"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

China Manufacturing Growth Slows

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:52 PM PST

Chinese manufacturing growth and the pace of price increases both slowed in December but were still at relatively high levels, an HSBC Index showed.

Sony Files Complaint Against LG

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:55 PM PST

Sony filed a patent-infringement complaint against LG Electronics, seeking to block the Korean electronics maker from shipping mobile phones to the U.S.

A True 'Japan Inc.' on the Way?

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 06:27 PM PST

Japan may be moving in the direction of eventually creating a sovereign-wealth fund, a kind of government-funded vehicle that takes direct investment stakes.

Alleged Terror Plot Foiled in Denmark

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 06:14 PM PST

Authorities in Denmark and Sweden arrested five men suspected of preparing a "Mumbai-style" terrorist attack on the Copenhagen offices of Jyllands-Posten.

Asia Mixed; Yen Rises

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:24 PM PST

Asian stock markets were mixed as exporters pushed the Nikkei down 1% on a stronger yen and miners lifted Sydney.

Banks Open Loan Spigot for Businesses

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 06:56 PM PST

Some big U.S. banks are starting to increase lending to businesses as demand for loans rises and healthier banks seek to grab customers from weaker rivals.

Canada Slashes Business Levies

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:27 PM PST

Canada is poised to cut its corporate-tax rate to 16.5% on Jan. 1, part of a decade-long campaign that some experts say is making the country one of the most cost-effective places to do business in the developed world.

Lockheed, Austal Unit Win Navy Bid

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 05:33 PM PST

The Navy awarded multibillion-dollar contracts to Lockheed Martin and the U.S. unit of Australia's Austal, finalizing a revamped plan to buy two designs for a new class of warship known as the Littoral Combat Ship.

Crops Threatened by Heat in South America

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:49 PM PST

Scorching summer heat in South America is cutting harvest forecasts and helping propel crop prices to fresh two-year highs. Still, prices of corn, soybean and wheat crops remain well below their 2008 peaks.

Entrants Flood Race to Rival iPad

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 05:05 PM PST

The race to respond to Apple's iPad enters a new phase next week, as a host of companies including Motorola, Dell, Acer and RIM use the CES trade show to talk up a broad array of tablet-style devices.

Ergen's Battle to Rule the Airwaves

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 04:32 PM PST

Satellite-television mogul Charles Ergen is throwing his weight around in bond markets, picking fights with Phil Falcone's Harbinger Capital and Jim Dondero's Highland Capital as he tries to expand the airwaves under his control.

Gold Set for Fresh Highs in 2011

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 05:52 PM PST

Gold bulls say the price of the precious metal is set to reach fresh highs early in the new year, on mounting inflation fears fueled by loose U.S. and euro-zone monetary policies

Bank Failures at Highest Level Since 1992

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 04:02 PM PST

More banks failed in 2010 than any year since the savings-and-loan crisis ended in 1992, but regulators said Wednesday that they believe failures have passed their peak.

Computerized Home Appraisals Under Fire

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:50 PM PST

Some homeowners say the valuation method is too stingy, preventing them from refinancing or borrowing against their houses.

Sites Ally to Sell Local-Business Ads

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 03:04 PM PST

A band of Internet rivals is joining together in hopes of jump-starting sales of online ads to local businesses, and of defending their turf in the emerging local-ad market from Google.

Snowstorms Delay Sales

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 03:28 PM PST

East Coast snowstorms shaved about 10% off of retail sales on Sunday and Monday, but the $1 billion in lost sales will likely be made up soon, according to ShopperTrak.

Banks Give U.K. Charities Expertise as Well as Cash

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 07:24 PM PST

Hit by the financial crisis, global banks are now applying business rules to their charitable donations and offering non-financial forms of support.

Pension Fund Sues Wachovia

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 12:54 PM PST

A pension fund for Ohio school employees has sued Wachovia and its now-owner Wells Fargo over losses the fund sustained from investing in the Wachovia's securities lending program.

Mortgage Assistance Tapers Off

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 06:05 PM PST

The number of troubled U.S. homeowners receiving assistance with their mortgages fell in the third quarter as the government's foreclosure-prevention effort tapered off.

Local Revenues Climb as Economy Recovers

Posted: 29 Dec 2010 04:29 PM PST

State and local tax revenues continue to recover as the economy improves, but remain below pre-recession peaks and are likely to face continued pressure in 2011.