Rubin Plans to Step Down at Citigroup

Robert E. Rubin, the former Treasury secretary who is an influential director and senior adviser at Citigroup, will step down after coming under fire for his role in the bank's current troubles, The New York Times's Eric Dash reports. Since joining Citigroup in 1999 as an adviser...

DealBook - New York Times - 1 hour ago

Boeing plane unit to cut up to 4,500 jobs

(Reuters) - Boeing Co said on Friday it plans to cut about 4,500 jobs in its commercial airplanes business unit in 2009.

Reuters - 3 hours ago

Circuit City says in deal talks with two parties

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Circuit City Stores Inc said on Friday that it was in deal talks with two undisclosed parties that could either buy the bankrupt electronics chain or provide additional financing.

Reuters - 7 hours ago

CES: Interview with Mark Cuban and Bud Mayo

We had a chance to chat with billionaire entrepreneur, Mark Cuban, and CEO of Cinedigm, Bud Mayo, about their work together to bring live 3D entertainment into movie theaters across the country. The technology promises to be a completely different theater-going experience. Cuban...

TechCrunch - 3 hours ago

Best Buy's same-store sales fall; Circuit City up for sale

Joining other retailers hurt by consumer cutbacks, Best Buy Co. says its December same-store sales fell on a drop in store traffic and lower demand for digital cameras and video-gaming products. The largest U.S. electronics chain also narrowed its full-year profit forecast.

MarketWatch - 7 hours ago

News Corp Siblings, Wall Street Journal and MySpace Partner For Davos -- Awkward! (NWS)

Ever since before News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch bought the Wall Street Journal, the fear in that newsroom has been that the Australian mogul would drag the illustrious paper into the mud -- down where Rupe likes to play with Darva Conger from "Who Wants To Marry A...

Silicon Alley Insider - 8 hours ago

The Ratings Game: With new CEO, AllianceBernstein is set for change: analyst

AllianceBernstein was one of the worst-performing asset managers last year and now could be swept up in a sea change, according to an analyst's report.

MarketWatch Personal Finance - 2 hours ago

Weekend Investor: For some stock-fund managers, cash is king

While many mutual fund managers boldly charge into stocks regardless of market conditions, others have kept their powder dry by holding more in cash.

MarketWatch - 2 hours ago

India's Satyam head arrested and board scrapped

HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) - Police arrested the head of Satyam Computer Services Friday on charges of cheating and forgery and the government dissolved its board in moves to limit the fallout from India's biggest corporate scandal in memory.

Reuters - 3 hours ago

Obama says grim jobs report shows need for stimulus

President-elect Barack Obama says Friday's grim jobs report shows more evidence that a huge stimulus plan is necessary to get the U.S. economy out of recession. He also answers criticism from some Democrats with a vow to listen to ideas about how to shape the package.

MarketWatch - 4 hours ago

Real Estate Weekly: Home buying will be a confidence game this year

In times like these, it takes an extra dose of confidence to buy a home. Especially when so many voices are telling you to slam on the brakes.

MarketWatch - 1 hour ago

Lawmakers bolster rights of those who suffer wage bias

Workers who are underpaid by discriminatory employers are one step closer to getting stronger legal recourse after a Friday vote by House lawmakers to amend civil rights legislation.

MarketWatch Personal Finance - 1 hour ago

Anti-discriminatory fair-pay bills pass in House

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Workers who are underpaid by discriminatory employers are one step closer to getting stronger legal recourse after a Friday vote by House lawmakers to amend civil rights legislation. Representatives voted 247 to 171 in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair...

MarketWatch Personal Finance - 3 hours ago

Dell officially unveils Adamo, Mini 10

The PC maker continues expanding Netbook lineup, but goes high-end with luxury notebook lineup. Details on Adamo are thin.

CNET News - 3 hours ago

Vail shares slide on rough early-season numbers

The snow fell early and often at most of its resort properties, but couldn't keep Vail Resorts from announcing that skier visits and forward bookings are in sharp decline for the season to date.

