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• 

  Top 10 turnaround towns

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 6:02pm MST

  Florida's cities were some of the hardest hit by the housing bust, but now they are leading the charge back. Of Realtor.com's top 10 turnaround towns, eight are in the Sunshine State.
• 

  Fed official owned shares of bailed-out firms

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 5:04pm MST

  As he helped orchestrate the Wall Street bailouts, William Dudley -- now president of the New York Fed -- owned more than $100,000 stock in AIG and General Electric, two firms that received government assistance.
• 

  Facebook readies for blockbuster IPO

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 4:31pm MST

  Facebook's long-awaited IPO filing is imminent, according to several news reports.
• 

  Small biz loan demand up, Fed says

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 4:27pm MST

  A growing portion of the nation's banks saw a spike in demand for loans to smaller firms late last year, according to the latest Federal Reserve figures.
• 

  Obama's plan to win Ohio

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 4:27pm MST

  FORTUNE -- In a down-market strip mall 12 miles from the center of Columbus, Ohio, sandwiched between a Jackson Hewitt Tax Service and a "Check 'n Go" payday lender, President Obama's reelection effort has quietly planted a flag. It's one of three field offices the campaign has opened in this crucial swing state to start selling a fragile claim: the economic recovery is real, and voters have Obama to thank for it.
• 

  Amazon earnings OK, but stock slides 10%

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 2:55pm MST

  Amazon's fourth-quarter sales results weren't awful, but investors went ahead and punished the stock severely anyway.
• 

  'HOW YOU LIKE ME NOW?'

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 2:25pm MST

  Stephen Colbert's super PAC is working with some serious cash.
• 

  Chinese auto parts could spark next trade fight

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 1:32pm MST

  A coalition of labor and trade activists joined Democratic lawmakers from industrial states Tuesday to push the Obama administration to take action against the growing imports of auto parts from China.
• 

  After Davos: Making the case for global optimism

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:24pm MST

  If the World Economic Forum wants to do more than just raise questions, it should pay closer attention to what the optimists in the room are saying.
• 

  Wall Street pays big to influence Washington

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 12:19pm MST

  Financial industry spending to influence Washington topped $150 million for the second year in a row, with emphasis shifting to regulators of the Dodd-Frank reform law, according to watchdog groups.
• 

  Watchdog: Auto insurers overcharging the poor

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 11:51am MST

  The car owners who are least able to afford high auto insurance rates are getting charged the most for coverage, according to a consumer watchdog group.
• 

  Jobs recovery may be running out of gas - The Buzz

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 11:22am MST

  Will investors, consumers and politicians be singing "Take this jobs report and shove it!" come Friday morning?
• 

  Why McDonald's should have known better

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:45am MST

  FORTUNE -- The Internet may be a wonderful thing, but no one should expect sunshine and rainbows when asking for its honest opinion. Read an uncensored comment stream on pretty much any post, blog or video, and its clear that the Web provides people with, among other services, space to criticize, constructively or otherwise. So McDonald's (MCD) should have known better when it got knocked on its heels after launching a Twitter campaign on January 24. The idea wasn't a bad one -- pay for a couple of promoted tweets encouraging customers to get in touch with farmers. First, the company pushed the hashtag #meetthefarmers. But in the middle of the campaign, the fast-food goliath introduced the hashtag #McDStories, hoping to stir up good press about consumers' experience at its restaurants. The first hashtag was saying, "Here are the great people who make our potatoes." The second says, "Tell us what you think of us," which, in the Web world, is risky business.
• 

  What right-to-work laws really mean

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:35am MST

  FORTUNE -- As the economy continues to wobble, the American divide on labor rights is playing out in some unexpected locales. Indiana is in the spotlight now, as it prepares to adopt a law that unions say will weaken their ranks. If passed, the "right-to-work" law would allow workers to skip paying union dues but still receive the benefits of union-negotiated contracts. Advocates say such employees have been forced into unions, but organized labor calls them "free riders." Like the minimum wage, right-to-work battles have flared repeatedly for more than a half-century after workers toiling in onerous circumstances -- not unlike what some in Asian factories face today -- won the right to unite and bargain for wages and workplace conditions. But the nation never completely embraced a uniform view of worker rights.
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  Don't outlive your savings: How annuities can help

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 10:27am MST

  Given advances in medicine, I'm worried my wife and I might outlive our retirement savings. I've started reading about annuities, but I'm confused about the difference between immediate annuities and another type I've heard referred to as a deferred income annuities. Can you explain the difference? -- Daniel R.
• 

  EU targets unemployment amid crisis - CNN

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 9:51am MST

  European leaders are proposing new measures to combat soaring youth unemployment as the scramble to halt the continent's debt crisis continues.
• 

  Perfect Hedge: 56 found guilty of insider trading

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 9:31am MST

  It's known as "Operation Perfect Hedge": the government's unprecedented crackdown on insider trading that's led to nearly 60 convictions since it began roughly two and a half years ago. And with the charges announced two weeks ago against men from some of the country's largest hedge funds, it shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. Earlier this month, law enforcement officials announced the indictment of four investment professionals on insider trading charges, including Anthony Chiasson, who co-founded the Level Global hedge fund in 2003, and Todd Newman, a former portfolio manager at Diamondback Capital. Three others have pleaded guilty and are cooperating with the government in the case, including former analysts from Diamondback and Level Global. All told, the government has brought criminal charges against 63 people in its current crackdown and has secured 56 convictions, Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said at a press conference announcing the new arrests. He compared the case in scale to that of Raj Rajaratnam, the hedge fund manager who received a record 11 years in prison last year after earning $64 million in a long-running insider trading scam. Analysts say the government's momentum in insider trading cases stems from a renewed focus on the practice as well as the use of investigative techniques, particularly wiretaps, previously reserved for other kinds of crime.
• 

  Deficits to decrease - but not for long

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 9:19am MST

  Federal deficits are expected to fall over the next few years but then start to climb, pushing the nation's accumulated debt to levels not seen since just after World War II, according to new estimates from the Congressional Budget Office released Tuesday.
• 

  Facebook isn't the only blockbuster IPO

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 8:13am MST

  FORTUNE -- While everyone in Silicon Valley is talking about Facebook's imminent IPO, a handful of fast-growing yet far-less-sexy enterprise technology companies are quietly eyeing the public markets.
• 

  Stocks: Investors welcome Europe's fiscal pact

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 7:55am MST

  January offered up an apology to discouraged investors.
• 

  Revive Made in USA? Easier said than done

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 7:51am MST

  President Obama wants companies to manufacture their products in the United States, but small business owners say that's about as easy as walking a minefield.
• 

  Debt collector to pay $2.5 million penalty

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 7:36am MST

  The Federal Trade Commission has slapped a prominent debt collector with a $2.5 million penalty for misrepresenting its debt collection powers.
• 

  Home prices post steep decline in November

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 7:16am MST

  Home prices posted a steep, month-over-month drop in November, falling 1.3%, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city report. Prices fell in 19 of the 20 cities the index covers.Prices fell steeply for the second month in a row.
• 

  Exxon reports $9.4 billion profit

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 6:22am MST

  Exxon reported a 2% rise in fourth-quarter earnings Tuesday, even as oil and gas production fell.
• 

  A new boss at the Apple Store

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 6:13am MST

  Tim Cook taps John Browett, CEO of Dixons, to head his retail empire.
• 

  American Airlines to lay out cuts to unions

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 5:26am MST

  American Airlines' parent is meeting with its unions this week to lay out cost cuts it wants to implement as part of its bankruptcy reorganization -- moves that could cost many of the company's 81,000 workers their jobs and a portion of their pension benefits.
• 

  Budget sports cars through the ages

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 4:17am MST

  From the Pontiac Fiero to the poor-man's Porsche: Automakers have always tried to bring affordable fun to the masses.
• 

  Stocks: Investors welcome Europe's fiscal pact

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 4:09am MST

  U.S. stocks are poised for a higher open Tuesday, after European Union leaders agreed to strengthen a financial firewall and sign a fiscal pact.
• 

  Which pays better: Government or private sector?

