WSJ.com: What's News US
-
Insurers Pin Rate Hikes on Health Law
Insurers plan to raise premiums on some Americans as a direct result of the health overhaul as soon as next month, complicating Democrats' efforts to trumpet their signature achievement ahead of elections.
Divided by a Two-Track Economy
For American business, it's a two track economy, with global players getting big boosts from fast-growing foreign markets, while companies focused on the U.S. are hemmed in by recession-scarred consumers.
Obama's Proposals Unlikely to Pass Soon
Congress is unlikely to quickly pass Obama's latest proposals to jump-start the economy, reflecting the president's weakened political position.
H-P Sues to Stop Ex-Chief's New Job
H-P sued to block former CEO Mark Hurd from joining rival Oracle as a senior executive, citing trade-secret and other concerns.
Global-Bank Deal Targets Reserves
Global banking regulators appear poised to demand larger reserves, which they believe will prevent a future financial crisis, and reserves of higher quality, under so-called Basel 3.
BP to Take Some, Not All, Blame in Report
BP's report on its investigation into the Deepwater Horizon disaster will apportion some of the blame to itself but also hold other companies responsible for the various decisions that led to the explosion.
Dana Launches Defense Against Takeover
Dana Petroleum said that a hostile $2.87 billion bid by Korea National Oil Corp. significantly undervalues the company.
Unilever Invests in Algae
As food and consumer-goods companies face problems obtaining the key ingredient palm oil without damaging the environment, Unilever is betting on a promising low-life alternative: algae.
SEC Looking at 'Quote Stuffing'
SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro said the agency is looking at a practice others have called "quote stuffing" to assess whether it violates "existing rules against fraudulent or other improper behavior."
Why Harrisburg Surrendered
Lay off police? Delay paying the light bill? The story behind Harrisburg, Pa.'s decision to default on its debt.
Singapore's GIC Looks to Buy Stake in Brazil Bank
GIC, Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, is in advanced talks to buy a roughly 15% stake in Banco BTG Pactual, one of Brazil's top investment banks, for about $2.4 billion.
Richemont Lifts Forecast
Watchmaker and jeweler Richemont raised its forecast for the current year after trumping expectations with a strong rise in interim sales.
Web Privacy Start-Ups Struggle
New companies are popping up to help people browse the Internet and send messages anonymously, but will people pay for Web-privacy software?
GGP to Start New CEO Hunt
Mall owner General Growth Properties will soon launch a search for executives to replace CEO Adam Metz and COO Thomas Nolan as it prepares to exit bankruptcy court protection.
China Buys More Japanese Bonds in July
China ramped purchases of Japanese government bonds in July, adding to speculation that the growing money flow could be contributing to the strong yen.
Goldman in Bond Deal
Goldman Sachs Group is about to start selling municipal bonds directly to Mom and Pop.
U.S. Blacklists Iranian Bank
The U.S. Treasury added Iran-owned, German-based European-Iranian Trade Bank to its key blacklist, saying the bank has provided a financial lifeline to Iranian companies involved in weapons proliferation.
Vodafone to Sell China Mobile Stake
Vodafone, under pressure to divest minority holdings, is selling its 3.2% stake in China Mobile for $6.58 billion. Proceeds will be used for stock buybacks and debt repayment.
Bristol to Buy Biotech Company
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. agreed to acquire biotechnology company ZymoGenetics Inc. for $735 million, in a move to strengthen its pipeline of drugs for hepatitis and other diseases.
Yen Pumps Up Luxury Prices
A surging yen is encouraging third-party websites to jump in with deep discounts on high-end luxury goods in Japan, where high-end retailers have been able to charge premiums for decades.
Intervention Mulled as Yen Hits 15-Year High
Japan's finance minister made it clear the government will intervene to tame the yen's rises if deemed necessary, but investors ignored the warning and pushed the yen to a 15-year high.
Stocks, Euro Hit by Bank Worries
Questions about the rigor of recently completed stress tests imposed on European banks dragged down global stock markets and drove up borrowing costs for several European nations.
Facing the U.K.'s Problems with Exports
Despite a big depreciation in the pound over the past two years that should have made British-manufactured goods cheaper for foreign buyers, its exports haven't risen rapidly.
Group May Bid for Potash
Chinese state-owned Sinochem has approached Singapore's state investment company, Temasek Holdings, to discuss the potential creation of a bidding consortium for Potash Corp.
Chairman's Exit Jolts HSBC
The sudden departure of HSBC Chairman Stephen Green for the post of U.K. trade minister has touched off a scramble to find his replacement.
Barclays: Diamond Pick Isn't a Shift
Barclays confirmed investment-banking boss Robert E. Diamond Jr. will become the U.K. bank's chief executive next spring, as officials tried to dispel the notion the move represented a fundamental shift.
Housing Inventories Rise for Eighth Straight Month
Housing inventories rose in many U.S. cities for the eighth straight month in August in a sign of the continued headwinds facing a soft housing market.
Cisco Settles Charges
The Justice Department said Cisco and Westcon Group North America agreed to pay $48 million to settle charges that the companies made misrepresentations during contract negotiations with the federal government.
Eldorado Withdraws Bid
Eldorado Gold withdrew its competing bid for Andean Resources, saying it wouldn't top Goldcorp's offer of $3.48 billion.
Bush Tax Cuts: White House Rejects New Orszag Proposal
Peter Orszag, who as White House budget director was in charge of putting out President Barack Obama’s first two budgets, did an about face, urging the extension of all the Bush tax cuts -- but just for a couple more years. The Obama White House quickly rejected the idea.
Boeing to Revamp Military Aircraft Unit
Boeing said Tuesday it will restructure its military aircraft business, collapsing six divisions into four, which will lead to the loss of over 400 jobs.
Kansas City, Dallas Feds Called for Rate Increase
Two regional Fed banks continued to call for an increase in the interest rate charged to banks on emergency loans last month, despite signs that the U.S. economy's recovery was losing steam.
Small Business to Obama: Tax Cuts Won’t Work
The chief economist at the National Federation of Independent Businesses said today that small business doesn’t need more tax relief. Instead, Washington should aim its firepower at consumers so they begin spending money and creating demand.
Connecticut Pressures Craigslist on Prostitution Ads
Connecticut's attorney general wants confirmation that Craigslist has closed its adult-services section, used for prostitution ads. Currently that part of the site says "censored."
EU Ministers Divided on Bank Tax
EU finance ministers remained divided after a debate on a bloc-wide bank levy and a fresh tax on financial transactions, indicating that neither measure is likely to materialize in the coming months.
Index Points to Slowdown in Hiring
An August measure of labor indicators by the Conference Board suggests a slowing in hiring in coming months. Seven out of the eight components had a negative impact last month.
LCD-Panel Prices Falling
Signs of a sluggish back-to-school season for consumer electronics in the U.S. have hit prices of LCD panels, and some Asian makers of the components are forecasting continued weakness.