MarketWatch - 3 hours ago

CVS Caremark shares hit by 2009 outlook

CVS Caremark Corp. shares tumble 10% after the big drug-store chain issues a 2009 outlook below Wall Street's expectations and warns same-store sales growth will slow in the first quarter.

MarketWatch - 4 hours ago

Stock Exchanges Brace For 2009

The London Stock Exchange and NYSE Euronext reveal weak trading volumes in December, heralding harsher times ahead.

Forbes - 4 hours ago

Tech Stocks: Economic woes weigh down sector early

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Technology stocks found the going rough in early trading Friday as the sector slumped along with the broad market following the latest round of disappointing unemployment figures.

MarketWatch - 6 hours ago

Retail Stocks: Job report adds more worry to retail sector; Coach drops

Word that 2008 was the worst year for job losses since World War II sends retail stocks lower, with Coach shares hit especially hard after the company cuts its second-quarter outlook.

MarketWatch - 6 hours ago

KB Home misses expectations

(Reuters) - KB Home on Friday reported a fourth-quarter loss of $3.96 a share.

Reuters - 8 hours ago

Indications: U.S. stock futures slant lower before jobs report

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stock futures perch lower with traders on edge for what could be the worst month of job losses since World War II.

MarketWatch - 11 hours ago

GMAC Chairman Merkin Resigns

Merkin will be replaced as chairman by Lenard Tessler, managing director and co-head of private equity at Cerberus.

TheStreet - 57 minutes ago

CES: A movie theater in your pocket

Want to carry around your own personal movie theatre? Check out these 6 pico projectors, previewed at CES.

CNNMoney - 2 hours ago

Jerry Yang and Sue Decker Talk About Yahoo's Connected TV at CES [BoomTown]

Usually, BoomTown plays the stalker of Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang. But, with an interesting product to show off, this time he invited me and also Walt Mossberg to take an on-the-floor look-see at the company’s new “Connected TV” effort yesterday. Wading into what has...

AllThingsD - 2 hours ago

Coming To The New York Times: Bono (NYT)

U2 frontman, Elevation Partners partner and anti-bad things in the world activist Bono will be the New York Times's newest Op-Ed contribuor. His first column will appear on this Sunday's Op-Ed page and it'll be at nytimes.com/opinion too. "I've never been great with the full...

Silicon Alley Insider - 6 hours ago

Google tunes up Chrome development

The open-source browser gets some updates, including a new version of WebKit, and early adopters can now pick from three levels of stability.

CNET News - 7 hours ago

Cult Comic XKCD's Hilarious Windows 7 Beta Review (MSFT)

Ha. Windows 7, from geek-fav XKCD. See Also:No Windows 7 Until 2010? Windows 7: Some Minor Improvements, No Game ChangerMicrosoft All But Abandons Vista: Upgrades To 7 To Be Offered In July

Silicon Alley Insider - 5 hours ago

World waits on jobs data as recession weighs

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers probably cut the most jobs in at least 34 years last month as the global economic crisis gathered pace and moves by policy makers took time to filter through to struggling companies.

Reuters - 13 hours ago

CES: Wireless USB 1.1 coming, devices appear

At the Consumer Electronics Show, wireless USB devices made an appearance.

CNET News - 56 minutes ago

@ CES: Fox Mobile Delays New Branding Intiative; Blames Economy

News Corp (NYSE: NWS). announced in October that it was overhauling its mobile division after buying the remaining 49 percent state in Jamba from VeriSign (NSDQ: VRSN). As part of the restructuring, News Corp. created the Fox Mobile Group, and planned aggressive new initiatives,...

paidContent - 10 hours ago

The iPhone Non-Killer [Digital Daily]

Palm evangelists and CEOs convinced that the company's new Pre handset is anything more than table stakes at the handset poker game would do well to consider two bits of Apple (AAPL) news and rumor which suggest that Cupertino may be hard at work on a next generation handset...

