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Over the past decade we seen at least $1 trillion dollars spent by private equity firms. These firms have taken over companies for a pittance and then pillaged them by slashing employees and cutting costs. They then used the money to pay down debt rather than rebuilding the company.

Now all of the debt thrown on the acquired companies is coming due and it could cause another economic disaster, even bring down the economy.

Across the country, big jets are disappearing -- nudged shoved aside by the little guys, which are cheaper to operate and don't require as many butts to fill seats.

The number of empty seats falls, and revenue per available seat-mile (RASM) goes up. It's pretty straightforward. But, for crowded flights, this could leave a few people stuck without their preferred routes. The alternative, of course, is an unsustainable status quo, in which a few passengers remain happy ... until the airline folds.

Vulcan Materials (NYSE: VMC) issued Q3 results late Monday. Total revenues decreased over 20%. Earnings from continuing operations dropped 29% to 38 cents per share. According to Earnings.com, this means that the company came in a penny ahead of estimates.

Going into yesterday's earnings report, shares of Vulcan Materials were pretty active. They increased over 2% to close at $47.12. Volume was above the norm. The market was obviously quite bullish on the stock.

Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall when the Fed meets with bankers on pay review? You can bet that sparks will fly.

Monday is the day this happens. We already know that the bankers do not want the Fed meddling in their compensation policies. However, there is pressure from the public and Congress for a clamp down on excessive bank pay and bonuses, especially at the big banks.

First off, what is smart grid technology? Smart grid technology allows two-way communication between a home or business and the utility company.

Then you are probably wondering why is there so much interest in smart grid technology now? The key reason is that our electrical transmission system is outmoded and overloaded. Our present system will be unable to handle the increasing demand for electricity for much longer. Take the electric car. If thousands of these cars are on the road next year, we will need the electrical delivery system to power them.

Century-old CIT Group Inc filed for bankruptcy in the Southern District Court of New York on Sunday.

According to the terms of the bankruptcy, bondholders will hold new CIT Group Inc. (NYSE: CIT) debt worth about 70% of the face value of the old debt. Preferred creditors, including the U.S. government, will get money only after other creditors are paid back. Common shareholders will receive nothing.

In December 2008, the U.S. government invested $2.33 billion dollars in CIT under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

It all started when President Obama, under pressure from U.S. unions, slapped a 35% tariff on tire imports from China. This move angered Beijing to no end, and to the point that China is challenging the action with the World Trade Organization.

China, in retaliation, has said that it would launch an "antidumping" policy against U.S. car exports to China. U.S. car makers export only about 9,000 vehicles to China at present. However, China is now the leading auto maker in the world, and barring U.S. imports would hamper the U.S. auto export market.

In an era in which employers increasingly are having to shift more health-care costs onto employees, IBM (NYSE: IBM) is taking the unprecedented tack of opting to pick up all expenses related to primary care for U.S.-based employees, beginning next year. In doing so, IBM is is among the first U.S. companies to cover primary care at 100%, the Armonk, N.Y.-based computing giant said Thursday.

The move means employees will not be subject to co-pays or deductibles for in-network primary care with their internist, general or family practitioner, pediatrician or primary osteopath. IBM said it was able to boost coverage due to the company's success in implementing wellness programs, an effort begun five years ago.

American Airlines (NYSE: AMR - option chain) shares are rising today along with most other major airlines this morning after the International Air Transport Association said international passenger demand rose 0.3% year-over-year in September, the first month of growth in the past year. AMR, Delta (NYSE: DAL), Continental (NYSE: CAL) and United (NASDAQ: UAUA) are all in the green between 2% and 3% so far today. If you think that AMR won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on the stock.

AMR opened this morning at $5.68. So far today the stock has hit a low of $5.55 and a high of $5.70. As of 11:50, AMR is trading at $5.57 up 13 cents(2.4%). The chart for AMR looks neutral and S&P gives AMR a neutral 3 STARS (out of 5) hold ranking.

The US Airways (NYSE: LCC) ticker symbol says it all: LCC = Low Cost Carrier. With its latest announcement, the airline may want to change it to LEC -- Low Expense Carrier. In an attempt to keep pace with the plunging travel market, US Airways is cutting 1,000 jobs next year, shoving almost all its flying to its three hubs (Philadelphia, Phoenix and Charlotte) and Washington. Several international routes are being cut.

The airline reports that routes from its hubs have been profitable. Currently, US Airways pushes 93% of its flights through these airports, a rate it seeks to push up to 99% in 2010.

It was still a good idea for News Corp. (NASDAQ: NWS) to buy MySpace.com over fours years ago for a little more than half a billion. The social media network still brings in decent ad revenues, even though it is out of the popular fad culture of social media. That space is now owned by Facebook and Twitter. But then MySpace CEO Owen Van Natta says that his company is "fundamentally different" than Facebook -- as in a special experience providing entertainment content -- those words could come back to haunt him.

As will words like "I really don't view Facebook as a competitor." While it's true that Facebook and MySpace go after two types of online social interaction, they are both vying for many of the same customers in a large crossover audience. Teens, 20-somethings, and others are very fickle and many use both social networks. The two may have different goals, but they are competitors.

Traditional retailers haven't exactly embraced online sales channels. Sure, they all have websites, and they sell varying amounts of merchandise through them, but they've been slow to tap into the potential. When I was watching the space as an analyst at a major consulting firm (admittedly, back in 2007), many retailers equated a website to a new store opening. Finally, however, this industry is starting to see the potential of this venue, particularly when it comes to tracking consumer behavior.

When the CEO of Macy's (NYSE: M), Terry Lundgren, says that online sales are only good for 6% of last year's total sales, it's a hint. The translation: "We focus on where the revenue is" is much different from "We focus on where the revenue could be." Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO), on the other hand, sees the upside of playing in the online space, which is where it saw revenues spike 85% last year. Aeropostale has seen increases in traditional venues too, but nothing like what it's realized on the web.

So, maybe there's something to this internet, after all.

Seven more banks failed late Friday, including institutions in Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Georgia, and three in Florida. The FDIC posted the liabilities it would assume and which banks would take on customers from the shutter institutions in detail on its website.

According to MarketWatch, "CreditSights, which tracks the dismal data, predicts that in the current cycle, from 2008 through 2011, as many as 1,100 banks will fail. That would wipe out 13.4% of all U.S. banks, representing 7% of U.S. banking assets."

Now here's a simple, straightforward plan for British banks that are deemed "too big to fail": By the end of the year, large British banks will be required to draw up "living wills" in which they outline procedures to help them wind down in the event of failure.

The living wills will also include ways of separating the banks' deposit-taking arms from securities trading units.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) will also require the too-big-to-fail banks to hold more capital as protection in the event of a bank failure. The authority has said that bumper bank profits are to be used to bolster balance sheets -- not for bankers' bonuses.

What is the Beige Book and what does it contain? The US Federal Reserve keeps anecdotal reports on the economy in what is called the "Beige Book." Here are some notes on the key topics:

• There was some improvement in two of the hardest hit areas -- residential real estate and manufacturing.
• Gains in economic activity generally outnumbered declines.
• "Grim" was how the Fed described commercial real estate, "with conditions described as either weak or deteriorating across all districts." Regional banks said they did not see improvement in commercial real estate going forward into 2010.