The financial media has hammered home the theme that the global economic slowdown will persist for awhile. Given the sobering state of Europe, as well as what has been a sluggish though improving recovery in the US, it makes sense. The other corollary to the global slowdown has been the emphasis on China's slowed economy. As readers might guess, though, there's more to the

Dreamworks Animation SKG, Inc. (NYSE: DWA), maker of successful animation films such as "Shrek" and others, announced a deal last week to partner with a group of large media companies in China to make films there. Dreamworks will partner with China Media Capital, Shanghai Media Group, and Shanghai Alliance Investment in a new China-focused media production company. The new company, to be called Oriental Dreamworks, will begin

There was an old, successful advertising and marketing phrase “Things go better with Coke,” which Coca Cola (NYSE: KO) inaugurated in 1963 and used for many years. Well, investors might want to echo that sentiment, as the leading beverage maker announced another quarterly dividend increase. The company hiked its payout from 47 cents a quarter to 51. This raises the annual dividend from $1.88 to $2.04, and is an 8.5% increase. At a recent price of around