"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

RBS, Santander Seek Options After Deal Unravels

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 08:02 PM PDT

The collapse of RBS's plan to sell 316 U.K. branches to Santander forces both banking heavyweights to scramble for alternatives and threatens to complicate their efforts to weather Europe's financial crisis.

Asian Shares Little Moved

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:53 PM PDT

Asian stocks were little moved on Monday, with a subdued reaction to China's trade data, as markets looked ahead to Chinese quarterly growth figures out later in the week. The HSI fell 0.2%.

Shipping Firms Facing New Security Challenge

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:15 PM PDT

Sri Lanka has been a hub for private-security firms in the region because it allows them to carry weapons in and out of the country. But Sri Lanka wants to close these arms warehouses, fearing that weapons might fall into the hands of local militants.


Tone Shifts in Market as IPOs End Dull Spell

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:10 PM PDT

The IPO market roared to life this past week, but no deals stand ready to take advantage of the momentum.


Global Finance Chiefs at Odds

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:48 PM PDT

A weekend gathering of the world's top finance officials deepened—rather than eased—conflicts among some of the largest economies, raising fresh doubts about boosting the flagging recovery.

Pharmacies Fought Controls

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 05:09 PM PDT

Compounding pharmacies, like the one at the center of the recent meningitis outbreak, lobbied in recent years to beat back more regulation by the FDA.

Weak Drilling Curbs Oil-Field Firms

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:02 PM PDT

Oil-field services companies like Halliburton and Baker Hughes are expected to post lower earnings than a year ago, as price volatility and weather issues have damped drilling activity.

Radio Is Alive as Ever, Bob Pittman Says

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 05:16 PM PDT

After almost a decade of self-imposed corporate exile, Bob Pittman is back in the corporate saddle and on a mission. In his new role heading Clear Channel, the MTV founder and high-profile AOL alum has a grandiose goal: to reinvent radio, a business many have left for dead.


Firms Press to Hire Young Vets

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:20 PM PDT

Corporate initiatives to spur the hiring of U.S. military veterans are proliferating. General Electric Co. is to unveil the latest such step on Monday.


Dewey Defied 'Law of the Jungle'

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:53 PM PDT

A settlement to pay off some of the debt of failed law firm Dewey & LeBoeuf gave hundreds of former partners an escape hatch from ugly litigation. It also showed that such an early deal—while tricky—is possible when a law firm collapses.

Google Climbs, but Questions Hover

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:51 PM PDT

As Google holds its annual partners meeting and reports quarterly earnings this week, several question marks hang over the Internet giant.

Sumitomo to Combine Aircraft-Leasing Units

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 02:36 PM PDT

Sumitomo plans to merge its aviation divisions with recently acquired RBS Aviation Capital to create one of the world's top plane-leasing operations.

Spain Is Urged to Consider Bailout Request

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 05:00 PM PDT

Spain should consider requesting aid from Europe's rescue funds before it comes under pressure to do so from financial markets, European Central Bank council member Josef Bonnici said.

Suitors Line Up for Vivendi Assets

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 06:14 PM PDT

A growing number of suitors are knocking on the door of French conglomerate Vivendi as it pushes forward with potential asset sales.

U.S. Oil Boom Falls Short of Pump

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:24 PM PDT

Surging U.S. oil production is driving down domestic benchmark crude prices and delivering a windfall to some refiners and their investors. But the oil boom is providing little relief for consumers at the pump.

'Taken 2' Continues Reign at Box Office

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:13 PM PDT

The action thriller 'Taken 2' remained atop the box office this weekend as 'Argo' and 'Sinister' battled for the No. 2 spot.

Consumers Unfazed by 'Fiscal Cliff'

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 04:05 PM PDT

The Outlook: Consumers appear unfazed, or just inattentive, to the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and federal spending cuts that could kick in at the start of 2013.

China Posts Signs of Stronger Growth

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 07:58 PM PDT

China posted monthly trade and money-supply data that offered a positive sign for the world's No. 2 economy ahead of what's expected to be the weakest quarterly economic growth report in more than three years.

Chinese Telecom-Equipment Firm to Post Loss

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 05:58 PM PDT

ZTE forecast it would lose between $303.2 million and $319.1 million in the third quarter, illustrating the challenges facing China's biggest telecom-equipment makers.

India Exchanges Eye Stock-Trading Band

Posted: 14 Oct 2012 05:49 PM PDT

India's bourses are working with the country's stock-exchange regulator to prevent a recurrence of the "flash crash" earlier this month, said National Stock Exchange Chief Executive Ravi Narain.