"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Strong Yuan Throws Curve

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 07:19 PM PDT

As China's currency, the yuan, rises in value, U.S. companies with operations there are considering a variety of measures to offset higher labor and export costs.

Deficit Talks Focus on Taxes

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:54 PM PDT

Democrats have floated ideas that could raise tax revenues by some $400 billion over the next decade as they negotiate deficit reductions with Republicans.

Asian Shares Up Slightly

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 07:02 PM PDT

Most Asian stock markets were modestly higher, though Fast Retailing fell in Tokyo after a weaker-than-expected sales report. The Nikkei rose 0.1%.

Big Banks Find Cash Storing Commodities

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:09 PM PDT

In the past 18 months, Goldman, J.P. Morgan and others have snapped up commodity warehouse operators, finding a new way earn extra income.

Pimco Wins in Bet on Inflation

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:17 PM PDT

Pacific Investment Management Co. and Morgan Stanley recently played a high-stakes game of chicken over inflation. Pimco won.

Bombardier to Lay Off U.K. Workers

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:50 PM PDT

Bombardier plans to announce layoffs at its Derby, England, plant, after losing a British railroad contract to Germany's Siemens.

'Transformers' Nears $400 Million

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 05:26 PM PDT

"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" took in $116.4 million domestically over the four-day July 4 weekend, giving the movie the biggest opening of the year, and bringing its world-wide gross to nearly $400 million.

Alibaba Develops 'Cloud' Mobile-Operating System

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 05:33 PM PDT

Alibaba Group Holding unit Alibaba Cloud Computing is developing an operating system for mobile phones that it aims to release in the third quarter.

Profits Thrive in Weak Recovery

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:06 PM PDT

While the U.S. economy staggers through a slow recovery, American companies are poised to report strong earnings—exposing a dichotomy between corporate performance and the overall health of the economy.

Offerings Grow, But China Falters

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 02:56 PM PDT

The global IPO market generated more and bigger deals in the second quarter than it did a year earlier, even though investors became skittish about valuations in the final stretch.

Minnesota Shutdown Continues

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 02:42 PM PDT

Minnesota prepared for what could be a lengthy government shutdown, as the holiday weekend passed without Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton or Republican lawmakers returning to the bargaining table.

Fox Says Hackers Hit Twitter Feed

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 04:59 PM PDT

Hackers broke into one of Fox News's Twitter accounts early Monday morning, sending fake messages about President Barack Obama, in the latest in a string of brazen attacks that have compromised government and corporate websites around the world.

WTO to Hit China Over Export Limits

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 07:49 PM PDT

The WTO plans to condemn China for limiting its exports of major raw materials, rebuffing Beijing's arguments that curbs are necessary to protect the environment, according to trade diplomats and lawyers.

Bracing for Clouds in Sun Valley

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 03:09 PM PDT

As media moguls gather in Sun Valley, Idaho, this week, they're expected to spend less time ogling hot, young tech businesses and more time discussing how they can preserve their own.

Newcomers Steal Glow From Old Tech

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 05:55 PM PDT

In their lust for the latest technology IPO, investors appear to have ditched some of their former tech darlings. Apple, Google, Microsoft and Cisco have been among the market's conspicuous laggards.

Italy's Banks Sail in Choppy Waters

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 03:59 PM PDT

Europe's banking emergency room has a new patient, Italian lenders, but the sector is healthier than some investors think. Market participants believe the sector's prospects will improve as banks cut costs and put share sales intended to raise capital behind them.

Oil-Spill Cleanup Efforts Widen

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 12:10 PM PDT

Exxon had been confident in the integrity of a pipeline that spilled crude oil into the Yellowstone River, although it remains to be seen whether extreme flooding in the region may have caused the accident, a company executive said.

Jobless Figures Hold Key to Market's Path

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 01:29 PM PDT

The most telling reports this earnings season actually may come from the Labor Department.

IEA Defends Oil Release

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 05:59 PM PDT

The agency says the supply of light, sweet crude has improved markedly following the release of strategic crude reserves, which has reduced the price differential between high-quality oil and heavier, more sour varieties. But Brent oil futures have rebounded to around where they were just before the announcement.

ICE Heats Up Oil-Market Rivalry

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 06:41 PM PDT

Since practically inventing the oil futures contract in 1983, the New York Mercantile Exchange has ruled that market. But there was more trading in oil contracts on the IntercontinentalExchange last month, the first time that has happened in four years.