"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Bidding Deadline for Freedom Nears

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:50 PM PST

Final bids are due Thursday in the auction of Freedom Communications, the publisher of the Orange County Register.

China's Debt Burden Limits Policy Leeway

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:49 PM PST

New data show China's national debt load remains low and manageable compared with other major economies. But debts of local governments and the state-owned banking sector are constraining Beijing's options in the fight against inflation.

Lung Drug Gets Mixed Verdict

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:49 PM PST

A federal advisory panel backed a Novartis lung drug, but at a lower dose than used in Europe, potentially clouding the development of a related lung drug.

EIA Raises Oil Price Forecast on Libya Unrest

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:48 PM PST

Oil prices should average $105 a barrel in 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy said, raising its forecast for this year due to the disruption of crude exports from Libya. The DOE also said there is a 25% chance that gasoline prices would average $4 a gallon or more this summer.

AIG Leasing Unit Resumes Aircraft Orders

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:47 PM PST

AIG's aircraft-leasing arm ordered 133 new planes from Airbus and Boeing, ILFC's first order since the crisis that engulfed AIG in 2008.

NPR Executive Quits After Video Comments

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:29 PM PST

An NPR executive who was caught on video making disparaging remarks about the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement to two men posing as members of an Islamic civic group resigned Tuesday night.

Asian Shares Mixed; Data Boost Tokyo

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 07:06 PM PST

Asian stocks were mixed, with support emerging after a retreat in oil prices, while the Japanese market received a lift from machinery orders data. The Nikkei was up 1.2%.

Big Firms Change Their Pension Accounting

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 05:30 PM PST

Some big companies are changing how they account for their pension plans in a way that could make their earnings look better in coming years.

U.S., EU Near Air-Safety Pact

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 05:07 PM PST

The U.S. and the EU are about to cement an air-safety pact that both sides say should improve aviation oversight and save millions of dollars annually by eliminating duplicate efforts.

Detroit Bonuses for Bills, Not Boats

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 06:53 PM PST

The U.S. auto industry's return to profitability will put more than $400 million in bonuses in the pockets of unionized workers. But the economic impact on Michigan and other auto communities is likely to be muted.

South African Program Draws Fire

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 04:17 PM PST

Mounting criticism of South Africa's Black Economic Empowerment policy is coming to a head, putting black entrepreneurs amid a debate over how to right history's wrongs without upending business.

Seasoned Prosecutors Prep for 'War'

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 05:50 PM PST

For the next 10 weeks, prosecutors will battle Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam in courtroom 17B in lower Manhattan. But they will win or lose the insider-trading case in a nearby "war room."

Goldman Names Co-Heads for Americas M&A

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 06:53 PM PST

Goldman Sachs Group has appointed Michael Carr and Dusty Philip as new co-heads of mergers and acquisitions for the Americas.

A Deep Freeze Hits Muni Market

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 06:19 PM PST

Municipal-bond issuance is on pace for its lowest quarter in at least 11 years following a rush of borrowing late last year and as government borrowers struggle to get their budgets in order.

Toyota to Sell Hybrid Wagon, Minivan

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 12:29 PM PST

Toyota next month begin selling two new gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles in Japan as it pursues a goal of selling a million fuel-efficient cars a year by early this decade.

BofA Promises 'Peace Dividend'

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan said the bank can earn between $35 billion and $40 billion a year before taxes when it puts the financial crisis and a flurry of acquisitions behind it. The funds will make possible a range of payments to shareholders.

Sun Life, Unum Discussed Deal Earlier This Year

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 12:47 PM PST

Canada's Sun Life Financial was in takeover talks with disability insurer Unum Group earlier this year, but the negotiations fell apart in late January.

Ford Chief Gets Stock Awards

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 01:37 PM PST

Ford awarded shares to Chief Executive Alan Mulally worth $56.5 million and Executive Chairman Bill Ford Jr. received shares worth $42.4 million, both under an incentive plan.

China Discusses Its One-Child Policy

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 12:42 PM PST

China's controversial "one-child" policy has once again come up for discussion during the annual meeting of the country's legislature and its top political advisory body, according to local media reports.

RBS CEO Gets $7.3 Million in Shares

Posted: 08 Mar 2011 12:34 PM PST

RBS awarded CEO Stephen Hester shares currently worth about £4.5 million ($7.3 million) under a long-term incentive plan, adding to a £2.04 million all-share bonus previously announced by the bank.