AllThingsD - 2 hours ago

Green gadgets get middling report card at CES

Amid a green-themed Consumer Electronics Show, Greenpeace says electronics firms are getting more eco-conscious to meet consumer demand but fall short of what's possible.

CNET News - 1 hour ago

Walt and Katie Take Some Gadgets For a Test Drive [Mossblog]

Yesterday at CES, Walt and Katie Boehret got their hands on some as-yet unseen gadgets, including waterproof military laptops, games that teach kids how to play real musical instruments and yes, those uber-hip 3D glasses.

AllThingsD - 2 hours ago

How Merchant Cash Advances Work

Business Week Small Business - 3 hours ago

MarketWatch First Take: Palm's new smart phone steals the show at CES

LAS VEGAS (MarketWatch) - The strong buzz for the new Palm Pre smartphone could be a good sign for the struggling Sunnyvale, Calif.-based device maker -- or a bad sign for the Consumer Electronics Show here. Analysts agree the new device could put Palm back on the map, though a...

MarketWatch - 3 hours ago

@ CES: DoubleFusion's Epstein: Don't Count Sony Out Of The Console Wars Just Yet

News that pre-holiday sales of Sony's PS3 console slipped year-over-year (in contrast to marked growth for the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360) led some analysts to conclude that the PS3 is all but defeated in the next-gen console wars. Well, some big brand advertisers...

paidContent - 8 hours ago

Commerzbank shares drop as bank faces long road to profit

Shares in Germany's Commerzbank dropped around 8% Friday as investors and analysts digested the implications of its latest capital raising, including a possible halt on dividends for several years.

MarketWatch - 12 hours ago

Banco do Brasil Bolsters Portfolio With Votorantim

Brazil's financial sector continues to consolidate through takeovers.

Forbes - 1 hour ago

Virgin, BA Fight For Business Class

Richard Branson's airline matches its rival with a hefty cut to premium air fares.

Forbes - 1 hour ago

A+ For Apollo

Profits for the education-services provider jump as the recession sparks a surge in enrollment.

Forbes - 2 hours ago

Volkswagen: The Odd One Out

Carmakers might be struggling but Volkswagen is still reporting an increase in sales.

Forbes - 3 hours ago

Tough Diagnosis For CVS

The drugstore chain cuts its 2009 outlook, citing economic uncertainity.

Forbes - 3 hours ago

Beijing's Own 'Yellow Peril' Is Online

The government toughens latest sweep of 'yellow,' or pornographic, Web content; Baidu, Google and Sina are contrite after being chided.

Forbes - 3 hours ago

Blavatnik Bails Out Of Air Berlin

Pressured to raise cash, billionaire sells his stake in carrier to mystery buyers.

Forbes - 3 hours ago

Healthways Doing Well Overseas

The wellness program provider offsets healthplan contractions with international expansion.

Forbes - 4 hours ago

Daily Poll: Are You Worried About Job Security?

The U.S. economy lost more than half a million jobs in December and the unemployment rate rose to a 16-year high.

TheStreet - 7 hours ago

Gas expected to start flowing in Europe

Read full story for latest details.

CNNMoney - 9 hours ago

DRM Screws Users Again: eBooks About To Disappear Due To DRM Provider Shut Down

Around here, it's basically preaching to the choir, so most of you probably recognize this already, but buying anything with DRM on it is basically asking for trouble down the road. The latest example? An eBook seller named Fictionwise has realized that one of the companies...

Techdirt - 1 hour ago

Twtvite Makes Organizing Tweetups Easy

From the developer who brought us twtpoll, Felipe Coimbra, now there is twtvite, an easy way to use Twitter or Facebook to create a micro-invite for your friends and followers. You create an invite on the twtvite site, and then micro-message with a tiny URL on Twitter or...

TechCrunch - 33 minutes ago

Wiki Service AboutUs Secures $2.5 million From Voyager Capital

Portland-based AboutUs has secured a $2.5 million Series B round of financing from Voyager Capital with the VC firm's managing director Erik Benson joining its board, reports TechFlash. The company operates a wiki for information primarily about small businesses, organizations,...

