 Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Microsoft Windows Stores And Best Buy Partnership Microsoft and Best Buy have announced a partnership that will create a new concept, Microsoft Stores where products such as PC's, tablets, Xbox, and phones will be offered. Microsoft is planning to open 500 of these new stores in the US and in Canada they will open 100 stores.
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 English: McDonalds' sign in Harlem. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Consumers Enjoying New Menu Items At McDonalds With the addition of McDonalds new premium menu items, such as Chicken McWraps, Egg White Delight sandwiches and blueberry pomegranate smoothies, consumers now have the option of choosing healthier menu options. This is an important factor for many of today's families, especially health conscious adults; however, these healthier food options are definitely something that many others are also finding very appealing.
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 English: A ridiculous line of people waiting for the iPhone 3G outside of the Apple Store on 5th Ave. between 58th St. and 59th St., NYC, July 12, 2008. I was not in the line. pictured: the Apple Store entrance (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Apple Suffers Blow In Patent Fight In an ongoing patent battle, Samsung has recently scored a big victory with the International Trade Commission finding that the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 violated the Samsung patent on certain wireless transmission technology. As a result, the ITC has ruled that these models and some older Apple devices should be banned from import to the United States.
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 English: Graph showing Nikkei 225 from January, 1970 (End of Month). USD Version. 日本語: 1970年1月からの日経平均株価のグラフ（月末）。ドルベース。 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The Effect Of Nikkei On The US Stock Markets Japan's Nikkei stock market has remained volatile in the most recent quarters, and such activity can only be expected to impact US stock markets. The questions that remain in market watchers' minds entail what kind of an impact and to what degree. According to a recent Reuters report, Nikkei has seen some recent positive gains, but how long those gains will hold is still anyone's guess.
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Apple Store, North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Did Apple Avoid Billions of Dollars in Taxes? Apple has been at the forefront of computer technology for years now, a worldwide brand that is based right in the United States. However, all of this success has not been achieved without a few dealings that could be outside of the parameters of the law. On May 21st, 2013, Apple was accused of using subsidiary companies in Ireland to store away billions of dollars, refusing to pay taxes on this money to either government.
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 Michael Bloomberg was affiliated with Salomon Brothers before launching his own firm Bloomberg News and later becoming mayor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Bloomberg LP Reporting Practices Revealed Questions and concerns about data privacy may be higher than ever in light of the admissions by Bloomberg LP company representatives, and many Wall Street financial institutions may be have been affected by years of Bloomberg LP database monitoring. The reporting procedures that have come under fire have been part of Bloomberg LP information gathering activities since the 1990s, and the use of typical terminal history is at the center of the controversy. Multiple database development may be an established part of current society, but use of this type of information may trouble individual subscribers and Wall Street as a whole.
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 The Senate's side of the Capitol Building in DC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Senate Bill On Internet Taxes Passes First Hurdle Recently, the United States Senate passed a bill concerning Internet tax collection. Online retailers currently don't have to collect sales tax from every single sale. If a person places an order from a state where that business doesn't have any physical presence, then the company doesn't need to collect taxes. Unfortunately, states lose out on billions of dollars in taxes because of this loophole.
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An Overview Of The Apple Inc, Quarterly Earnings Apple Inc. released its quarterly earnings statement on April 23, 2013. In simple terms, the company beat one expectation but fell short on another. Most analysts expected the tech company to earn $10.00 per share on revenues of $42.33 billion. Apple's profits declined for the first time in the last 10 years, though. Luckily, the company is still worth putting money into, despite its mediocre performance this past quarter. Investors shouldn't count the company out yet.
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 English: Logo of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Category:Goldman Sachs (Photo credit: Wikipedia) How Goldman Sachs Beat The Estimates Expected to do little on Wall Street for the first quarter of the financial year, mega investment firm Goldman Sachs proved the critics wrong by beating the expectations for earnings in the first part of the year with a strong performance. The criticism of the investment bankers came from a belief that there would be less debt underwriting than hoped in the continuation of the housing crisis, although Goldman Sachs earned well above the estimates.
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 English: Bank of Cyprus huge offices in Aglandjia suberb of Nicosia Republic of Cyprus (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The S&P 500 Is The Likely Winner Of The Crisis In Cyprus Some investors know that there is a certain potential element of opportunity lurking in almost every dark cloud. In the case of the recent restructuring of the Cypriot banking sector, this is most certainly the case. As the Cyprus banks reopen and money gradually trickles past the currency controls imposed to prevent capital flight, funds have to find a home somewhere else. Even if it takes months to gradually extract one's deposits, it is going to happen.
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