A Fool Looks Back

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz

updated 3:00 a.m. ET Nov. 21, 2009

There have been mixed signals on the state of the economy, but there are at least two interesting tidbits that hint that the consumer is back.

• Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) announced that Windows 7 is the fastest-selling operating system in its history, selling twice as many units as any other platform during a comparable time period.
• Activision Blizzard (Nasdaq: ATVI) is reporting that its Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has grossed $550 million in its first five days on the market. It's a record, shattering the mark previously set by Take-Two Interactive's (Nasdaq: TTWO) Grand Theft Auto IV last year.

Cynics will argue that Microsoft's new operating system was going to be a hit, given the nasty aftertaste of Vista. Skeptics will argue that franchise video game titles have sold well during economic downturns. However, the one-two punch of record-setting good news this week can't be ignored.

The economy still has a way to go, but the upbeat signs are there if you look for them.

Briefly in the news
And now let's take a quick look at some of the other stories that shaped our week.

• Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) is getting ready to set AOL free, setting Dec. 10 as the day when its online subsidiary will start trading shares of its own as a stand-alone company. Time Warner shareholders will receive a share of AOL for every 11 shares of Time Warner they own. Remember when AOL was the more valuable of the two? It was a dot-com bubble ago.
• Gold hit a new high this week, so why not go shopping to celebrate? Goldcorp (NYSE: GG) announced a roughly $225 million deal to acquire junior exploration company Canplats Resources.
• Even China's economy can hit a bump or two. New media giant SINA (Nasdaq: SINA) posted a 16% year-over-year decline in online advertising in its latest quarter. China? Internet? Decline? Thankfully, most dot-com companies based in China have managed reasonable revenue and earnings gains over the past year.

Until next week, I remain,

Rick Munarriz

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