Metrics 2.0 Trends by the Numbers: December 29, 2006

Another China Record: ICBC Overtakes Bank of America as 2nd Largest Bank by Market Value

With a market capitalization of over $250 billion, China's Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) overtook Bank of America (BAC) on the last trading day of the year on Friday to become the second biggest bank in the world by market value, behind Citigroup.

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December 29, 2006 7:21 PM | Permalink

2006: A Year in Numbers - Technology, Business, & Financial Markets

As 2006 comes to a close and everyone is taking time to enjoy the wonderful holiday season, and before embarking on another adventurous year 2007, here is a look at the 2006 top technology, business and global markets by the Numbers profiled in Metrics 2.0.

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December 29, 2006 3:46 PM | Permalink

Parents Say Text Messaging Kids Improves Communication: Study

Text messages sent to and from mobile phones will more than double over the next five years to 2.3 trillion messages by 2010, according to a Gartner survey. The overall growth in text messaging is driven by multiple factors - adults who use texting to "talk" while they're in meetings and parents who texting their kids.

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December 29, 2006 11:21 AM | Permalink

Mobile Gadgets Seen as Best Way to Fib; 43% Lie Pretending to be ill: Study

Over 80% of people admit to telling little white lies at least once a day and the preferred way of being "economical with the truth" is to use technology such as cell phones, texts and e-mails, according to a survey by UK pollsters 72 Point, reports Reuters.

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December 29, 2006 11:05 AM | Permalink

IPTV Subscribers to Triple in 2007 to 14.5 million, says iSuppli

IPTV	Global subscribers to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services is expected to nearly triple in 2007, helping to drive a strong increase in sales of wired communications equipment and related semiconductors for the year, according to iSuppli.

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December 29, 2006 10:51 AM | Permalink

U.S. Economic Indicators This Week: Home Sales Up; Confidence Rose; Jobs Strong

This week saw a slew of good economic indicators in U.S., as consumer confidence jumped at an 8 month high, new homes sales and existing homes sales showing positive turns, and the job market resilient with only 1,000 rise in jobless claims.

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December 29, 2006 10:33 AM | Permalink

Private Equity and VC Sizzle in India; 329 Deals This Year

2006 has been an extraordinary year for private equity, with the value of announced deals hitting a record $700 billion worldwide, according to Thomson Financial data. Private equity deals hit a record $48 billion in the Asia-Pacific region this year, more than four times that of 2005.

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December 29, 2006 8:47 AM | Permalink

Holiday Season Online Sales Up a Solid 26%; Non-Travel E-Commerce Hits $100B Mark for the Year

During the first 56 days of the holiday season through December 26, total U.S. online retail (non-travel) spending reached $23.11 billion, an increase of 26% vs. the corresponding days in 2005, according to comScore Networks data released late Thursday. U.S. online holiday season sales also rose about 25% in both 2005 and 2004, according to comScore.

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December 29, 2006 12:04 AM | Permalink

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