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 3:48am MST

  Which is the better gig: The federal government or the private sector?
• 

  Forget Iran, Iraq is threatening oil prices

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 3:34am MST

  The deteriorating situation in Iraq is leading some analysts to worry that the country may not be able to meet its lofty goals for rapidly ramping up oil production.
• 

  Worst place to lose your job: Florida

  Posted: January 31st, 2012, 3:21am MST

  Florida has the highest rate of long-term unemployment in the nation. Some 53% of those without jobs have been out of work for at least six months.If you lose your job in Florida, chances are you won't find another one any time soon.
• 

  Dividend stocks: Buyer beware

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 5:00pm MST

  There's one group of people who aren't cheering Ben Bernanke's announcement last week that the Federal Reserve expects to keep interest rates ultra-low through 2014: people of modest means who live off their interest income. As I've been pointing out since 2007, the Fed has eviscerated the income of prudent savers in its attempt to repair the economic damage caused by imprudent borrowers and lenders. I believe that the Fed, whose job is to protect the financial system and promote employment, is acting in the best interests of the country at large. But what's helping the overall economy is hurting savers.
• 

  Senate begins debate on insider trading bill

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 4:45pm MST

  
• 

  The cash is coming! Here's how to play it.

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 4:24pm MST

  If company executives can't figure out how to invest their money back into their own businesses, they're going to have to return it to their shareholders. This year may finally be the year for that.
• 

  EU leaders back fiscal pact, bigger firewall

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:56pm MST

  European Union leaders agreed to strengthen a financial firewall and most members of the 27-nation group will sign a new fiscal compact. But the first summit of the year ended without new solutions for the debt crisis in Greece.
• 

  Gingrich's out-of-this-world ideas

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:38pm MST

  Newt Gingrich has a slew of big - and unconventional - ideas for the economy.
• 

  Facebook: Banks trade fees for bragging rights

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:25pm MST

  Facebook may be gearing up for one of the biggest initial public offerings ever, but it may get a bargain in at least one part of the deal: bank fees.
• 

  Freddie Mac: A mess, and likely to stay that way

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:18pm MST

  It's not tough to find critics of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae on either the right or the left. But there has been little progress made in rehabilitating the mortgage giants.
• 

  Carnival alters forecast after cruise ship tragedy

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 12:41pm MST

  Carnival Corp. reversed its 2012 forecast to a loss Monday, blaming the fatal accident of a cruise ship off the coast of Italy earlier this month.
• 

  Is Facebook worth $100 billion?

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 12:17pm MST

  A long list of tech IPOs captured attention in 2011, but no company has been drooled over like Facebook. And finally, its debut looks to be imminent.
• 

  Ethanol's food-fuel dilemma

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 11:31am MST

  After 30 years of government largesse that would have made even Nancy Pelosi blush, Congress in December let expire the roughly $6 billion annual subsidy for corn ethanol. That's bad news for the big refiners that were paid 45¢ for each gallon of corn ethanol they blended into gasoline supplies. But it's good news for those worried about the "food-fuel dilemma" when the demand for corn to make ethanol has been raising the price of some foods. Not so fast. It turns out that while the subsidies are gone, U.S. law still requires oil refiners to blend corn ethanol into fuel -- some 12.5 billion gallons this year and at least 15 billion gallons by 2015.
• 

  It's the economy - and CEO pay, stupid

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 11:24am MST

  FORTUNE -- The individuals who gathered in Davos, Switzerland last week are doing comparatively well in this economy. But many of the U.S. CEOs are concerned about the uncertain business climate. And many of their peers sit on cash while millions continue to search for work. Why are we in this current mess? "Incentives may be driving CEOs to invest less," says Columbia Business School professor John Donaldson and co-author of a New York Fed staff report exploring the connections between pay, business decisions, and the economy's health. When CEOs are paid highly in options or restricted stock (as most U.S. large company CEOs are today), "the economy becomes more volatile," he told me. This kind of economic volatility isn't driven by business fundamentals and makes the economy "unpredictable," Pace Business School professor Natalia Gershun and a co-author of the paper told me last week. Unpredictability leads to uncertain times for everyone.
• 

  Euro: Putting lipstick on the PIIGS - The Buzz

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 11:10am MST

  Maybe the euro isn't doomed after all?
• 

  Managing the family finances: 'Spying was easier'

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 10:46am MST

  We spoke to five families who face challenges that could keep them from meeting their financial goals. With a few tweaks to their game plan, they can get back on course. Here, the DiSilverios' story -- and the recommended financial fixes.
• 

  Newt's moon colony: What would it cost?

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 10:37am MST

  Newt Gingrich wants to build a permanent colony on the moon and, if his dream is fully realized, the price tag could be huge.
• 

  Facts about Obama's tax record

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 10:07am MST

  Republicans portray President Obama as the tax-hiker-in-chief.
• 

  Why I have Facebook fatigue

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 9:50am MST

  FORTUNE -- When Facebook finally goes public it'll be a big moment for Silicon Valley, not only because it may be the biggest tech IPO ever but also because it will validate the social network's staggering growth to date. When I joined, it was a barebones college-only online community where we could talk about courses, dorm life, and stalk that one hot classmate in East Asian History. Now it's the Internet site people spend the most time on, with 800 million active users from ages 13 up uploading 250 milion photos a day.
• 

  Europe to S&P, Fitch: Who cares?

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 9:44am MST

  Each new downgrade of European debt by the big three rating agencies is greeted by European leaders and investors with a shrug.
• 

  Dow slides 100 points on Greek woes

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 8:20am MST

  U.S. stocks recovered most of their lost ground Monday afternoon but struggled to pull out of the red as concerns over Greece continued to weigh on the market.
• 

  Will Facebook be the next Yahoo?

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 8:01am MST

  Facebook has plenty of challenges as it readies to go public.
• 

  $34,000 debt, wants to start a business

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 7:56am MST

  Michele Heyward has a big heart. When friends or family struggle financially, she is always there to help with a mortgage or car payment or clothes for the kids. Recently she has been spending more than $1,800 a month on others.
• 

  When friends and work just don't mix

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 7:36am MST

  An innocent attempt at networking could cost you your job, your friendship, or both. Here's how you can avoid disaster.
• 

  Stronger income doesn't boost holiday spending

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 6:56am MST

  Consumers got a bigger boost to their paychecks at the end of last year, but they kept their wallets closed during the holiday shopping season, according to the government's latest readings.
• 

  36 million more Chinese iPhones in 2013

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 5:47am MST

  As the middle class expands, Apple's sales in China could soon reach 60 million per year.
• 

  Greek anxiety drags down world markets

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 5:20am MST

  World markets were under pressure Monday, dragged down by uncertainty in Europe, where leaders have failed to agree on a solution for the Greek debt crisis.
• 

  Stocks: Investors bemoan unfinished Greek deal

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 4:17am MST

  U.S. stocks are poised to open lower Monday, after the weekend came and went without Greek leaders reaching an agreement on a debt-relief deal.
• 

  3 ETFs with healthy dividends

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:26am MST

  Exchange-traded funds offer a wealth of smart options for those investors on the hunt for solid yields.
• 

  Someday, you'll wish you owned these cars

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:20am MST

  Hagerty Insurance says these 10 relatively affordable cars will likely become collectibles and will sell for big bucks at car auctions decades from now.
• 

  Obama's energy plan: The winners, and winners

  Posted: January 30th, 2012, 3:10am MST

  President Obama's half dozen energy proposals will, by and large, benefit nearly all players in the energy space and result in lower prices for consumers, analysts say.
• 

  WHAT'S NEXT FOR EUROPE

  Posted: January 29th, 2012, 6:08pm MST

  European Union leaders will gather Monday for their first summit of the year. The good news is that conditions for Italy and Spain are improving. But the fate of Greece is still uncertain.
• 

