"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Illy Serves Up Challenge to Starbucks

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 05:17 PM PST

IllyCaffé SpA, the upscale Italian coffee company, hopes to make further inroads onto Starbucks's turf by serving coffee to well-heeled travelers in upscale hotels.

Commodities Whipsaw Investors

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 07:27 PM PST

Fed easing plans and Chinese inflation have whipsawed commodity markets this month. The volatility is likely to stick around.

Pope's Comments Set Off Firestorm

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 04:17 PM PST

The Vatican rushed to clarify a recent interview by Pope Benedict XVI, in which the pontiff states for the first time that there may be some cases in which the Roman Catholic Church's ban on condoms isn't absolute.

Black Friday Creeps Into Thanksgiving

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 04:06 PM PST

More and more stores are getting a jump on the Black Friday shopping hordes by opening on Thanksgiving.

Massey CEO Faces Showdown

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 04:45 PM PST

Masset Energy directors at a meeting this week may clash with longtime Chief Executive Don Blankenship as they debate a possible sale of the coal company and some other options that would produce a leadership change.

'Potter' Charms Aging Audience

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 06:52 PM PST

The seventh installment in the eight-film franchise, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I" took in a franchise record of $125.1 million at domestic theaters this weekend.

Genzyme Mulls Deal Options

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 04:01 PM PST

Genzyme is exploring a new deal structure that might help break a long deadlock with Sanofi, as it also continues to assess options with other parties.

Obama Rejects Karzai Push to Curb Raids

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:23 PM PST

Disagreements between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the U.S.-led allies over how the war should be pursued burst into the open at a coalition summit this weekend.

Scandal Bruises a Star Investor

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 04:30 PM PST

Joseph Skowron's decision to give up medicine to pursue a career trading health-care stocks paid off. But on Nov. 2, life in the fast lane came to a halt. He has been placed on leave by FrontPoint Partners as the SEC investigates an insider-trading case.

Japan's Quantitative Easing Wasn't Easy

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 05:38 PM PST

Japan's experience offers a case study in the possibilities and limits of quantitative easing, in which a central bank effectively prints money to spur economic activity.

Online TV Streams Under Fire

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:59 PM PST

Big television networks are intensifying their fight to stop Internet services that stream TV stations online.

Criticism Hinders Fed's Plan

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 07:56 PM PST

Criticism of the Fed's bond-buying program, both from insiders and from U.S. politicians, is muting the plan's potential benefits for the economy.

AIG Shops Rail-Car Arm To Private Equity, Others

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 05:40 PM PST

AIG has put its rail-car subsidiary on the auction block, another small step by the giant insurer as it sheds noncore assets to repay its bailout and regain independence from government ownership.

VW-Porsche Merger Moves Step Closer

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 03:52 PM PST

The merger of German auto makers Volkswagen and Porsche moved a step closer Friday after Porsche said it will make disputed tax and interest payments on stock-option transactions.

Harry Potter Dominates At the Box Office

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 11:30 AM PST

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I" topped the weekend box office, pulling in $125.12 million.

Ailing Ireland Accepts Bailout From EU, IMF

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 08:01 PM PST

Ireland finally sought tens of billions in bailout money from the EU and the IMF after weeks of bickering that has exposed the limits of Europe's attempt to restore financial markets' confidence in the stability of its single currency.

North Korea Nuclear Claims Spark Scramble

Posted: 21 Nov 2010 12:14 PM PST

The prospect that North Korea might be able to make nuclear weapons from uranium it claims to be processing for electricity set off a diplomatic scramble over the weekend.