The News Review:
- First drop in 5 years for venture capital investing
- Howard Bancorp 4Q earnings plunge but bank ‘growing profitable …
- INTERVIEW: Nokia To Continue Investing In Services – CF
First drop in 5 years for venture capital investing
San Francisco Chronicle USA
venture capitalists invested $28. 3 billion in 3808 deals last year the first yearly decline in investments since 2003 according to the latest. The decline was spread across all industries and companies with a few exceptions.
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Howard Bancorp 4Q earnings plunge but bank ‘growing profitable …
Bizjournals.com NC
The bank had $204 million in loans on the books at year’s end up 18 percent from the end of 2007. “Howard Bank is pleased to be growing profitable and investing in our future despite the economic storm impacting both our marketplace and parts of our industry” CE Mary Ann Scully said in a news release. With profits on the books Howard is looking for opportunity amid the turmoil in the banking market. The company hired has hired new bankers in Howard County — and opened a fourth branch there on Route 40 — and brought on a banker to tackle the Anne Arundel County market. “While we expect the economy to be bumpy and even bruising for a while we firmly maintain that now is a very good time to be a community bank” Scully said. The bank had $230 million in assets at year’s end up 20 percent from the end of 2008.
INTERVIEW: Nokia To Continue Investing In Services – CF
CNNMoney.com
(NK) will continue to invest in consumer-oriented services even as it cuts operating expenses to adapt to slower saleschief financial officer Rick Simonson told Dow Jones Newswires in an interviewfollowing the handset maker’s fourth-quarter report Thursday. Nokia the world’s largest mobile handset maker earlier Thursday forecastthat industry mobile device volumes will fall some 10% in 2009 from 2008 hit bythe weakening global economy. As a response to declining volumes it said itwould cut operating expenses and invest at a slower pace. “We have to make sure that we continue to operate at a sufficient operatingprofit margin” Simonson said but added that his company “will continue toinvest where there’s new value going to be created. ” In particular he said Nokia will focus on consumer-oriented services such asmapping music and games.