"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

China Squeezes Foreigners for Share of Global Riches

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 07:45 PM PST

Some of the world's biggest companies, including GE and GM, are taking a risky but potentially rewarding step in China—folding pieces of their world-wide operations into partnerships with Chinese companies to do business around the globe.

GOP Shifts on Fannie, Freddie Overhaul

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 06:31 PM PST

As Republicans prepare to assume control of the House next week, they aren't in as big a rush to privatize mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , cautioning that withdrawing government support in the housing market should be gradual.

Asia Falls; Tower Australia Surges

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 06:18 PM PST

Asian stock markets fell in holiday-thinned trade though Tower Australia rose 41% on a takeover bid from Dai-ichi Life.

Groupon Plans Preferred Stock Sale

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:39 PM PST

Daily deals website Groupon is seeking authorization to sell up to $950 million in preferred shares to investors. A sale would value the company at upwards of $7.8 billion.

Pepsi's Challenge: 'Snackify' Drinks

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 06:36 PM PST

PepsiCo is betting people will pay a premium for a new pureed fruit product that it considers thick enough to be a snack rather than a beverage, part of its strategy to "snackify" drinks

Wary Investors Turn to Lie Pros

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:35 PM PST

When screening a fund manager, investors like to see experience and a consistent record or returns. But some are turning to professional lie detectors as they look to avoid the next Madoff.

India Joins U.S. Effort to Stifle Iran Trade

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:53 PM PST

India has tightened the web of sanctions around Iran by barring Indian companies from a range of deals transacted through a key trade-finance clearinghouse.

Qantas Copes With Aftermath of A380 Crisis

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:38 PM PST

Since an explosive engine failure nearly downed one of his prized A380 jetliners, Qantas Airways Chief Executive Alan Joyce has been scrambling to clean up the damage.

Insurers Bid for State Medicaid Plans

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:18 PM PST

Health insurers are preparing to capitalize on new opportunities to run privately managed Medicaid plans for the states.

Blackstone Joins Bidding for Australian Firm

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 04:29 PM PST

Blackstone Group has jumped into the bidding war for Australian shopping-center owner Centro Properties Group, intensifying what is likely to be one of the largest property takeover battles of 2011.

Fiber-Optic Networks Regain Some Glow

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 06:57 PM PST

The fiber-optic network business is enjoying a resurgence, particularly for metro fiber, the high-capacity lines that connect a city's office buildings, data centers and cellular towers to the Internet.

Allstate Sues Countrywide Over Toxic Investments

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:30 PM PST

Insurance company Allstate sued mortgage-originator Countrywide Financial, now a part of Bank of America, over $700 million in residential mortgage-backed securities that the insurer had invested in.

AIG Stock's Unlikely Comeback

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:44 PM PST

AIG shares are among the stock market's top performers this year, defying critics with a gain of nearly 97% in the year to date and over 42% in December alone.

Ten Money Moves to Make Before Year-End

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 03:29 PM PST

New Year's Eve is almost here, but don't let that stop you from making some important money moves now, before Dec. 31, so you can reap the benefits in 2011.

SEC Probes Trading in Facebook, Private Firms

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 03:50 PM PST

The SEC is examining the trading of shares in privately held companies, including Facebook and Twitter, as such activity has surged in the past year.

China Ends Small-Car Tax Break

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 02:23 PM PST

China's Ministry of Finance confirmed that it will end a tax break for purchases of smaller cars that has helped to drive auto sales in the last two years.

Russia Moves to Woo Investors

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 05:50 PM PST

Putin promised to loosen restrictions on foreign investment in some sectors next year, hours after Medvedev reiterated his calls to improve what he called Russia's "bad" investment climate.

Dai-Ichi Life to Buy Tower Australia

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 02:17 PM PST

Dai-ichi Life Insurance will make Tower Australia Group a wholly owned unit for about $1.2 billion, the latest in a string of cross-boarder acquisitions this year by Japanese companies benefiting from a strong yen.

Rewards Cards Lead to More Debt

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 03:08 PM PST

Credit cards that give cash back prompt consumers to spend more and accrue more debt, according to researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Hard Call for FDIC: When to Shut Bank

Posted: 28 Dec 2010 04:38 PM PST

More than 300 U.S. banks and savings institutions failed in the past four years. But there are huge differences in how sick they were when regulators seized them.