TechCrunch - 45 minutes ago

TechCrunch Poll: What Would Make You Switch Search Engines?

Although Google keeps gaining search engine market share, people's loyalties are far from locked in. J.P. Morgan Internet analyst Imran Khan recently conducted a survey to see if Web consumers would be willing to switch search engines. He found that 62 percent would. The...

TechCrunch - 1 hour ago

Big bond dealers see yields rising in 2009 as economy rebounds

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Yields on U.S. Treasury bonds will rise from their current near-record lows by the end of the year as economic growth resumes, but are likely to stay at historically depressed levels, the biggest bond dealers say.

MarketWatch - 1 hour ago

Software Developer Realizes That Pirates Are Giving Him Market Feedback

One of the more important points made in Matt Mason's book, The Pirate's Dilemma is that piracy almost always is a leading indicator for what the market wants, but isn't being delivered. This is a point that's extremely difficult for those whose content is being pirated to grasp...

Techdirt - 2 hours ago

Google Gets A New Favicon, Again.It's Uh.. Colorful

Generally when a site changes its favicon (the tiny image that typically appears next to your URL in the browser) nobody really notices or cares. Unless you're Google. Back in June the company unveiled a brand new stylized 'g' icon with a blue background. It was sleek, but a...

TechCrunch - 2 hours ago

Ex-MySpacers Launch Corkin, A Social Classifieds Portal

Corkin is a new web service that combines classifieds listings with a set of social tools that the company says differentiates it from juggernauts such as Craigslist and eBay's Kijiji. Like corkboards you'd find outside of local supermarkets, libraries and on college campuses,...

TechCrunch - 2 hours ago

Can You Trademark Awareness Of A Disease?

BoingBoing has the latest story of trademark insanity, where a "charity" focused on the rare, but apparently serious disease of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH), is trying to trademark the phrase "Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness" and appears to be threatening other...

Techdirt - 3 hours ago

Citi backs anti-foreclosure plan

Citigroup reached an agreement with Democratic lawmakers Thursday on legislation that would allow judges to reduce mortgage debt for individuals who have filed for bankruptcy.

CNNMoney - 4 hours ago

Verizon Wireless Completes $5.9B Alltel Buyout

The purchase, which brings Verizon almost 13 million new customers, makes the company America's largest telecom.

TheStreet - 4 hours ago

CEO all-star bench

It's likely at least a few high-profile CEO spots will open up in 2009. But with many former top guns already subbing in - Herb Allison at Fannie Mae and Ed Liddy at AIG - who's left? We asked top recruiters for a list of CEOs who could be called into the game.

CNNMoney - 10 hours ago

Bankruptcy Survival Guide for Businesses

How to keep a business afloat after filing for bankruptcy protection.

smSmallBiz - 3 hours ago

Outgoing Dell executives to cash in

Two top Dell Inc. executives who are leaving the computer maker as part of another major shakeup are slated to receive more than $11 million in severance pay.

MarketWatch - 7 hours ago

Unhappy with your Roth? Just say never mind

Ever made a financial decision you wish you hadn't, like buying a mutual fund that turned out to be a dog? Wouldn't it be neat if you could simply act as if it had never happened? Well, you have that choice when you convert a 401(k) or traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. That's right:...

CNNMoney - 11 hours ago

A stock to stomach tough times

The restaurant industry is struggling mightily as the economy slumps further into recession, food costs rise and consumers tighten their grips on their wallets.

Fortune Magazine - 1 hour ago

Apple Still A Big Fan Of DRM Outside Of Music

A Skeptical Cynic among our readers points us to a post over on the EFF's blog about how Apple is still a huge supporter of DRM, despite getting the record labels to dump DRM from music files. This isn't a huge surprise. In the past we noted that even after Steve Jobs came out...

Techdirt - 6 hours ago

Energy Stocks: Chevron warning,drop in crude pressure oil shares

Energy stocks come under early pressure as investors focus on another drop in crude prices and Chevron's scaled-back earnings outlook.

