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Opel: The achilles heel in GM's IPO

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:45:22 EDT

As General Motors gets ready to take its show on the road in support of its initial public offering after Election Day, one of its biggest question marks is the future of Opel and its European division.

Burger King to be bought by 3G Capital for $4 billion

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:46:42 EDT

Burger King said Thursday that it has agreed to be acquired by investment firm 3G Capital in a deal valued at $4 billion.

Quit whining, Wall Street. Nothing has changed.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:46:48 EDT

There goes Dan Loeb again, sounding off to great effect. He used to confine himself to criticizing overreaching and overcompensated CEOs, targets we could pretty much all agree on. But the prickly hedge fund manager decided to join the chorus of aggrieved financiers in his latest missive, setting his sights on today's bogeyman of choice: oppressive government.

Second act: From software to wind energy

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:06:08 EDT

Jim Maguire describes himself as being ahead of his time, and he's hardly bragging. In 2002, Maguire -- who managed software projects for large companies -- was consulting in Germany when he discovered "the next big thing."

How trader Dick morphed into banker CEO Dick Fuld

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:48:22 EDT

The rumors persisted of Lehman Brothers' being taken over again, and it was against such a background that Dick devised his pièce de résistance.

A new M&A boom? Not so fast.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:37:44 EDT

August is usually filled with the dog days of summer, but this year corporate dealmakers skipped their vacations and went shopping instead.

Oil roars into September 'like a lion'

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:20:18 EDT

After ending August in a slump, oil prices surged into September, rallying nearly 3% Wednesday, and continuing to move higher Thursday following news of an oil platform explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.

Stocks wallow after a big rally

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:31:46 EDT

Stocks drifted between modest gains and losses Thursday, as investors took a step back from a major rally in the previous session and digested mixed economic reports.

Jobless claims decline, but not enough

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:40:50 EDT

The number of first-time filers for unemployment insurance fell for a second straight week last week, but the level suggests that the labor market remains sluggish.

Family insurance costs skyrocket 14%

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:17:56 EDT

American workers are taking yet another blow to their wallets this year -- a whopping 14% jump in costs to insure their families.

Overworked? Take back your lunch hour

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:34:56 EDT

Dear Annie: Your article about why everyone should take a vacation ("5 ways to take a guilt-free vacation," June 2) got a lot of attention in my office, and we all agree that we are exhausted and need some downtime. But how are we supposed to take our vacations when we can't even get away from our desks long enough to go out for lunch? I work for a big company where so many people have been laid off in the past two years that, even with business relatively slow, we are all putting in 10- and 12-hour days (for weeks on end) just to get the work out the door.

Treasurys fall on good, but not great, data

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:37:18 EDT

The economic outlook doesn't have to be entirely rosy for investors to shy away from the safety of Treasurys. Sometimes, all it takes is a little news that isn't completely terrible.

HP wins 3PAR bidding war after Dell drops out

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:07:09 EDT

The 3PAR bidding war finally came to its conclusion Thursday after Dell conceded victory to Hewlett-Packard.

Ferrari recalls $230,000 458 Italia supercar

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:06:37 EDT

Ferrari is recalling its new 458 Italia model after several vehicles were reported to have burst into flames.

Americans in the dark about energy use

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:43:14 EDT

Americans aren't known for their energy-thrift ways. Maybe that's because they have little idea as to how much energy things use.

Back-to-school checklist: Whiter teeth & tattoos

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:34:17 EDT

Shopping for back-to-school "basics" used to mean T-shirts, jeans, socks and some notebooks. This year, parents added a few other things with one item that really stands out: tattoos.

Mariner Energy shares fall after platform explodes

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:20:16 EDT

Shares of Mariner Energy tumbled Thursday after an explosion in one of the company's production platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.

Strongest jobs recovery in decades. Seriously

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:26:42 EDT

A jobless recovery? Hardly.

Harrisburg, Pa., defaulting on its bonds

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:22:01 EDT

The capital city Pennsylvania is broke and will be skipping this month's multi-million dollar bond payment.

Back to school sales get an A

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:33:22 EDT

Retailers reported surprisingly strong August same-store sales as many consumers braved scorching summer temperatures to bag juicy discounts on school-related products.