  STOCKS: RISKS AHEAD

  Posted: January 29th, 2012, 9:35am MST

  The stock market is off to a good start this year, but next week brings a host of potential pitfalls that could slow the recent momentum.
• 

  The new united Europe: Fortune classic

  Posted: January 29th, 2012, 8:03am MST

  Every Sunday, Fortune publishes a favorite story from our magazine archives. This week, we turn to a September 1990 story from Davos. Its author, the legendary Marshall Loeb, writes of the dawn of a new era for Europe and asks about the decades to come.
• 

  How to fit in at Apple

  Posted: January 29th, 2012, 7:59am MST

  
• 

  Apple estimates raised, but not high enough

  Posted: January 28th, 2012, 12:12pm MST

  
• 

  Obama expands foreclosure prevention program

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 3:21pm MST

  The Obama administration is taking another swing at improving its main foreclosure prevention program.
• 

  The housing recovery that wasn't

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 3:12pm MST

  FORTUNE -- Over the past few months, a spate of good news about the U.S. housing market has led some to think a recovery is finally on the horizon.
• 

  Retirement saving: Don't shortchange later years

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 2:20pm MST

  Many people think they can plan on spending less later in retirement since they'll become less active as they age. But if their health declines, they may actually shift spending rather than reduce it. Do you think it's risky to plan as if one's expenses will go down later in retirement? --Tim, U.K.
• 

  Mortgage probe unveiled as foreclosure talks loom

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 1:35pm MST

  President Obama's latest probe into the mortgage meltdown will have more power than past efforts, and federal officials say it won't derail a possible $20 billion settlement for underwater and foreclosed homeowners.
• 

  FDA blocks orange juice shipments from Canada

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 1:19pm MST

  The Food and Drug Administration said Friday that it had detained orange juice shipments from Canada after they tested positive for low levels of a banned fungicide previously found in Brazilian juice. The FDA announced earlier this month that it would begin testing foreign orange juice shipments for the presence of the fungicide carbendazim before allowing them to enter the country. On Friday, the agency said that among 80 shipments from around the world it tested so far, six from Canada and five from Brazil had tested positive. The samples that have tested positive so far had carbendazim levels of between 10 and 52 parts per billion. The Environmental Protection Agency says carbendazim levels under 80 parts per billion do not raise safety concerns.
• 

  Italy, Spain downgraded by Fitch

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 12:48pm MST

  Fitch downgraded the sovereign debt ratings Friday of five European countries, with Italy and Spain taking the biggest hit.
• 

  Facebook IPO filing next week - report

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 12:05pm MST

  
• 

  Laid off and making the retirement savings last

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 10:55am MST

  Ed Parker never planned on retiring early. But in 2009, at age 61, he was laid off from his job as a manager at a Caterpillar dealership and realized he was ready to end full-time work. His wife, Roxann, had retired a decade earlier from her job at a department store, and travel plans beckoned.
• 

  The anti-Kodak: Eastman Chemical - The Buzz

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 10:20am MST

  It is every parents' dream that their children enjoy a better life than they have. I am not sure if that's also true for parent companies and their offspring.
• 

  Apple's new chief blasts the New York Times

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 10:19am MST

  Calls the suggestion that his company doesn't care about the health and safety of workers in the supply chain he built "patently false and offensive"
• 

  SEC to step up scrutiny of private equity firms

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 10:12am MST

  The private equity world is struggling to stay in the shadows.
• 

  Men's underwear leaves the Stone Age

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 9:27am MST

  FORTUNE -- The days of over-sized jeans sagging from the derrieres of men everywhere are no more. Skinny jeans, tailored pants, and fitted oxfords are de rigeur, leaving little room for excess fabric in the undergarment department. Boxers or briefs used to be the only question men needed to ask themselves, but today, the options have grown. Five years ago, Tom Patterson was a medical-device sales rep by day and an avid-viewer of CNBC's The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch by night. "All of the featured products or services ... were created out of personal frustration," recalls Patterson. "I found myself constantly looking around, asking, 'What can I make better?'" During the financial crisis, Patterson was laid off from a sales job he held for six years. During his down time, he realized that one of the biggest fashion annoyances he faced while he was working was a fabric gut -- that baggy bump just above the belt line caused by a loose-fitting undershirt.
• 

  Just how rich is Romney?

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 8:38am MST

  Exactly how much is Mitt Romney worth? Hard to say.
• 

  Big winners of Obama's natural gas push

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 8:20am MST

  FORTUNE -- President Obama's newfound commitment to natural gas could be the spark needed to reignite the fledgling natural gas industry, while at the same time breathing life into an array of new businesses. Overproduction, coupled with anemic demand, has recently sent natural gas prices tumbling to a 10-year low, delivering a big hit to the dozens of energy companies invested in large-scale natural gas drilling projects across the US.
• 

  Recovering from a too risky portfolio

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 8:16am MST

  We spoke to five families who face challenges that could keep them from meeting their financial goals. With a few tweaks to their game plan, they can get back on course. Here, the Mitchells' story -- and the recommended financial fixes.
• 

  Starbucks CEO Schultz made $65 million

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 8:16am MST

  Starbucks chief executive officer Howard Schultz was paid more than $65 million in fiscal year 2011, including salary, bonuses and stock options.
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  Stocks open lower on unimpressive U.S. growth

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 7:43am MST

  U.S. stocks ended mostly lower Friday as jittery investors digested a weaker-than-expected economic growth report and as Europe's debt crisis still loomed in the background.
• 

  ECONOMY PICKS UP SPEED

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 6:44am MST

  The United States economy picked up speed at the end of 2011 as businesses substantially built up their inventories and consumers increased their spending.
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  Millions in SOPA lobbying bucks gone to waste

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 5:46am MST

  The controversial anti-piracy bills that attracted tens of millions of dollars of lobbying for and against the proposed laws ironically were killed by free publicity.
• 

  Apple's 7 most stubborn decisions

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 5:26am MST

  It's been stubborn about puzzling product designs, like the iMac disk drives it abandoned.
• 

  Ford: Biggest profit since 1998

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 5:20am MST

  Ford reported its best annual earnings since 1998 on Friday, making 2011 the second most profitable year in the company's 109-year history.
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  Smartphone wars: Apple won the quarter, Samsung the year

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 4:06am MST

  A pair of reports agree -- more or less -- on the current state of the battle.
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  Stocks: Investors await reading on U.S. growth

  Posted: January 27th, 2012, 4:05am MST

  U.S. stock futures lost momentum after a weaker-than-expected U.S. economic report, and while Europe's debt crisis still looms in the background.
• 

  Ener1, a DOE loan recipient, goes bankrupt

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 3:17pm MST

  Electric car battery maker Ener1 filed for bankruptcy Thursday, three years after receiving a $118.5 million grant from the U.S. government.
• 

  Giants and Patriots jerseys are tough to find

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 2:35pm MST

  If you're looking for many of your favorite Giants player's jerseys before the big game -- fugetaboutit! And if it's Patriots game garb you want, good luck. It's wicked-hard to find!
• 

  What's behind Netflix's 20% spike?

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 12:48pm MST

  Netflix is the highest flying stock on the S&P 500 Thursday, but was its fourth-quarter earnings report enough to justify a 22% run up in the stock?
• 

  Portugal under pressure, but default unlikely

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 12:41pm MST

  Portugal has come under heavy pressure in the bond market this week as investors fear the nation could be the next domino to fall in the eurozone debt crisis.
• 

  Meet SOPA's evil twin, ACTA

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 12:35pm MST

  FORTUNE -- It's only fitting that a loud, global outcry over ACTA, an international agreement to govern intellectual property, began just after the anti-piracy bills SOPA and PIPA were shelved by the U.S Congress in the face of massive public pressure. If "copyright maximalists" can't get legislation passed, writes TechDirt's Mike Masnick, "they resort to getting these things put into international trade agreements, which get significantly less scrutiny."
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  Dispatch from Davos: Where is China?

