"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Asia Mixed; Riversdale Surges

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:26 PM PST

Asian stock markets were mixed with Riversdale Mining higher in Australia on confirmation Rio held talks on a takeover offer. The Nikkei fell 0.1%.

Suit Aims at 'History Sniffing'

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 04:58 PM PST

A lawsuit filed for alleged use of "history sniffing," a method for surreptitiously detecting what websites a user has visited, is the latest to take aim at technologies that harvest Internet users' personal information.

Growing Netflix Gets Respect---and Creates Fear

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 05:32 PM PST

The company has expanded its mail-order DVD rental service to delivering video online. That poses a potential threat to the traditional way consumers watch movies and TV: cable, phone and satellite systems.

Madoff Trustee Goes After HSBC

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 07:18 PM PST

The trustee seeking money for victims of Bernard Madoff's fraud sued HSBC Holdings and a group of feeder funds for at least $9 billion.

Facebook Unveils Profile-Page Redesign

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 05:36 PM PST

Facebook unveiled a profile-page redesign that lets users share more details, display photos and highlight friends if they want.

For Experts, a Delicate Dance

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 05:58 PM PST

The government's broad insider-trading investigation is focusing in part on how hedge funds may have traded on information obtained from consultants such as doctors who were hired to discuss their work with investors.

Banks Pin Revenue Hopes on Prepaid Cards

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 05:32 PM PST

Big banks may soon start pushing a different type of plastic. Financial institutions such as U.S. Bancorp, Wells Fargo and Bank of America are exploring prepaid cards as a way to make up revenue that will likely be lost from federal restrictions on debit cards.

Western Firms Face Stronger Regulators

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:24 PM PST

Western corporations will face mounting pressure to comply with tougher anticorruption laws next year, according to report to be released Monday.

Inflation Risk Is Low, Fed Says

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 07:24 PM PST

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke took his message into American homes on "60 Minutes", defending the central bank's bond-buying program and pledging his "100%" confidence he could prevent runaway inflation.

Recruiters Expect Pickup In Hiring of Top Managers

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:58 PM PST

Recruiters expect companies' executive hiring plans to brighten, with business development and sales executives most in demand, according to a recent survey.

Offering Advice Free of Charge

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:53 PM PST

To bolster business in emerging markets, IBM and other U.S. companies are providing free services in places like Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

As Bonds Flag, Stocks Beckon

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 04:28 PM PST

After a stellar two-year run, the bond market is stumbling and a number of investors are betting that stocks will post better returns in the coming months.

Family Bolsters Hermès Defenses

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 04:27 PM PST

Members of the family controlling French luxury-products company Hermès International announced plans to create a holding firm that will have more than 50% of the company.

U.S. Cable: China Ordered Google Hack

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 01:26 PM PST

Leaked U.S. diplomatic cables are shedding new light on the suspicion and tension between the U.S. and China surrounding a massive rupture between Google Inc. and the Chinese government.

North Korea Extends Criticism of South

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 01:00 PM PST

State media continued criticism of South Korea and the U.S., saying Seoul was "far from drawing a lesson from the deserved punishment" of the North's attack on Yeonpyeong.

Iran to Process Own Raw Uranium

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 08:34 AM PST

Iran claimed another advance in its disputed nuclear activities on Sunday, a day before opening a new round of talks on that work with world powers.

India Chases BlackBerry Data

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 07:51 PM PST

India's Home Secretary said the government is in discussions with companies that use Research in Motion's BlackBerry corporate-email service to gain access to their employees' secure communications when deemed necessary.

South Korea Defends U.S. Trade Pact

Posted: 05 Dec 2010 06:40 PM PST

The U.S. and South Korea,in finalizing a sweeping free-trade agreement that had been stuck in legislative limbo since 2007, made compromises that drew some political criticism here over fairness—but likely not enough to prevent ratification.