Business Channel 2007-01-10&13

Maybe Mattel (The world's largest toy company) is also up, because it's been a very good year. And this is the time in a year when people buy a lot of toys. It's also been quite a year in business over the last 12 months, the biggest names involved in the big stories. Talk to us right here on CNBC. Many of them spoke 1 to Maria Bartiromo who had the daunting 2 task of looking back and kind of honing it down and getting the best of the best, and there were a lot of people you had to go through, Maria.

It's truth, it really is, because there were so many really important stories this year and er, major themes. So what we did today is we're gonna look at three interviews right now. It's a total of six that we narrowed it down to. But right now we will look at, of, er, er, a small portion of three of the biggest headliners of the year. We look back at the biggest themes of 2006 and we capture the themes to the faces of those stories. Sure of Google, up over 350% since its IPO back in August of 04, that certainly was a story on the year, Google, the name is synonymous with the word 'search'. CEO Eric Schmidt rarely does interviews, but he did tell me where the biggest growth opportunities offer Google now. And even President Bush googles from time to time. He told me he likes using Google Maps and that he doesn't do emails.

Ken 3 Lewis, CEO of Bank of America was certainly one of the powermen of the year. He continues his wheeling and dealing 4, his latest acquisition of US Trust for $3.5 billion were certainly well received. He told me what the next step for Bank of the America is and also if he were to look internationally for a deal since he's so focused right now on the US consumer.

The dollar, a huge story this year down more than 10% against the euro. Treasury 5 Secretary Henry Paulson told me the economy is thriving. And he didn't seem worried about the weak dollar. Here's a look back at some of the money men who moved the markets in 2006.

Graphically 6 speaking, is that your biggest opportunity- Asia?

Um, long term absolutely, um, right now our growth rate is good in the United States, even better in Europe. And we said this for a long time. Over the next few years, we may, it makes sense that the necessary preconditions for very strong growth in Asia should begin. Remember that not only do we have to have a great product which we are working on very hard, but you also have broad, after you had much better broadband, much better access to the Internet in those countries. And you also need to have a, a permission to have electronic commerce, distribution, overnight delivery. Those of such things that enable our electronic commerce to what we see today in United States and Europe.

Under so much change in terms of technology on society, on, on business, I'm curious, have you ever googled anybody, do you use Google?

Ah, occasionally. One of the things I've used on the Google is to pull up maps. And it's very interesting to see that, I forgot the name of the program, but you get the satellite and you can, like, I kinda like to look at the ranch 7. Google remind me where I wanna be sometimes. Ah, yeah, I did some, er, I'm, I'm not a, I tend not to email. Er, not only tend not to email, I don't email.

So many people talk about Barclays being out there, er, they don't wanna sell for a low price, would you categorically rule it out or acquiring Barclay someday?

We, we white to say, we never say never, but, but interestingly, the last two deals that come to us have actually been caused that I've received and not, not through any activities of our own. And that wouldn't be a big surprise if that, if that's not the next one. That somebody calls us and says, you are lodging 8, here's the reason we would do something and here's what somebody doesn't see that you should see. And, and that's what we saw with a fleet finances, we've paid, you know, was a very large price. We saw something that others didn't see and had the courage to do something. But it have to be that kind of situation or scenario 9 before we would do anything.

How worried are you that the dollar is at such low levels versus 10 the euro and the pound?

Er, Maria, as, as you know, I believe very strongly that is that, that, that a strong dollar is our nation's best interest. And I feel very good about the strength of our economy right now.


Vocabulary


honing v. If you hone something, for example a skill, technique, idea, or product, you carefully develop it over a long period of time so that it is exactly right for your purpose.
His body is honed and kept in trim with constant exercise.

wheeling and dealing n. activities that involve a lot of complicated and sometimes dishonest deals, especially in business or politics

scenario n. If you talk about a likely or possible scenario, you are talking about the way in which a situation may develop.
Try to imagine all the possible scenarios 11 and what action you would take.