MarketWatch - 6 hours ago

Oil above $42 on Saudi cuts

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Oil rebounded above $42 on Friday on signs that Saudi Arabia would further cut supplies next month, but gains were capped by an impending resolution to the Russia-Ukraine gas spat that could allow supplies to resume.

Reuters - 12 hours ago

Circuit City in sale talks; Best Buy shrinks targets

As Circuit City makes note of two "interested parties," holiday season results spur Best Buy to revise its earnings expectations.

CNET News - 33 minutes ago

Deconstructing Ballmer

CNET News' Ina Fried sat down with Microsoft's CEO at CES. The interview takes place against one of the more turbulent periods in that stories company's history.

CNET News - 33 minutes ago

Web videos of Oakland shooting fuel emotions, protests

The quick spread of online videos taken by onlookers of a BART police officer shooting an unarmed man angered the community and played a big role in its intense response.

CNET News - 33 minutes ago

Will Oprah Bring Down Blue Corn Chips?

CHICAGO (AdAge.com) -- An endorsement from Oprah Winfrey can make even a fledgling product a household name. But what if the daytime-talk-show empress turns on one? Hain Celestial and other makers of blue corn chips may find themselves in an inadvertent field test in the coming...

Advertising Age - 33 minutes ago

Four Strategies for Beleaguered Banks

Financial services, once one of America's most admired and valuable industries, has lost its luster and international standing, creating a multibillion-dollar brand vacuum.

Advertising Age - 33 minutes ago

Hearst Says Seattle P-I Will Either Be Sold, Close Or Go Web-Only

Following yesterday's leak to a local TV station that Hearst Corp.was planning to sell or close the Seattle Post Intelligencer, the parent company has confirmed that it is seeking a buyer for the daily, the paper itself reported. The unidentified source who tipped off KING-TV...

paidContent - 45 minutes ago

Japanese set for rare downbeat Detroit car show

This time last year, Japanese auto executives asserted confidently they would keep snatching a bigger chunk of the U.S. market as their Detroit rivals executed turnaround plans and prepared further production cuts to match dismal demand.

Reuters - 46 minutes ago

Rambus shares plunge after defeat in patent lawsuit

A federal judge in Delaware rule that the memory chip designer couldn't enforce 12 of its patents in claims against Micron Technology.

MarketWatch - 46 minutes ago

Bad quarter for banks...but just how bad?

Call it the case of same story, different quarter for the nation's banks.

CNNMoney - 57 minutes ago

Alan Holliday, Co-Founder of Hill Holliday, Dead at 72

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Alan Holliday, co-founder of the Boston advertising firm Hill, Holliday, Connors, Cosmopulos, and a retired professor of advertising at Boston University, died this week of pulmonary failure at Massachusetts General Hospital. He was 72.

Advertising Age - 1 hour ago

After Hours: Palm, Citigroup poised for more action in evening trades

Shares of Palm Inc. are poised for action in late trade after a daytime surge in the wake of the introduction of its latest products, while Citigroup Inc. may be busy following a report that a high-profile resignation has taken place at the banking firm.

MarketWatch - 1 hour ago

John Dvorak's Second Opinion: Can Pre really help Palm survive?

Analysts see Palm's new Pre smart phone as something more than a wannabe iPhone, but it really looks like nothing more than its popular rival with a slide-out keypad, writes John Dvorak.

MarketWatch - 1 hour ago

Executive to Leave Deutsche Bank to Start Hedge Fund

Even though many hedge funds are seeing capital fly out the door, Boaz Weinstein, Deutsche Bank's co-head of global credit trading, plans to leave the bank to start a hedge fund of his own. The 35-year-old Mr. Weinstein, who is leaving the bank sometime in the second quarter, is...

