelotof money;
- Davos kicked off amid few headlines although Derek Jeter did attend as a guest of Pepsi;
- Microsoft emerged as one player that may help Dell go private, while Michael Dell, it was revealed, did have plans to buy a Dreamliner;
- Apple’s earnings disappointed, with profits essentially flat;
- The Pentagon lifted a ban so that women may now fight on the front lines in combat;
- President Obama nominated Mary Jo White to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission among a string of nominees or appointments, including Denis McDonough, national security official, as his next chief of staff;
- The Dow chugged along to near record levels last week ending Friday at 13,895, just 269 points from its all-time high reached in October 2007; and
- Novak Djokovic won his sixth Grand Slam by ousting Andy Murray at the Australian Open.