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 12:30pm MST

  For the first time since anyone can remember, China has not sent a high level official to this Alpine gathering of the world's top leaders and business titans.
• 

  Don't blame ETFs for wild market swings

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 12:23pm MST

  Are exchange-traded funds a prime culprit in one of the signature afflictions of the markets today -- the tendency of huge swaths of stocks or other assets to swing dramatically up or down at the same time? Critics are pointing their fingers at ETFs. But evidence for their nefarious role is lacking.
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  Digital pat on the back from the boss: What's it worth?

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 11:42am MST

  FCall it the itch. Many employees catch it, that desire to find the next great job, discover what new opportunities are out there, search for a more sympathetic manager, and perhaps a raise. But the employees who actually take the plunge are often the top 10% of performers -- the engineers who create products, the marketers who sell them, the creative ones who develop new revenue streams. And you certainly don't want to lose them. A December 2011 survey of 3,000 workers conducted by the employment agency Randstad revealed that 47% of employees plan to test the job market in 2012. Complacent employees often sit tight while the ambitious go-getters primed to move up consider new options. But some companies are taking steps to retain their talent and discover why their most valuable staffers might want to depart before it comes time for an exit interview. Nearly half of the employees surveyed by Randstand expect the job market to brighten in 2012, increasing their chances of finding new opportunities. The fact that many employees plan to seek greener pastures reveals a change in attitude over the last few years, says Peter Cappelli, director of the Wharton Center for Human Resources.
• 

  WHY SO NERVOUS?

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 11:40am MST

  Some might say that the Federal Reserve is wisely taking a smart, wait-and-see approach regarding the economy. I am not one of those people.
• 

  The great Mediterranean executive migration

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 11:31am MST

  Given the troubles in the eurozone, it's little wonder that the number of executives in Greece and Italy seeking jobs elsewhere in the world is rising. According to the Cyprus-based firm One Hour Translation, the volume of résumés it translated from Greece and Italy rose sharply last year -- by 29% and 54%, respectively. The majority of the job applicants wanted their résumés translated into English or German, presumably because that's where the high-paying jobs are. The question is, If these job aspirants have such lousy language skills that they need their résumés translated, how do they hope to get through an interview, let alone work in these other countries?
• 

  Bernanke to teach class about the Fed

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 11:05am MST

  Ben Bernanke will step back into the classroom this semester to teach college students about the Federal Reserve.
• 

  Obama's Chrysler 300 on sale for $1 million

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 10:42am MST

  A Chrysler 300C once leased by President Barack Obama is for sale on eBay with the eye-popping "opening bid" of $1 million.
• 

  AT&T outduels Verizon in iPhone

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 9:22am MST

  AT&T handily beat Verizon in the battle for iPhone customers last quarter, but the company lost $6.7 billion in large part due to its failed merger with T-Mobile.
• 

  Nonprofit founders put passions ahead of planning

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:49am MST

  Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborn are phenomenal planners and money managers -- except when it comes to their own investments.
• 

  What U.S. companies can learn from Olympus

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:48am MST

  Olympus is not to be applauded for its alleged fraud or cover-up, but U.S. companies should pay close attention to its response.
• 

  Stocks get an earnings boost

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:23am MST

  U.S. stocks ended in the red Thursday as investors digested a mixed batch of corporate earnings results and remained cautious amid lackluster economic data and ongoing debt talks in Greece.
• 

  New-home sales hit a wall

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:19am MST

  Just 302,000 new homes were sold in 2011, 6.2% below 2010 and the lowest number of annual sales since the government started tracking home sales in 1963.
• 

  Ways foreigners could (really) boost the U.S. economy

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:15am MST

  FORTUNE -- In a move to create more jobs, President Obama recently ordered measures to lure more tourists to the U.S. With high unemployment and homeowners struggling to make their minimum mortgage payments, the idea is to leverage the spending power of middle class tourists from booming developing nations like Brazil, China and India.
• 

  Super Bowl tickets starting at $2,800

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:14am MST

  Haven't made your plans yet to head to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl? Hope your credit card has some room on it -- tickets are going to cost you thousands of dollars over face value.
• 

  Can you snag a tech job with training alone?

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:03am MST

  Maybe. But despite a plethora of government-funded training programs and lots of job openings in IT, getting hired isn't easy.
• 

  Campaign finance the Stephen Colbert way

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 8:00am MST

  Is Stephen Colbert a comedian, political candidate or professor of campaign finance law?
• 

  First-time unemployment benefits climb

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 6:39am MST

  After plunging the week before, first-time claims for unemployment benefits ticked up last week.
• 

  How Google keeps your secrets private

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 6:26am MST

  How does a company that collects so much information from its users keep all that data private?
• 

  Cisco's Chambers: Business is easier in Russia

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 6:04am MST

  Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers said Thursday that doing business in other countries, including Russia, is easier than in the United States.
• 

  Should I get a rewards card?

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 5:40am MST

  I am thinking about adding a credit card that gives cash back for using it. Would it be beneficial for me to obtain a third card with a cash back program, or stay with the two that I have?
• 

  Gates donates $750 million to fight AIDS, TB and malaria

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 5:02am MST

  The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will inject $750 million into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced Thursday at the World Economic Forum.
• 

  Online polling startup Wayin weighs in on election

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 4:40am MST

  Scott McNealy can barely conceal his enthusiasm as he sits down in the media room of his Silicon Valley mansion to watch the New Hampshire Republican presidential debate. But it is not the debate itself that has Sun Microsystems' longtime CEO literally on the edge of his seat -- in fact, his enormous television is actually on "mute." No, he is pumped because two of the six candidates on the screen are using Wayin, an online polling startup that McNealy co-founded with a financier friend, to measure their supporters' opinions and to gauge their performances in the early January debate.
• 

  BUSY DAY AHEAD

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 4:21am MST

  Thursday will be a busy day for markets, as investors prepare for an onslaught of U.S. economic data, debt talks continue in Greece and more than 200 companies report their quarterly results.
• 

  Foreclosures made up 20% of home sales in 3Q

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 3:40am MST

  Sales of homes in foreclosure comprised 20% of all U.S. residential sales during the third quarter, according to RealtyTrac.
• 

  Obama's 30% millionaire tax

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 3:35am MST

  President Obama this week defined what he believes should be the minimum "fair share" for millionaires and billionaires to pay in taxes. His answer: At least 30% of their income.
• 

  Robot a 'game changer' for health care

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 3:25am MST

  Hospitals are supposed to be the place where the sick get well. They can also be where the sick get sicker, thanks to the virulent bacteria and viruses that live there.
• 

  The lessons of Mitt Romney's tax returns

  Posted: January 26th, 2012, 3:18am MST

  Joseph J. Thorndike is a contributing editor at Tax Analysts and a columnist for Tax Notes magazine, where a longer version of this article first appeared. He is also director of the Tax History Project at Tax Analysts, which includes an archive of presidential tax returns. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely his own.
• 

  SOPA and PIPA attracted massive lobbying

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 6:11pm MST

  Two controversial anti-piracy bills, now effectively dead in the water, attracted enormous lobbying attention on both sides.
• 

  Romney's real estate deals

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 5:36pm MST

  Out of all of the presidential candidates, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney owns the most real estate -- even after unloading a couple of sizable properties.
• 

  Instagram goes to Washington

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 2:58pm MST

  It's not everyday a startup founder gets an invite to one of the White House's most anticipated events.
• 

  Netflix starts to rebound from Qwikster blunder

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 2:35pm MST

  Netflix said Wednesday it began to add customers again last quarter, beginning the recovery process after a series of blunders damaged its sterling reputation with consumers and investors.
• 

  GM ad campaign comes to Volt's defense

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 2:01pm MST

  Now that the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin station has closed its investigation into vehicle fires in the Chevrolet Volt, General Motors is left to clean up the public relations damage.
• 

