"Wallstreet" Reader

"Wallstreet" Reader

China's 'Shadow Banks' Fan Debt-Bubble Fears

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:36 PM PDT

China's shadow banks—a mélange of trust companies, insurance firms, leasing companies, pawnbrokers and other informal lenders subject to limited oversight—are at the center of mounting concerns over whether the country's slowing economy could trigger a debt crisis.

Annuity Guarantees May Cost Insurers

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:25 PM PDT

Life insurers in the U.S. face charges potentially totaling billions of dollars from miscalculations about the number of customers who would exercise lifetime-income guarantees sold with variable annuities.

Bridgewater Funds Get Battered

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:52 PM PDT

Bridgewater Associates, which built a $150 billion hedge-fund empire with the promise of strong performance even in turbulent markets, is suffering from the market's recent convulsions.

Smith & Wesson's Owners Target Value

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:21 PM PDT

Ahead of the Tape: Investors have noted that "vice stocks," as a group, present bargains and often beat the market as a result. But for Smith & Wesson, the surges in business in 2008 and 2009, and again more recently, muddy the picture.

Falling Debt Prices Roil Market

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:05 PM PDT

The rout in the credit markets has gotten so messy some investors are having trouble finding people willing to buy what they are selling.

Texas' Next Big Oil Rush

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:53 PM PDT

New pipelines are beginning to carry a glut of domestic crude from the middle of the country to Texas' Gulf Coast, boosting the fortunes of the area's big refineries.

Weaker Rand Crimps Platinum

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:54 PM PDT

The sharp weakening of the South African rand spells more bad news for precious-metal investors, who already are reeling from the fall in gold prices.

U.S. Companies Expand in Africa as Obama Plans Trip

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 02:45 PM PDT

U.S. companies such as GE, General Motors and P&G are now expanding in the long-neglected frontier market of Africa as they seek new consumers.

Smithfield Cuts Ties to Paula Deen

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 03:01 PM PDT

Smithfield Foods said it has ended its relationship with celebrity chef Paula Deen in the wake of her admission in court that she had used racial epithets.

Men's Wearhouse Founder Clashed With New CEO

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:11 PM PDT

Men's Wearhouse founder and spokesman, George Zimmer, who was ousted as chairman last week, resigned from the board, effective immediately.

Warner Bros. Movie President Leaving

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 12:23 PM PDT

Jeff Robinov, the president of Warner Bros. movie unit, is leaving, following the selection of a new chief executive in January.

KKR to Pay $1.3 Billion for PRA International

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:18 PM PDT

KKR has agreed to buy clinical-research firm PRA International in a deal that shows private equity's ongoing interest in research-for-hire firms that cater to drug developers.

Chinese Flock to Outlets Abroad

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:35 PM PDT

Well-heeled Chinese shoppers have been visiting Dior and Burberry stores in New York, Paris and London for years. Now, they are making more visits to the luxury brands' off-price shops in suburban outlet malls.

Saks Draws Interest from Hudson's Bay

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 06:46 PM PDT

Hudson's Bay Co., which operates department stores in Canada and owns Lord & Taylor in the U.S., has emerged as a potential suitor for Saks, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Rovio's Partnership Chief to Leave

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 08:30 AM PDT

Angry Birds maker Rovio said its U.S.-based head of strategic partnerships has decided to leave the company, marking the latest in a string of management moves.

Rajaratnam Loses Conviction Appeal

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:42 PM PDT

A federal appeals court upheld the 2011 conviction of former hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, one of the highest-profile defendants found guilty in the government's crackdown on insider trading.

Delta Sees Virgin Atlantic's Return to Profit in 2015

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 09:08 AM PDT

Delta Air Lines Inc. expects Virgin Atlantic to return to profit in 2015 after completing its purchase of a 49% stake to boost its access to the key New York-London market.

EU Approves NYSE Sale

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 08:10 AM PDT

The European Commission approved IntercontinentalExchange's acquisition of NYSE Euronext, removing the last regulatory hurdle.

Neiman Marcus Files for IPO

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 08:43 AM PDT

Neiman Marcus filed plans for an estimated IPO of up to $100 million in stock, about eight years after the luxury retailer was bought by TPG and Warburg Pincus for $5.1 billion in cash and deb

Stocks Sink in Broad Selloff

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 07:04 PM PDT

Stocks extended recent declines in a broad selloff, as investors grapple with another leg up in bond yields and a steep fall in Chinese stocks.