Stock Market

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- While some Glendale High School economics students did extensive research before investing their money in stocks and mutual funds, one small group decided to take a less scientific approach. "We just rolled the dice," said Ted Uhrich, a senior at the school, said of his group of three investors. Lady Luck was on their side. Uhrich's group took second place in the Los Angeles Times Ticker Tape Rally for having the best performing stocks.

Joyce Rudolph NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- Economics Professor Mark Maier, the recipient of the 15th annual Distinguished Faculty Award at Glendale Community College, will give a presentation at 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, in Kreider Hall. In his talk, "Are You Smarter Than a Monkey? Learning About the Stock Market and Other New Ideas," Maier will use a theory of stock market investing and his own investigation of classroom learning to look at how we learn new ideas.

Strong sales for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" pushed up Warner Bros.' home video movie revenue by 29% amid an overall shrinking market, helping drive improved financial results for media conglomerate Time Warner during the second quarter ended June 30. The New York-based owner of Warner Bros., cable networks HBO, TNT and TBS, and the Time Inc. magazine group reported a 10% increase in revenue to $7 billion and a 14% rise in...

Lauren Masters Louise Pitts has the birthday routine down pat. When the Montrose resident turned 103 on June 3, Pitts celebrated with the Montrose Nursing Center community and her nephew's family by eating carrot cake and drinking champagne in a room filled with flowers and balloons. However, the festivities wore her out. "I'm going to go to bed after this!" she said as the residents laughed. Not much has changed in the past three years for Pitts, although she isn't as active in the stock market as she was when she entered the second century of her life in 2001.

As we approach the holiday season of love and giving, it is a good time to reflect and be sensitive to the challenges that our senior citizens and retirees are facing these days. This column is not intended to ask for or provoke sympathy. It is intended to raise the level of awareness and to express the concerns of seniors who are struggling to maintain their financial independence and dignity in today's economy. Too many retirees who worked and saved throughout their life are having a rough time tightening their belts these days due to shrinking income.

Josh Kleinbaum Three business days have passed since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released his 2004-05 budget, and each day, the potential cost to the city of Glendale has grown. City officials now think the governor's budget will cost the city $3.5 million in lost revenue. When city officials learned Friday that the new budget took some of the city's property-tax revenue to balance the state budget, they thought the city would lose $1.2 million in general fund revenue.

Q. I am 61 and had planned on retiring next year but now I am wondering if that will be feasible with the fall in the stock market. Terry, La Cañada   You are one of millions of baby boomers who plan to delay, or perhaps cancel, their retirements because of the recession and the stock market’s dive to half its value of just 18 months ago. About 76 million American babies born between 1946 and 1960 were...

Karen S. Kim Investors and corporations breathed hesitant sighs of relief Wednesday as U.S. stock prices soared for the first time in several days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 488.95 points, or 6.4%, after taking a 390-point plunge Friday that closed the average at a four-year low. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index jumped 45.69 points, or 5.7%. Stocks suddenly spiked after J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Inc., a U.S. investment bank accused of helping Enron Corp.

Karen S. Kim GLENDALE -- Shaken by last week's devastating acts of terrorism, American consumers have curbed spending in the last week and several sectors of the local economy are expected to feel the effects. "I think the effects of this are weeks, months and years in coming, and we're not going to know immediately who will be impacted," said Jeanne Armstrong, director of Glendale's department of development services. Jack Kyser, chief economist for Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

Republican Assembly taps officers GLENDALE -- The Glendale-Burbank unit of the California Republican Assembly has named its officers for 2003. The group will be led by President Bill Graham, and past president James Bates will serve as an ex-officio member of the executive board. Other officers are 1st Vice President Nick Doom; 2nd Vice President Walter Hunt; 3rd Vice President Richard Thelin; Treasurer Gregg Jewett; Assistant Treasurer Denis McLean; and Secretary Tracy Trenham.

