"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Wall Street Pay Reaches Record $135 Billion

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 07:03 PM PST

Compensation and benefits at publicly traded banks and securities firms rose 5.7% from 2009, according to a Journal analysis. An increasing portion reflects deferred compensation.

New Life-Policy Fallout: Suits From Insured

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 04:03 PM PST

Some people who took out life-insurance policies intended for sale to investors are starting to allege that they, too, got a raw deal.

Stocks Hit Post-Crisis High Amid Growth

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 05:40 PM PST

The Dow industrials closed above 12000 for the first time since June 2008 as investors looked past upheaval in the Mideast, debt troubles in Europe and signs of budding inflation, and instead focused on manufacturing gains and strong profit reports from some big companies.

California Wants Underwriters' Money Back

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 05:11 PM PST

The California State Treasurer's office is demanding the return of hundreds of thousands of dollars that it says it unwittingly paid bond underwriters who then channeled it into a trade group that lobbied on issues—sometimes going against the grain of the state.

Sanofi Sweetens Genzyme Offer

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 04:54 PM PST

Sanofi-Aventis has proposed paying Genzyme in the range of $74 a share in upfront cash as the two parties push to sign a deal in about a week, valuing the biotech company at around $19 billion.

U.K. Begins E-Book Price Probe

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 04:37 PM PST

The U.K. trade regulator said it is investigating antitrust complaints related to digital book pricing, a move that come six months after state authorities in the U.S. began similar probes.

Hilton's Revival Boosts Blackstone

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 05:31 PM PST

Blackstone's once-embarrassing Hilton investment has turned profitable, helping Blackstone's real-estate group score gains that are expected to be a big part of the company's fourth-quarter earnings release.

U.S. Firms, China in Tech War

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 07:00 PM PST

A titanic battle is under way between U.S. business and China, that is destined to dominate relations between the two countries for years. At issue: Innovation.

FSA Gives Peek Into Crime-Fighting Methods

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 04:20 PM PST

The U.K.'s Financial Services Authority is hoping that by shedding light on a 2½-year investigation into insider trading, it will help deflect criticism of the agency's law-enforcement credentials.

Chevron Seeks to Turn Tables in Ecuador Case

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 04:04 PM PST

Chevron is seeking to turn the tables on the plaintiffs who are suing the company over alleged oil pollution in Ecuador.

Mets, Ensnared in Madoff, Hope to Sell Piece by June

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 07:27 PM PST

Baseball's New York Mets, ensnared in the Madoff scandal and facing a large financial outlay, hope to complete the sale of up to a 25% stake by the end of June.

Borders Group Closer to Bankruptcy Filing

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 05:47 PM PST

Borders Group is hammering out details of a possible bankruptcy filing, according to people familiar with the situation. Among other things, Borders would aim to close between 150 and 200 stores.

Google Accuses Microsoft's Bing of 'Cheating'

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 04:46 PM PST

Google accused rival Microsoft of copying its Internet search results, a claim Microsoft called misleading. The dispute is the latest in the ongoing rivalry between the two technology behemoths.

European Emissions Markets to Reopen

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 02:58 PM PST

European markets for trading permits to emit carbon dioxide will start reopening in the next week after a shutdown following the dramatic cybertheft of permits valued at about €28 million ($38 million) in the Czech Republic.

Mubarak Won't Run In Next Elections

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 03:04 PM PST

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak said he will not run in the next elections, bowing to domestic and international pressure, as the U.S. government began to work more publicly toward a resolution of the crisis in the world's largest Arab nation. Mr. Mubarak's announcement, which brings an end to almost three decades in power, was celebrated by hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathered in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Apple Rejects Sony E-Book App

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 02:45 PM PST

Apple rejected a digital-book application from Sony., the latest controversy to spring from Apple's oversight of its influential App Store.

Abrupt End to Powerful Reign

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 03:03 PM PST

Mubarak's forced retreat from power serves as a humiliating coda to one of the Mideast's most resilient political careers.

Aetna Scales Back in Colorado

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 01:55 PM PST

Aetna will no longer sell new health-insurance policies to individuals in Colorado, saying it cannot be competitive in the state.

Mubarak Won't Seek Re-Election

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 02:33 PM PST

Goldman Research Veteran to Retire

Posted: 01 Feb 2011 09:40 AM PST

Goldman Sachs Group's Laura Conigliaro, co-director of the firm's research division in the Americas and a 30-year veteran in the financial research industry, plans to retire at the end of June.