Month: December 2015

It’s no secret that mobile users like to use their devices to shop locally. Research shows that 95% of smartphone users have looked for local information, after all. However, new research has found that mobile users are doing more research than most might think. According to a new study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), half of adults look products up while they’re actually physically in a store, a practice called “showrooming” that’s popular amongst younger consumers. In the study, … Continue reading “Half of Consumers Look For Better Deals on Their Phones When in Physical Stores”

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 83.1 million Americans belong to the Millennial generation, or those born about 1982 or after — or, Realtytoday.com explains, that’s more than 25% of the U.S. population. As Millennials graduate from college and move along in the workforce, they are rapidly becoming the largest consumer group in America. Because of this, the real estate industry is flocking to appeal to this generation in the hopes of converting them into a generation of house buyers. … Continue reading “Millennials and Real Estate: How the Game Has Changed”

India is making a strong push to improve their global positioning in key business sectors, and a recent endorsement from Microsoft is creating huge promise for the country’s economic future. According to Gadgets 360, software giant Microsoft announced on Thursday that it will be partnering with the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) to provide over 200,000 small and medium businesses throughout the country with cloud computing services. Cloud computing is the practice of using a network … Continue reading “Microsoft to Provide Cloud Computing for Over 200,000 Small and Medium Businesses in India”

Last week, a New Jersey man admitted in playing a role in a $6 million mortgage fraud scheme, exposing the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to as much as $2 million in potential losses. Miguel La Rosa pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud while he recruited straw buyers, and submitted fraudulent mortgage applications. He admitted to conspiring with the straw buyers in order to make counterfeit bank account certifications; La Rosa also created many more fake documents, such as … Continue reading “New Jersey Man Admits to Committing Mortgage Fraud Resulting in $2 Million in Losses For FHA”

More than one in every two Americans say they aren’t getting enough sleep on weeknights, a phenomenon that has wide-reaching implications for public health, worker productivity, and the economy at large. Binghamton University researchers released a new study in the journal Cognitive Therapy and Research, which linked sleep deprivation to higher levels of both stress and depression. People suffering from depression or anxiety can enter a feedback loop when it comes to insomnia. Lack of sleep contributes to mental health … Continue reading “Lack of Sleep Depresses Both People and the Economy Writ Large”

A recent study has given America the dubious distinction of having some of the highest rates of drug addiction and drug-related deaths in the world. According to the New York Daily News, statistics from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has shown that only Iceland suffers more drug overdose deaths per year than the U.S., and it is also the only country that ingests more marijuana than America. Most notably, the rapid increase of pain pill and heroin … Continue reading “New Study Highlights Increasing Rates of Drug Abuse and Overdoses in U.S.”

The oil and gas industry, perhaps more than any other, is uniquely tied to geopolitical forces. For instance, experts say the recent glut in oil supplies has occurred in part because of U.S. efforts to depress the Russian economy, and increased cooperation between the countries has some energy analysts feeling optimistic again. This November brought another clear example of the way geopolitical tensions can impact the oil market. When Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border, … Continue reading “Downed Russian Warplane Highlights Volatility of Oil Market”