  FED UNVEILS NEW FORECAST

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 1:21pm MST

  In an effort to be more transparent with the public, the Federal Reserve gave more insight to its planning tools Wednesday than ever before.
• 

  Starbucks backs gay marriage

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 1:19pm MST

  Starbucks has come out in support of a bill that would make Washington the seventh U.S. state to legalize gay marriage. The company joins fellow Pacific Northwest-based firms including Microsoft and Nike in backing the bill, which also has support from Gov. Christine Gregoire and is close to passage in the state's House and Senate. Gregoire has previously called corporate support for the bill "courageous and appreciated." Starbucks said in a statement Tuesday that it was "proud to join other leading Northwest employers in support of Washington state legislation recognizing marriage equality for same-sex couples." "This important legislation is aligned with Starbucks' business practices and upholds our belief in the equal treatment of partners," the statement read.
• 

  Obama created more jobs than Apple's Steve Jobs

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 1:15pm MST

  There's no doubt that Apple is doing far better than the U.S. economy as a whole. But that doesn't mean Steve Jobs had a better jobs record than Barack Obama.
• 

  Mortgage crimes are focus of new task force

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 12:27pm MST

  A new special task force to investigate and prosecute those responsible for bad mortgages during the housing boom will be part of President Obama's 2012 agenda.
• 

  Factories grind to halt for Chinese New Year

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 11:56am MST

  As China celebrates the New Year by ushering in the Year of the Dragon, U.S. small companies with exposure to the country are doing more hand-wringing than rejoicing.
• 

  Federal student loan rate set to double

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 11:42am MST

  Attention college students: The interest rate on federal student loans is scheduled to double this summer unless Congress acts soon.
• 

  FED: LOW RATES UNTIL 2014

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 11:09am MST

  The economy is improving, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday, but not enough to warrant higher interest rates for at least two-and-a-half more years. The central bank indicated that it expects to keep the federal funds rate near historic lows until late 2014 -- an extension from the Fed's original pledge to keep rates low through mid 2013.
• 

  New nukes for America

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 11:02am MST

  The disaster at Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant last March set off a global reassessment of the technology. Germany and Switzerland plan to mothball their reactors, while China and India will push ahead. Meanwhile, the NRC just approved a new reactor design, a crucial step in Southern Co.'s bid to build the first reactor in the U.S. in 30 years. The new units at the Georgia plant will power some 500,000 homes.
• 

  Apple has $96 billion, more cash than ... - The Buzz

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 10:51am MST

  Apple has nearly $100 billion in cash. $97.6 billion to be precise. That is a lot of iDough. Even for Warren Buffett. Perhaps it's time for Apple to, I don't know, use some of it?
• 

  Honeywell CEO: How I'd fix the economy

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 9:17am MST

  Honeywell CEO David Cote got an inside look into Capitol Hill's machinations when he served on President Obama's debt committee. Now he has some advice for the White House on how to fix the economy.
• 

  Is there room for the protester at Davos?

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 9:14am MST

  No matter how new or bold the conversation topic might be, you risk reaching the same old conclusions if you involve the same old participants.
• 

  Ron Johnson's Rx for JC Penney

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 8:51am MST

  FORTUNE -- Over the course of its nearly century-long history, JC Penney has never been known for its showmanship. Even in its glory days, the $18 billion-in-revenues department store was best thought of as a somewhat stolid, middle of the road place. Its founder, James Cash Penney, was a preacher's son who eschewed credit, loose morals, and too much price "trickery," as he put it.
• 

  Facebook "trading halt" has happened before

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 8:24am MST

  Facebook shares are still trading on secondary markets, despite suggestions to the contrary.
• 

  Can I give my 401(k) advisory firm the boot?

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 8:19am MST

  My 401(k) is managed by a brokerage firm that was busted by the SEC for fraudulent practices (although those practices weren't related to my 401(k) plan). Still, I don't want to invest my money with, or pay fees to, to a firm I consider unethical. For now, I've switched all of my money into the bond account figuring it's the safest place to invest until I can figure out what to do. But I'd really like to get into another 401(k) plan. Can I do that? -- Michael S.
• 

  Merkel: Greece remains on knife-edge - CNN

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 8:07am MST

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected Wednesday to give a stark warning to economic policymakers that Greece may yet face meltdown amid a crisis that has brought the European single currency to the brink of collapse.
• 

  APPLE IS NO. 1

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 8:02am MST

  Apple nudged out oil giant Exxon Mobil early Wednesday to become the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world.
• 

  Stocks open mixed, Apple leads tech stocks higher

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 7:49am MST

  U.S. stocks shaved early losses and ended higher Wednesday afternoon after the Federal Reserve said it plans to keep interest rates near historic lows through late 2014.
• 

  Michigan B-school tries to make it big in L.A.

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 7:45am MST

  University of Michigan's Ross School plans to start a new executive MBA program in Los Angeles, joining a saturated market with more than a dozen similar programs.
• 

  Behind an expat's wine startup success

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 7:33am MST

  FORTUNE -- Language and cultural differences make it hard to be an expat entrepreneur under any circumstances. It's doubly hard if the main market for your product plunges into a wrenching economic crisis. And it's even more difficult if your costs are in a country that suffers incredibly high inflation. That's the position in which Michael Evans has found himself during the last few years. The Mendoza, Argentina-company he co-founded, Vines of Mendoza, was selling turn-key "vineyard estates" largely to Americans, whose disposable income evaporated following the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers and financial crisis. Even worse, as Evans' buyers were disappearing, his costs were rising; Argentina's already high inflation shot past 20% in 2010 and stayed there. Evans knew something would have to be done fast. "I've been through something like this before in 2000, when I was at a dot-com. When something like that happens, you don't know exactly what's going to pass, but you know things will get worse before they get better," says Evans, 46. Faced with tumbling income and soaring inflation, as 2008 moved into 2009, the company cuts costs by 40% by laying off 30% of its staff ("By far, the worst day of my life," says Evans).
• 

  Energy: Obama touts boom, but wants more

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 7:25am MST

  For the third year in a row energy played a central role in President Obama's State of the Union address, with the president leaning hard this year on the twin themes of increased domestic oil and gas production and the need to invest more in renewable sources.
• 

  12 mid-size cars for 2012

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 4:22am MST

  A little trash-talk has gotten the ball rolling for who will lead sales in the auto world's most popular segment. Game on.
• 

  Stocks set for quiet open

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 4:10am MST

  U.S. stocks were poised for a quiet open Wednesday, as investors await the latest interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve and keep an eye on Greece's debt talks.
• 

  14 Best Companies with no layoffs - ever!

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:49am MST

  These 14 employers have managed to survive a struggling economy while staying loyal to their workers.
• 

  Feds crack down on counterfeit Super Bowl gear

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:45am MST

  While the Giants and Patriots gear up for the rematch of a lifetime, Super Bowl XLV, federal agents are preparing for one of the biggest sports-related counterfeit busts ever.
• 

  Did Obama really make government bigger?

