Now showing this earnings season: The Incredible Shrinking Corporation.

1/30/2010

New rules for a shrinking middle class. As the Great Recession of 2007-09 finally winds down, millions of Americans face diminished lifestyles, with no obvious way to regain the wealth and prospects they enjoyed just a few years ago. One futurist says this isn't a recession but 'a transformation.'

An explosion in trading propelled by computers is raising fears that trading platforms could be knocked out by rogue trades triggered by systems running out of control.

Trading in equities and derivatives is being driven increasingly by mathematical algorithms used in computer programs. They allow trading to take place automatically in response to market data and news, deciding when and how much to trade similar to the autopilot function in aircraft.

Credit rating agency Standard & Poor's raised the prospect of a downgrade in Japan's sovereign debt rating Tuesday. That's reigniting fears that the U.S. could be next.

The agency said it is concerned about large deficits and a sluggish growth outlook in Japan -- which currently ranks as the world's No. 2 economy.

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