It's inaccurate to say we all benefit. In aggregate, the economy probably benefits but within that upward trajectory a lot of people are permanently hurt while many others gain.

Purchasing at the local level rolls over dollars to stimulate the local economy and begin the longer term – and much more expensive – effort of reviving the economic potential of these countries.

Really, the economy is the largest factor that's out there.

If we don't buy a billion iPads, three-hundred million people will die of starvation. That's how the economy works.

It's the (U.S.) economy, and we're going to have to wait and see whether it turns around. For the first half of the year...we're going to be on thin ice. And we've got to be careful about the defensive stocks -- some are actually quite expensive.

What it means is another year sort of like last year, when gross domestic product grew 2.4 percent. That means another year during which the job market doesn't get a whole lot better, but also doesn't collapse. It means another year during which promises of a strong economic rebound are postponed, but so are fears of a double-dip recession. Another year, that is, that will stump the doomsayers even while it fails to inspire us to party like it's 1999.