After bailing out the banks, governments have kept interest rates low, and as a result, profits have soared. News about the 1st quarter was slightly disappointing today, but 3% growth ain’t bad. Two big factors this week: geopolitical fears coming from the Pacific Rim, and foreign (European) debt.

Many investors worry that if European governments all start closing their fists at once, another recession looms. But the flip side is that if countries like Greece and Spain don’t exercise fiscal restraint, then default and the banks holding that debt will flounder.

The rate of interbank lending (LIBOR) has soared recently. But as banks become more concerned about their lending rates, they may become more reticent to lend, which could mean a freeze in the markets similar to that of 2008.

In general, the ease of recovery has been part of the reason for the volatility of the markets.  There will be a time when interest rates return to normal levels, and fiscal policy tightens. This return to normalcy, for many investors, is scary. How it will be effected is still unknown.

And what about deflation? Price to earnings ratios are still higher than they should be, trading at 20 times what earnings actually are.

While profits and interest rates remain good signs, political trouble and financial regulation worries bears. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The great CEOs know that in order to be a high-powered executive, you need to stop multi-tasking and tackle one task at a time like a high-powered sniper rifle.

But how to stop multi-tasking? A conference call goes long and you start quietly typing out an email. Or you have several windows open on the computer at once including email, chat, spreadsheets, the web, streaming music, and other documents. Multi-tasking is addictive and seemingly inevitable. So how to kick the habit?

Take Control
The hardest part to quitting your multi-tasking is to apply old-fashioned willpower and just do it. It takes 30 days to form a habit, so after the first month of single-tasking, you’ll have momentum

Batch Your Work
Set a schedule for completing certain kinds of work all at once. Let your colleagues know that you’ll only be answering calls between certain hours, then follow through and set your phone to “Do Not Disturb.” Or decide to hone in on some analysis or writing work and close your email and internet programs. Set yourself up for success by removing as much of the background noise and processes as possible.

“Eat the Frog”
Each day, you have a series of tasks to complete. And there is almost always a big, hard task for the day that you probably dread, like eating a metaphorical frog. But instead of putting it off, do this task first. The rest of your tasks will seem easy in comparison.

You’ll Like It
Staying focused will make you feel effective, because you are effective. You’ll make amazing progress on your projects and stop spending time on time-wasting progress or idle web surfing.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has given up all of the gains it has made this year over the course of the past couple of weeks. Why? Well, in large part due to fears of a Greek default. But that’s not all. When Germany announced last week that it was banning hedging on Euro-zone government debt, markets tumbled further.  A consequent rise in interest rates between Europe’s banks doesn’t bode well for the rest of the world.

China is worried about the astronomical prices of its real estate, and the renmnibi is still highly inflated against the Euro, which China has yet to incrementally attack. If the European situation worsens, more may have to be done sooner.

Deflation, already extant in Ireland and Spain, is causing American fears too. The United States’ G.D.P. remains low, and with cash failing to circulate, the consumer price index (CPI, as a measure of inflation) is continually sliding from its year on year percentage.

While global markets are hoping that deficits are cut, especially in Europe, that fear may lead to more unknown occurrences, which is why the VIX volatility index has reached its highest rate in over a year.

What does it all mean? For right now, things aren’t getting any better. Let’s just hope they don’t get any worse.

United and Continental have merged and will be called United in a deal that will make them the largest airline in the world. Globally, the airline would have a 7% part of the airline market, and 20% domestic share.

For consumers, this means higher airline prices and fewer routes. Over the course of the past decade, however, certain mergers have had to fight with discount airlines like Southwest, and JetBlue, along with other factors that have harmed the industry, like the terrorist attacks of 9/11, rising oil prices, and the recession.

The companies had begun talks in the past, but those deteriorated due in part to United’s weak financial health. In 2008, Continental was on the buying side. The falling through of these talks served as a preliminary to what helped the companies merge so quickly.

The company will be called United, will be based in Chicago – a city that has badly desired a major corporation to call it home – and will be run by United’s chairman for two years, until Mr. Smisek of Continental will man the helm. It will also keep the Continental colors and retain a large presence in Houston. Other airports where the new airline will be prominent include: SFO, Newark, and O’ Hare.