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:34am MST

  President Obama = big government.
• 

  Three holes in Romney's economic plan

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:26am MST

  Above all else, the Romney campaign has one ethos: Our candidate will fix the economy.
• 

  One-of-a-kind experiences, starting at $15

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:16am MST

  On a quiet afternoon in Manhattan's East Village, I'm having lunch inside a monastery while Rasanath Dasa, a banker-turned-monk, tells us about the moment he decided to leave Wall Street.
• 

  American consumers stay single

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:05am MST

  In 1957, University of Michigan psychology professors Joseph Veroff, Elizabeth Douvan, and Richard Kulka released a survey that examined American attitudes to being single. The findings were stark: 80% of those surveyed believed that people who preferred being unmarried were "sick," "immoral," or "neurotic." At a time when more than 70% of adults were married, it's not surprising that people would express a preference for wedded life. But the scorn certainly sounds jarring to contemporary ears. Oh, how things have changed. Americans are now within mere percentage points of being a majority single nation: Only 51% of adults today are married, according to census data. And 28% of all households now consist of just one person -- the highest level in U.S. history.
• 

  Apple's blow-out quarter

  Posted: January 25th, 2012, 3:02am MST

  Humiliated by a bunch of bloggers, amateur analysts and assorted day traders.
• 

  Message of income inequality

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 8:21pm MST

  President Obama delivered a State of the Union address Tuesday that was deeply saturated with the message of income inequality, a populist idea that the White House hopes will resonate on the campaign trail.
• 

  Opportunity - 'Issue of our time'

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 7:24pm MST

  High stakes for president in what could be his final State of the Union speech.
• 

  Romney taxes: The Caymans controversy

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 5:32pm MST

  Okay, we get it. Mitt Romney is uber-rich.
• 

  Who's backing the GOP candidates?

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:56pm MST

  As the morning-after pundits sifted through the results of the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 11, a quieter fight over the future of the campaign was playing out in a Washington, D.C. courtroom. Lawyers for Chris Van Hollen, a Democratic congressman from Maryland, along with a team of campaign-finance reform advocates, had come to sue the federal government. They want Uncle Sam to require that independent political groups spending millions on television ads -- outfits like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- reveal their donors. But even the suit's backers say it's a peashooter against the tank of newly unlimited money rolling into the 2012 elections.
• 

  APPLE SETS SALES RECORD

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:15pm MST

  Ask Siri how Apple recorded the best quarter in history for a tech company, and her answer should be: "Me."
• 

  Yahoo: New CEO. Same results.

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 2:45pm MST

  On Tuesday, Yahoo reported quarterly results in line with analysts' expectations, a somewhat quiet start for new CEO Scott Thompson.
• 

  No hot tempers at consumer chief's hearing

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 2:12pm MST

  No raised voices. No accusations of evading questions. No accusations of lying.
• 

  The shrinking private equity world

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 1:45pm MST

  The notoriously private private equity industry can't escape the glare of the spotlight these days, but the more immediate issue facing the industry is a lack of funding.
• 

  Greek default is essentially a given: S&P

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 1:37pm MST

  Greece is facing an increasing likelihood of default, even if creditors reach an agreement on a deal aimed at reducing the nation's massive debt load.
• 

  CEOs paid well at bailed-out banks - watchdog

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 12:59pm MST

  When Congress bailed out big banks, it also limited the pay of CEOs at those banks -- one of the main reasons why banks wanted out of the bailout program.
• 

  Freddie Mac: What it did, what went wrong

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 12:09pm MST

  Freddie Mac is in the spotlight of the Republican presidential contest, as Mitt Romney attacks Newt Gingrich for his 2006 work for the mortgage finance firm.
• 

  U.S. inches closer to 'Europe moment' - The Buzz

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 10:44am MST

  Bond yields are slowly creeping up in the United States as the economy improves. But with a yield barely above 2%, the 10-year Treasury is still not that far above its all-time lows.
• 

  Iran sanctions will hit its economy, but not kill it

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 10:33am MST

  Over the last few months Western governments have been tightening the economic noose around Iran.
• 

  Team Romney dodges carried interest question

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 10:08am MST

  
• 

  RICH, GINGRICH, CRAZY RICH

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 10:05am MST

  Which presidential candidate paid the most in taxes? Who is the most charitable? Here's an inside look at the top candidates' 2010 income tax returns.
• 

  A new day for the minimum wage?

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 9:48am MST

  This election season, influential Republicans are straying from party orthodoxy and are open to raising the minimum wage. But such a boost would not be a quick fix for a decade of stagnating wages.
• 

  Buffett's secretary to attend State of the Union

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 9:38am MST

  President Obama will renew his call for higher taxes on the rich on Tuesday, and he has invited Warren Buffett's secretary to Washington to make his point.
• 

  Verizon's very costly iPhone record

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 9:04am MST

  Verizon's record iPhone sales last quarter came at a steep cost.
• 

  Thorsten Heins: Not the right CEO for RIM

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 8:47am MST

  FORTUNE -- If only they hadn't released that video.
• 

  Stocks slump on Greek debt fears, earnings

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 8:22am MST

  U.S. stocks ended mostly in the red Tuesday as investors awaited progress on Greek debt talks and waded through another batch of corporate results.
• 

  IMF cuts growth forecast for all but U.S.

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 8:16am MST

  The International Monetary Fund lowered its outlook for the world economy on Tuesday, and warned that the global financial system faces growing risks from the debt crisis in Europe.
• 

  Greek debt deal hinges on interest rate impasse

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 6:14am MST

  Greece and its creditors in the private sector are grappling over a key detail of a deal aimed at reducing the nation's overwhelming debt load, according to a top eurozone official.
• 

  Buy - or sell - Apple at your peril

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 5:36am MST

  Betting on a stock this volatile on a day like this is an exceedingly dangerous game...
• 

  ROMNEY'S TAX RETURN

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 5:17am MST

  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made $42.7 million over the past two years and paid $6.2 million in taxes, according to documents released Tuesday by his campaign.
• 

  The real way to build a social network

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 4:54am MST

  Forget Dale Carnegie. He understood how important connections were, but missed out on the authenticity part -- which, say Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, authors of The Start-Up of You, is the key to building a truly helpful professional network. Here's how to leverage that network into the career you only dreamed of.
• 

  LinkedIn founder takes social to the next level

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 4:52am MST

  One day last fall, Reid Hoffman, the social networking guru and founder of LinkedIn, woke up at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, where he breakfasted with Magic Johnson and then spoke to a few hundred HR professionals. On a flight to San Francisco he scarfed down a turkey sandwich while I quizzed him, then sat for the closing interview at the Web 2.0 Summit. While catching up with friends in the greenroom, he took a call from a board member. Next: dinner with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and guests before -- finally -- retiring to his Palo Alto home. This, says Hoffman, is pretty much a normal day. "I don't know what the opposite of a sociopath is," says his close friend, investor and PayPal veteran Peter Thiel, "but he is that."
• 

  Fisker Karma: Low-calorie sweetness

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 4:23am MST

  This has to be the kindest, meanest-looking ultra-luxury ride around.
• 

  Million-dollar cars from Scottsdale Auctions

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 4:19am MST

  These cars brought the biggest bids at the annual Arizona collector car sales.
• 

  Stocks: Eyes on Greek debt and earnings

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 4:01am MST

  U.S. stocks are set to open in the red Tuesday, as investors await progress on Greek debt talks and wade through another batch of corporate results.
• 

  'I'm worse off than my parents'

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:35am MST

  Even though they have jobs, many Americans find they aren't as well off as Mom and Dad were at their age.
• 

  Apple store worth as much as the White House

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:26am MST

  Which is more valuable: The White House or one single Apple store? It's almost a tie. Apple sells an annual average of $4,709 worth of merchandise per square foot in its hundreds of stores across the world. Meanwhile, the presidential mansion in Washington is valued at $4,752 per square foot, according to real estate website Zillow.
• 

  Has Obama's housing policy failed?

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:23am MST

  President Obama is expected to once again offer ways to help the beleaguered housing market in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night.
• 

  State of the Union: 4 things to look for

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:10am MST

  When President Obama delivers his third, and possibly final, State of the Union address Tuesday, will the economy be issue no. 1?
• 

  Meet the new Federal Reserve members

  Posted: January 24th, 2012, 3:00am MST

  It's a new year. And that means a new, and probably less divided, Fed.
• 

  Gingrich releases Freddie Mac contract

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 5:40pm MST

  Newt Gingrich's consulting firm worked for Freddie Mac in 2006 and was paid $25,000 a month, according to a document released Monday. The release came in response to accusations from the presidential candidate's critics charging that he lobbied on behalf of the government-backed mortgage finance firm, which many say is partly to blame for the housing crisis. The document, made public by the Gingrich Group, the firm Gingrich founded in 2000, covers only 2006. The firm provided consulting services to Freddie Mac for roughly six years in total.
• 

  Is the ETF bubble about to burst?

