"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

Tax Break Online Nears End

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 06:44 PM PDT

Republican governors, eager for new revenues to ease budget strains, are dropping their longtime opposition to imposing sales taxes on online purchases, a significant political shift that could soon bring an end to tax-free sales on the Internet.

Asian Markets Rise

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 06:29 PM PDT

Improved sentiment in the U.S. made its way to early Asian trading, with Australia's S&P/ASX up 1.% and Korea's Kospi rising 0.2%.

Futures Clients Ask: 'Where's My Money?'

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 07:47 PM PDT

Futures brokerage firms have moved to ease fears of clients after Peregrine Financial's collapse last week.

HSBC Nears Pact in Launder Probe

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 05:56 PM PDT

The Justice Department and HSBC are accelerating settlement talks to resolve a criminal probe into laundering of drug-cartel and other money, according to people familiar with the investigation.


Activists Go After Big Game

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 05:37 PM PDT

William Ackman's $2 billion bet he can boost the value of Procter & Gamble reflects a new era of activist investing, in which no company is too big a target and restless institutional investors are more willing to go along.


Card Pact's Foes Arm for Battle

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 07:22 PM PDT

A trade association representing some 3,700 convenience stores and other companies has hired Constantine Cannon, a longtime legal foe of Visa and MasterCard, to help challenge last week's $6.6 billion settlement.


Chesapeake Renegotiates Leases

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 04:44 PM PDT

Chesapeake Energy is pushing Ohio landowners to accept revised lease contracts that would help the cash-strapped driller save money while holding on to its prized oil and gas fields. Some have sued.

Slate of IPOs to Test Market

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 03:34 PM PDT

This week will show whether some sought-after IPOs can shine despite less-than-stellar market conditions.

Wage Rises in China May Ease Slowdown

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 05:13 PM PDT

Wages are still climbing rapidly in China and many companies are having trouble filling jobs—evidence of a structural shortage in the labor market that may help China adjust to slower growth without political instability.

For Alzheimer's, a Fork in the Road

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 06:38 PM PDT

Drug makers including Eli Lilly, Pfizer and J&J have spent hundreds of millions of dollars pursuing what could be the first treatments to address the underlying mechanism of Alzheimer's disease. Soon they'll know whether those bets have paid off.

Airbus, Boeing Walk a Fine Line

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 06:54 PM PDT

For Airbus and Boeing, managing production lines means walking an increasingly fine line between generating cash and stoking an airplane glut.

France Gears Up to Support Auto Industry

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 11:57 AM PDT

France's government on July 25 will unveil a plan to support the country's automotive industry, including measures designed to boost spending on cars.

Dark Energy: Prices Undercut Oil Services

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 02:41 PM PDT

Schlumberger and Baker Hughes's results will kick off the second-quarter earnings season for oil-field services this Friday, as the industry ponders whether global economic woes will slow down what's been a robust and profitable quest for oil.

'Ice Age' Freezes Out 'Spider-Man'

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 08:05 PM PDT

The latest installment of the "Ice Age" series took the top spot at the movie-theater box office over the weekend, freezing out "The Amazing Spider-Man."


Abu Dhabi Oil Pipeline Opens

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 09:12 AM PDT

A new oil pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz opened Sunday, and the first cargo is heading to a refinery in Pakistan, officials and industry sources said.

Accounting Panel Expresses 'Regret' Over U.S. Stance

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 03:41 PM PDT

The London-based authorities that oversee global accounting rules said they "regret" that the U.S. hasn't made a stronger move toward switching to the global system.

Wen Says China's Rebound Not Yet Stable

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 07:05 AM PDT

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned that China's economic rebound isn't yet stable and the hardship may continue for a period.

Next 3-D Frontier: Printed Plane Parts

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 12:02 AM PDT

Big manufacturers are exploring ways to use 3-D printing to make bigger pieces in higher volumes. Boeing someday hopes to make plane wings this way.


Nokia Halves Price of Flagship Phone

Posted: 15 Jul 2012 07:33 PM PDT

The price of Nokia's flagship Lumia 900 Windows phone has been cut in half in the critical U.S. market, a little more than three months after the launch of the smartphone at AT&T stores.