DealBook - New York Times - 1 hour ago

CES: Dreamworks Goes 3D in Your Home

Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks, unviels the company's 3D movie trailer to air during this year's SuperBowl and discusses the future of 3D home entertainment

TheStreet - 1 hour ago

Top Headlines Of The Week From mocoNews and paidContent:UK

We've kicked off the New Year into full gear with our own Staci Kramer, Tameka Kee and Tricia Duryee covering the giant Consumer Electronics Show. Their coverage can be seen at our CES 2009 channels on both paidContent.org and mocoNews.net. Our top headlines of the first full...

paidContent - 1 hour ago

Four cents a song makes SlotRadio hard to ignore

In this case, the key to success boils down to clever song selection. SanDisk just made things a lot more interesting

CNET News - 1 hour ago

First Week of the Year Is All About Football

MINNEAPOLIS (AdAge.com) -- It's 2009! Out with the old and in with the new, right? Well, not quite yet -- at least not when it comes to the week's top 10 programs in the ad-centric 18-to-49 demographic. The list is a throwback to last year -- and in some cases, last...

Advertising Age - 2 hours ago

Exxon Mobil's cash hoard offers major growth options

With nearly $40 billion in cash in its coffers, Exxon Mobil holds enough financial firepower to pull off an industry-changing transaction, energy mavens say.

MarketWatch - 2 hours ago

Bank Chiefs Curb Lending Despite TARP, Survey Says

A survey of 100 bank chief executives conducted by analysts at UBS suggests that the Troubled Asset Relief Program has done little to encourage bank lending, as Washington hoped it would.

DealBook - New York Times - 2 hours ago

Analyst Actions: Palm, Children's Place, J.Crew, Men's Wearhouse, Healthways

Business Week Investing - 2 hours ago

Lennar shares drop after deal questioned on website

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Lennar Corp , the second-largest U.S. homebuilder, plummeted on Friday after a letter questioning a late 1990s transaction involving the company surfaced on the Internet.

Reuters - 2 hours ago

Week in review: Two tech shows, minus icons

Macworld and CES were most notable for who wasn't there, while the search market heated up. Also: Obama to postpone digital TV switchover?

CNET News - 3 hours ago

Using Risk Management to Beat the Downturn

Business Week Small Business - 3 hours ago

CES: Calling LG's 'Dick Tracy' Cell Phone

The LG Watch phone is large for a watch but is pretty sleek andcool-looking overall.

TheStreet - 3 hours ago

Paradox: Stay the Course or Bail

I’ve posted before on the paradox of planning, meaning that sometimes you need to stick to the plan, and sometimes you need to revise. And leadership, and management, is knowing how to tell which situation is which. There are no formulas for that. Some things are always...

Small Business Trends - 3 hours ago

Hedge Funds: Some short sellers thrived in 2008; uptick rule may return

Hedge funds that mostly use short selling gained 34% on average last year, according to early estimates from HedgeFund.net, which tracks industry performance. That compares to losses of more than 38% by the Standard & Poor's 500 index.

MarketWatch - 3 hours ago

Close to Midnight for Dow's Rohm Deal

Dow Chemical's $15.3 billion acquisition of Rohm & Haas was cleared by the European Commission on Thursday. Under the acquisition agreement, the only remaining condition to Dow's obligation to complete the transaction is United States antitrust clearance from the Federal...

DealBook - New York Times - 3 hours ago

Year-End Tax Tips for BusinessesPart I

Make these three moves now and cut your business' tax bill for 2008.

smSmallBiz - 3 hours ago

Stand Out: Counsel From Customers Helps Software Maker Grow

Steve Sarowitz, founder of payroll software provider Paylocity, answers our questions.

smSmallBiz - 3 hours ago

Starting Up: Tech Cos Offer Range of Financing Deals

Can't afford to pay for new technology upfront? Try one of these financing deals.

smSmallBiz - 3 hours ago

Quick Tips: Boosting Your Online Search Profile

Improve the odds that prospective customers will stumble upon your business online.

smSmallBiz - 3 hours ago

Stand Out: Company Finds Niche in New Media

Clay McDaniel, co-founder of interactive marketing firm Spring Creek Group, answers our questions.

smSmallBiz - 3 hours ago