There’s no doubt that 2009 was the year of social media. Everyone, from small business owners to multinational brands, wanted to talk about it at every opportunity. I’ve never seen more excitement and interest in digital marketing than the response to social media.

By Don Miller Associate Editor Money Morning The trade deficit in the U.S. grew by an unexpectedly large 18.2% in September, the most in a decade, reflecting rising demand for imported oil and imports from China.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC’s Carrie Gracie , former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer discusses crashes — both personal and financial. After eighteen months out of the spotlight, following his resignation amid a sex scandal, Spitzer is once again engaging in public discourse about the origins of the financial collapse. During his tenure as New York State Attorney General, Spitzer gained a reputation as a foil to Wall Street.

Silicon Valley — Paul Krugman shared some wisdom last night about the White House Job Summit, which President Obama announced earlier in the day. The Nobel Prize winner for Economics was in Silicon Valley as part of the Foothill College Celebrity Forum Lecture Series.

A recent article in BusinessWeek (September 14, 2009) identified the organizations headhunters look to when trying to identify management talent. General Electric, IBM and Hewlett-Packard were cited as organizations that develop executives who thrive elsewhere, The Coca-Cola Company does not. The reason given is that “the very attributes that make Coke a great company – an iconic brand and an unmatched global distribution system – also make it easy for young mangers to rise without having to develop the entrepreneurial skills necessary to compete in other areas.” What a fascinating contradiction

Risk is an inherent part of Forex trading. Experienced traders know that they can always lose money even when making conservative trades. Forex trading is risky

This is a link to an interview I did with Mark Kelley on his prime time CBC show about the pitfalls that lottery winners and others who receive big money have to deal with.