While the day after Thanksgiving has always been a high volume shopping event, it's only in recent years that the term “Black Friday” has been used to describe it.  Am I the only one who feels the moniker sounds negative? Describing any day with the adjective “black” conjures up bad connotations. For example, Black Tuesday is the day the stock market crashed in October 1929.  That day was one of the worst in this country's history, so why would we want to assign another day of the week with the same modifier?

Strong sales for "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1" pushed up Warner Bros.' home video movie revenue by 29% amid an overall shrinking market, helping drive improved financial results for media conglomerate Time Warner during the second quarter ended June 30. The New York-based owner of Warner Bros., cable networks HBO, TNT and TBS, and the Time Inc. magazine group reported a 10% increase in revenue to $7 billion and a 14% rise in...

Q. I am 61 and had planned on retiring next year but now I am wondering if that will be feasible with the fall in the stock market. Terry, La Cañada   You are one of millions of baby boomers who plan to delay, or perhaps cancel, their retirements because of the recession and the stock market’s dive to half its value of just 18 months ago. About 76 million American babies born between 1946 and 1960 were...

Free business loan seminar to be held The Valley Economic Development Center is slated to host a free business seminar Tuesday from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Glendale Capital Access Center, 330 N. Brand Blvd., Suite 190, Glendale. The event will address business expansion and equipment or inventory purchases. Officials will cover the basics of applying for small business loans and discuss credit, collateral, cash flow and other loan packaging items. For more information, call (213)

GLENDALE ? A lawsuit filed against a Glendale chiropractor over an alleged $300,000 investment fraud scheme will go to trial Monday. Glendale resident and retired architect Gregor Zargarian first filed the lawsuit in 2005 against Sarkis Mesrobian ? a chiropractor with offices in Glendale and Santa Monica ? and two others for allegedly stealing $300,000 that was paid to Mesrobian under the guise of an insider stock purchase, according to court documents. The civil case will go to jury trial Monday in Glendale Superior Court after it failed a final attempt at mediation last week, said Mary Der-Parseghian, an attorney representing Zargarian.

The foothill community, like counterparts throughout the state, are feeling the pinch at the pump as California oil refineries are being blamed for high prices. According to the Energy Information Administration, gas prices rose from an average of $2.89 per gallon on March 5 to $3.07 March 19. According to reports, fuel experts blamed refinery and pipeline problems as well as high demands by drivers. On the other hand, oil companies do not seem to be taking it in the pocket book like consumers.

Jackson Bell Glendale police and firefighters are plenty peeved with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger these days. Presidents of the agencies' unions voiced their frustration Friday with Schwarzenegger's push to cut costs by switching their retirement plans to a 401(k)-style program. They also claim his initiative will eliminate their death and disability benefits. Under the current pension plan, the city contributes money toward its employees' retirement, and the employees know just how much money they will retire with, officials said.

KATHERINE YAMADA Most ordinary Americans weren't concerned when the stock market crashed in 1929. After all, Wall Street was a whole continent away. But, unlike the earlier panic of 1893, when California was just a young state with a young economy, California now had close economic ties to the rest of the nation. Soon, the Great Depression made its way to California and to Glendale. In March 1933, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the nation's banks to close their doors, Glendale came to a halt.

Lauren Masters Louise Pitts has the birthday routine down pat. When the Montrose resident turned 103 on June 3, Pitts celebrated with the Montrose Nursing Center community and her nephew's family by eating carrot cake and drinking champagne in a room filled with flowers and balloons. However, the festivities wore her out. "I'm going to go to bed after this!" she said as the residents laughed. Not much has changed in the past three years for Pitts, although she isn't as active in the stock market as she was when she entered the second century of her life in 2001.

Josh Kleinbaum Three business days have passed since Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger released his 2004-05 budget, and each day, the potential cost to the city of Glendale has grown. City officials now think the governor's budget will cost the city $3.5 million in lost revenue. When city officials learned Friday that the new budget took some of the city's property-tax revenue to balance the state budget, they thought the city would lose $1.2 million in general fund revenue.