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 5:09pm MST

  A record number ETFs entered the market in 2011, but the number of funds struggling to survive is also at a record high, a sign that the that hip and trendy ETF market may be reaching a tipping point.
• 

  Push to help homeowners continues

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 4:22pm MST

  As regulators and attorneys general continue a year-long push to deliver help for homeowners, some left-leaning groups on Monday warned against any deal that protects banks against lawsuits.
• 

  ROMNEY VS. GINGRICH

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 3:21pm MST

  Newt Gingrich is the latest Republican candidate to challenge the conventional wisdom that Mitt Romney is destined to capture his party's nomination.
• 

  Can 'Super Mario' save Europe and America?

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 3:20pm MST

  Who will be the most important person in economics in 2012? President Obama? Mitt Romney? Ben Bernanke? My candidate is Mario Draghi (a.k.a. "Super Mario"), who took over as chairman of the European Central Bank. Though virtually unknown to Americans, the dapper Italian technocrat could emerge as a savior of the world financial system or as its unwitting assassin.
• 

  56,000+ openings: They're hiring!

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 2:51pm MST

  These 25 Best Companies to Work For have at least 700 job openings each. What are their recruiters looking for?
• 

  Priceline should pull Shatner ad: Bus industry

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 2:17pm MST

  The American Bus Association is asking that Priceline pull an ad that shows its longtime spokesman William Shatner dying in a fiery bus explosion, saying that it believes the ad is in bad taste.
• 

  Facebook to Google: 'Don't be evil'

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 2:09pm MST

  Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have a message for Google: "Don't be evil."
• 

  Starbucks to offer alcohol in more locations

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 1:11pm MST

  Listen up, beer lovers -- you may soon be able to get your suds in grande form. At Starbucks. Starbucks said Monday that it would begin offering beer and wine at select locations in Atlanta and Southern California by the end of this year, to go along with several locations in the Chicago area that have previously been announced. Starbucks began the initiative in the Pacific Northwest in late 2010. "As our customers transition from work to home, many are looking for a warm and inviting place to unwind and connect with the people they care about," Clarice Turner, Starbucks' senior vice president for U.S. operations, said in a statement.
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  Diamondback hedge fund settles trading charges

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 12:27pm MST

  Hedge fund Diamondback Capital has agreed to pay $9 million to settle insider trading charges announced last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday.
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  Freddie Mac draws Republicans' attention

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 12:13pm MST

  The one thing Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich seem to agree on about Freddie Mac is that it played a significant role in the housing bubble -- and the subsequent financial meltdown that followed when it burst.
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  All-cash deals are driving down home prices

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 11:34am MST

  
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  The new new gold rush - The Buzz

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 11:08am MST

  The market is off to a scintillating start in 2012 and many of last year's worst performers are leading the charge.
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  Top fund picks from top pros

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 10:54am MST

  They steered their funds into the head of the pack in the bear market, in the bull market and even in the current blah market. Find out how these managers did it and where they're investing now.
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  DECODING ROMNEY'S TAXES

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 10:25am MST

  What can the public -- and his rivals -- expect to learn when Mitt Romney releases his 2010 tax return on Tuesday?
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  IMF calls for larger 'firewall' in Europe

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 10:18am MST

  The director of the International Monetary Fund said Monday that Europe needs a stronger financial firewall to stop the spread of debt contagion in the eurozone,
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  VW the favorite in Super Bowl car ads

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 8:15am MST

  January, the longest month of the year, is winding to a close and that means it is time for MotorWorld to start handicapping the Super Bowl. No, not the Patriots vs. the Giants -- the Super Bowl of auto advertising. It's Volkswagen vs. the rest of the auto industry.
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  Stocks edge higher in early trading

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 8:11am MST

  U.S. stocks closed the day flat, after drifting above and below the break even line Monday. Investors grew jittery amid uncertainty surrounding Greek debt talks.
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  Iran oil sanctioned by Europe

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 8:03am MST

  The European Union announced tough new sanctions on Iran Monday, banning the import of Iranian crude and other items, in a move designed to increase pressure against Tehran's nuclear program.
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  Tony Hsieh's new $350 million startup

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 6:50am MST

  The Zappos founder is trading shoes for urban planning -- and spending big bucks to rebuild downtown Las Vegas.
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  25 top-paying companies

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 6:19am MST

  Engineers at Devon Energy take home an average $178,305 a year. Which other Best Companies to Work For offer big paychecks?
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  BlackBerry shake-up leads to new CEO

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 6:13am MST

  BlackBerry smartphone maker Research in Motion, which has fallen far from its once-dominant position in the industry, is shaking up its executive ranks.
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  European Union aims to ramp up pressure on Iran

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 5:27am MST

  European Union foreign ministers gathered Monday to ramp up pressure on Iran and Syria, with fresh sanctions expected on both nations.
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  Stocks: Greece's debt talks in focus

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 4:16am MST

  As investors return from the weekend, Monday is already starting off a lot like Friday did: Greece's debt talks are still in limbo, and U.S. companies continue to report earnings.
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  iReport: The best car I ever owned

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 4:03am MST

  Drivers often have an emotional attachment to their cars. After all, what we drive can say something about who we are. Here are some iReporter's stories.
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  Super Bowl ad sneak peek

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 3:56am MST

  This year's ads include the "Imperial March" as you've never seen it, a remake of the cantina scene, and, of course, lots of hot girls and funny animals.
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  Foreclosures: America's hardest hit neighborhoods

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 3:25am MST

  The housing collapse has dramatically changed the nation's foreclosure landscape.
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  Keystone: China connection is overblown

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 3:18am MST

  When President Obama rejected the Keystone oil sands pipeline expansion last week, critics immediately sounded the China alarm.
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  Is Romney a tax cutter?

  Posted: January 23rd, 2012, 3:11am MST

  The former governor of Massachusetts closed a big deficit with a mix of spending cuts and revenue increases, but he never raised tax rates.
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  Can Apple still deliver an earnings surprise?

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 12:49pm MST

  The 18% gap between the Street's estimates and independents' suggests that it can.
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  China's housing market is set for a hard landing

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 12:24pm MST

  The numbers are grim: China's property bubble is heading for a spectacular burst, and its effect on the country's economy will be widespread.
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  Can Big Business live with Gingrich?

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 11:50am MST

  FORTUNE -- When Newt Gingrich and his Republican revolutionaries seized control of Congress last fall, delight in many corner offices that Washington might finally move to cut federal spending and roll back noxious regulations was dampened by doubts about whether the new Speaker was up to his responsibilities. Indeed, for most of Gingrich's career, his relations with the men who run America's largest corporations have generally ranged from distant to frosty. To him, the big-business crowd, while sympathetic to his aims, have been too stodgy, too timid, too compromise-prone, and--worst of all--too willing to donate PAC money to the powerful Democratic barons on Capitol Hill. To them, Gingrich has been an intriguing but unnerving upstart: too radical, too quick to shoot from the lip, too self-consciously intellectual--in short, just too weird. So where do things stand now? Fortune's latest exclusive poll of the heads of America's largest corporations provides the answer: Nine months into the new regime, big business finds itself living happily--though still warily--with Newt. In an August survey of Fortune 1,000 CEOs conducted by the opinion research firm of Clark Martire & Bartolomeo, 93% of 201 respondents voiced approval of Gingrich's performance as Speaker. Most striking, 49% of top executives rose up on their wingtips and said they "approved strongly." By contrast, just 31% of voters--and only 53% of Republicans--in a recent CNN/USA Today Gallup poll held a "favorable" opinion of Gingrich. Insists Kenneth Duberstein, who served as chief of staff in the Reagan White House and now advises a number of major companies: "Corporate America has gone ga-ga over Newt."
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  Greek debt talks in limbo

