cash

Apple soon will share what it plans to do with some of the cash on its books, according to a New York-based investment firm.

In an interview earlier today, Gamco Investors CIO Howard Ward told Bloomberg he expects Apple to make a cash-related announcement by the end of the month. If true, it would be the second such plan detailed by the company in two years.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Ward's claims.

Apple's cash pile has grown in step with the breakout success of the iPhone and iPad, its top two … Read more

Apple accused an activist hedge fund manager of attempting to hold investors "hostage" in his effort to get the electronics giant to share more of its massive cash reserves with investors.

The charge came today in Apple's response to a lawsuit filed last week by Greenlight Capital, which asserts that the company needed to distribute preferred stock to current shareholders and that Apple had balked at the idea when it was first discussed. The filing comes a day after Apple CEO Tim Cook called the lawsuit a "silly sideshow."

"Shareholders should not be held … Read more

Apple will soon respond to the lawsuit filed against it last week by David Einhorn's Greenlight Capital.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to file its response to Greenlight by tomorrow. Greenlight will then file its reply on Friday. The first hearing could take place as early as next week.

The Greenlight hedge fund filed a lawsuit against Apple last week, saying that the company should distribute high-yield preferred stock to shareholders. According to Greenlight, this would allow Apple to hold a large amount of its cash while giving shareholders more of the value of Apple's … Read more

After a complaint from a notable Apple investor that the company needs to share more of its cash pile with investors, the iPhone and Mac maker says it's "evaluating" its possibilities.

In a statement today, Apple said it's aware its cash has grown beyond what is needed to run day-to-day business -- hence its dividend and stock buyback plan -- but that it is still talking about other possibilities.

"Apple's management team and Board of Directors have been in active discussions about returning additional cash to shareholders," the company said this afternoon, just … Read more

We Canadians love innovating our money. We're printing plastic banknotes and chucking out useless coins.

Last March I said I wouldn't mourn the passing of the Canadian penny.

And yet today, as the Royal Canadian Mint officially stopped distributing the cent to banks, I have mixed feelings. I saw the Google.ca animated doodle honoring the coin and felt a tad nostalgic.

So I fished out a few pennies from my pockets and considered the brazen image of Queen Elizabeth and the maple leaf. … Read more

2012 was hellish in a lot of ways, but it was a good year for saving money.

Indeed, as any regular reader of The Cheapskate or CNET's Marketplace knows, you could count on finding a good deal -- often a great deal -- pretty much every single day.

Of course, some of the best money-saving advice applies all year round, not just on a particular day. With that in mind, I've rounded up some of my favorite thrifty tips from 2012. (It probably goes without saying that most of them will work just as well in 2013.)

1. Always buy refurbished Apple gear.… Read more

Her majesty looks fantastic in plastic.

A polymer portrait of Queen Elizabeth II is in many Canadian wallets now that a new $20 bill packed with anti-forgery tech is in circulation.

The plastic note follows the circulation of new plastic $100 and $50 bills, but since it changes hands with greater frequently, more Canadians are taking notice.

Reactions to have been mixed. Some say the bills tend to stick together in stacks and ATMs, others have praised their security features, and some say they look like play money.

Apart from Braille-like raised dots for visually impaired users, the twenty's … Read more

Readers have from time to time requested a list of the "test" tracks I use to evaluate gear. It's a long list, mostly recordings I've used for many years and heard on hundreds of products, and recordings I made myself or from sessions I attended. They work for me, but wouldn't necessarily help you. More than any specific tracks, I recommend starting with music you know best, favorite tunes you've listened to for years, and then listen to how the speaker, headphones, etc., you're considering changes, improves, or degrades the sound of your … Read more

Apple has a thing for being the biggest in the world. First, it was the biggest company, in terms of market capitalization. Now it's also a hedge fund.

Zero Hedge yesterday reported that little-heralded Apple subsidiary Braeburn Capital has become "the world's largest hedge fund." The company had $117.2 billion in assets under management at the end of June, easily besting Bridgewater -- generally recognized as the top hedge in the world with approximately $100 billion in assets under management.

According to Zero Hedge, Braeburn is adding $15 billion in funds each quarter, and is … Read more