The winding road

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Cumulative revenues and profits for the 500 largest corporations have risen dramatically over the past 20 years, with a couple of setbacks. In 2012 profits fell 0.5% from the 2011 record while revenues kept rising. In the latest issue of Fortune magazine. My first use of a connected scatter plots which was previously seen in few publications.

Tracking bank settlements

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Since 2010 thousands of lawsuits related to the financial crisis have been brought against the country’s top five banks. So far, the Big Five have settled for a little more than $60 billion. Bank of America has paid out more (and been sued more) than anyone else, with Wells Fargo a distant second. The biggest settlements so far: Federal and state regulators behind the historic National Mortgage Settlement received $25 billion; other banks, such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, were awarded $13.3 billion; and investors ended up with an $8.5 billion settlement from BofA in 2011’s BNY Mellon suit.

In the latest issue of Fortune magazine.

The evolution of listening to music

The smartphone is also an always connected listening device; its growth has vastly outpaced that of previous music players.

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Tech companies: N.Y.C. catching up to the Bay Area

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When Mayor Michael Bloomberg pledged to end New York’s overdependence on Wall Street, the city responded by becoming the country’s fastest-growing digital-technology hub. Despite less-than-stellar access to a reliable broadband network, New York now hosts over 1,800 tech companies. The city overtook Boston to become the country’s second-largest tech center, after Silicon Valley, this year. This map shows the Big Apple’s ecosystem of startups, venture capital firms, incubators, digital-media companies, and educational institutions.

In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.

Can Apple win over China?

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If you’re the world’s largest company—with nearly $600 billion in market value—getting bigger is a tough challenge. But if Apple can learn how to charm the world’s largest population, the possibilities are limitless.

Apple’s presence is stronger in the u.s. than china—for now. In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.

Tenure at the Top

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How long is too long (or too short) for a CEO to lead a company? A survey of CEO departures  from 100 public companies locates the C-suite sweet spot.

A look at the global gender pay gap

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Fair pay and employment for women are not feminist issues; they’re economic ones. Data from a recent World Economic Forum report displays just how essential equal wages can be. A nation’s competitiveness is determined by its talent pool; ignore half the pool and the economy suffers. In the latest issue of Fortune.

The rich are getting richer

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In 2007 the 1% took 23.5% of the national wealth, the highest level since 1928. (The wealth gap has narrowed a bit since the financial crisis.) The past few decades have also been good  to the top 10% of earners.