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 11:10am MST

  Greek debt talks are said to be progressing but officials have yet to announce a deal to scale back the nation's overwhelming debt load. Greek debt talks have been ongoing for days, but outcome Is uncertain ahead of Monday's finance ministers' meeting.
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  Romney to release tax returns Tuesday - CNN

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 9:37am MST

  
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  Best Companies: 12 unusual perks

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 8:29am MST

  These Best Companies are stepping it up with treats like free hotel stays and cupcake truck visits to keep their employees happy.
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  Stocks: It's all about Europe and earnings

  Posted: January 22nd, 2012, 7:32am MST

  After three weeks of gains, investors could be in for a choppy week ahead, as earnings kick into high gear and Europe's debt crisis heats up.
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  JFK hearse sells for $160,000

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 8:54pm MST

  A Cadillac hearse that carried the body of President John F. Kennedy to Air Force One following his assassination in Dallas was sold at a Scottsdale, Ariz., auction for $160,000.
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  BIG WIN FOR GINGRICH

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 6:02pm MST

  CNN projects Newt Gingrich wins Saturday's presidential primary, marking a stunning turnaround for a campaign many had left for dead.
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  iPod sales could reach 18 million in first quarter

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 12:49pm MST

  
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  Gingrich gaining in South Carolina: Poll - CNN

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 10:22am MST

  
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  How Santorum would coax Apple out of China

  Posted: January 21st, 2012, 7:20am MST

  At a 35% repatriation tax rate, what Santorum is offering Apple is a tax break of nearly $8.2 billion.
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  Steal this house! 7 foreclosure deals

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 7:04pm MST

  A three-bedroom home for $15,000? These foreclosed homes may be in some of the U.S.'s hardest hit neighborhoods, but the deals may be too good for some buyers to pass up.
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  PIRATE BAY IS ENEMY NO. 1

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 4:16pm MST

  One day after a massive online protest against proposed new anti-piracy laws, federal agents shut down Megaupload, a popular hub for illegal file sharing.
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  U.S. closes investigation into Volt fires

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 3:53pm MST

  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed its investigation into a possible fire risk in Chevrolet Volt cars after finding little risk of fires in real-world scenarios, the agency said Friday.
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  Gold: No guaranteed returns

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 1:57pm MST

  I invested in a gold ETF over the past three months and have suffered losses. Should I hold my positions and hope for better days ahead? Or should I cut my losses now? -- S.B.
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  William Shatner's 'Priceline Negotiator' to die

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 1:50pm MST

  It's game over for William Shatner's "Priceline Negotiator." He will be killed in a fiery bus crash in a commercial set to air on Monday.
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  Apple textbook domination? Not so fast.

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 1:47pm MST

  FORTUNE -- At yesterday's Apple event in New York City's Guggenheim Museum, senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller was quick to point out how education has been at the core of the company since the beginning. But announcing a revamped iBooks program (as well as the launch of the iBooks Author and iTunes U apps) will do more than just affect how students learn arithmetic. It has the potential to change the math for all of educational publishing. A detail overlooked by most, yesterday's event centered on K-12 books, a category that reported $5.51 billion in net sales in 2010, according to data provided by the Association of American Publishers. Because of the way electronic titles are bundled with other course materials, it's not possible to calculate how heavily e-books weigh into K-12 sales. But by comparison, net revenue for higher education publishing for 2010 was $4.55 billion, with $570 million coming from digital sales, a 70% increase over 2008 during which print saw only a 16% lift. While it would seem safe to assume that the K-12 textbook market experienced a similar digital adoption rate, there is a fundamental difference between the two schooling systems as it applies to book sales: In higher education, students buy material (and computers) for themselves, while at the lower grade levels, publishers sell courseware packages direct to school districts, which also purchase computers for their classrooms.
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  A world in chaos? That may be a good thing.

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 1:25pm MST

  Too much is happening in the world. Politically, economically, and culturally momentous news is occurring on every continent seemingly every day, and it's overwhelming for the hapless citizen striving to stay on top of it all. If you want to impose order on the chaos, at least in your own mind, here's a suggestion: Just remember a, b, c, d. Four large, interrelated forces are driving the action globally, and they conveniently begin with those letters.
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  Kia recalling 146,000 cars for faulty airbags

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 11:06am MST

  Kia has announced the recall of nearly 146,000 vehicles with faulty airbag systems. The models affected are the 2006-2008 Kia Optima and the 2007-2008 Kia Rondo. Due to a flawed spring system that may become damaged over time, the driver's side airbag in these cars may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a recall alert.
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  Doctors living on loans

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 10:58am MST

  Government-backed loans to doctors have surged more than 10-fold in the past decade, a trend industry insiders say is a red flag that doctors in America are in financial distress.
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  6 things that will cost you less in 2012

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 10:54am MST

  Even though it may seem as if everything is getting more expensive these days, there are a few exceptions. From wine to tablet computers, here are some of the purchases you'll pay less for this year.
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  Anonymous is a nuisance, not a threat

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 10:37am MST

  Anonymous has struck again.
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  Inside the mind of Sergio Marchionne

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 10:33am MST

  In 2008, Mitt Romney wrote a New York Times op-ed titled "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt." He argued then that if the auto companies got a bailout, "you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye." Lately, however, the Republican frontrunner has begun to favorably compare the government-imposed structured bankruptcies to his work at Bain Capital. "What the president has done overseeing GM and Chrysler has been reminiscent of what people in the private equity industry do," he said a few days ago in South Carolina. "To try and save the business, you have to cut back to a core that matches the revenue of the business."
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  Mangia! Investors eat up food stocks - The Buzz

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 10:31am MST

  They say that food, water, clothing and shelter are the most basic of human needs.
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  SOPA, PIPA postponed indefinitely after protests

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:37am MST

  When the entire Internet gets angry, Congress takes notice. Both the House and the Senate on Friday backed away from a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills, tossing them into limbo and throwing doubt on their future viability.
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  Home sales continue to improve

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:20am MST

  Home sales ended a difficult year on a high note, resulting in a gain in full-year sales volume.
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  Iran oil to be sanctioned by Europe Monday

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:14am MST

  The European Union will announce tough new sanction on Iran's oil industry Monday.
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  Rupert Murdoch tweet: Carried interest a 'racket'

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:09am MST

  News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch would like private equity fund managers to pay higher taxes.
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  Building a business with unwanted customers

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:09am MST

  FORTUNE -- Diego Cobo was trying hard not to cry when he returned to his family in the waiting area at the dentist's office. The three-year-old just had just had a cavity filled, and it hurt. "Maybe you shouldn't eat so many candies," his mom said to him. Diego thought for a minute, then pointed to the teeth on the side of his mouth that wasn't numb with Novocaine, and said, "Maybe I can eat candies with these teeth?" If Diego is like the majority of patients at Newark, N.J.-based Dental Kidz, he will be back soon enough with more cavities. Dental Kidz targets patients on Medicaid and other subsidized health care. The practice is jointly owned by husband-and-wife team Chris and Lezli Harvell -- he handles everything outside of the clinic, and she's a dentist.
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  9 remodeling tips to make your home feel bigger

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:07am MST

  You don't have to be underwater on your mortgage to feel trapped in your home.
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  Zombie brands: Life after bankruptcy

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:07am MST

  When companies die, the underlying brands often live on. Here's a look at the fate of Circuit City, Kodak, Sharper Image and five others.
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  Bank investors better get used to low returns

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 8:35am MST

  Reduced risk has translated into a return on shareholder's equity that's more akin to a sleepy regulated utility than a top investment firm.
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  A year of transition for Microsoft and Intel

  Posted: January 20th, 2012, 8:10am MST

  Intel and Microsoft helped usher in the era of personal computers. Now the two companies are reinventing themselves in an industry where PCs are no longer the primary driver of innovation and growth.