Year after IPO, Facebook aims to be ad colossus
By The Associated PressNEW YORK — The IPO arrived, and it flopped. Facebook’s stock finished its first day of trading just 23 cents higher than its $38 IPO price. It hasn’t been that high since. Amid the hype and excitement surrounding Facebook’s stock market debut a year ago, there were doubts. Investors wondered …
Americans fail to find jobs as firms hire foreigners
By Seattle TimesSEATTLE — Last year, Mitchell Erickson earned what he believed would be his ticket to a lucrative new career: a bachelor’s degree in computer science and software engineering from the University of Washington, Bothell. Erickson, a former community-college philosophy instructor, …
Idaho spud giant bets on biotech potatoes
By The Associated PressBOISE, Idaho — A dozen years after a customer revolt forced Monsanto to ditch its genetically engineered potato, an Idaho company aims to resurrect high-tech spuds. This month, tuber processing giant J.R. Simplot Co. asked the government to approve five …
As yen falls, so does cost of products from Japan
By The Associated PressJapanese goods are getting more affordable. For consumers worldwide — and for Japan’s economy — it’s welcome news. Credit Japan’s drive to pump cash into its economy to stimulate growth. The extra money flooding its financial system is helping shrink …
Pa. jobless rate declines as fewer look for work
By Alex NixonThe state’s unemployment rate improved in April, but economists said Pennsylvania’s economy remains weak. The seasonally adjusted jobless rate dipped to 7.6 percent last month, down three-tenths of a percentage point from 7.9 percent in March, according to a monthly …
PPG Corning bankruptcy plan receives preliminary approval
By Timothy PukoHundreds of thousands of cancer and asbestos victims whose claims against Pittsburgh Corning Corp. have been mired in bankruptcy court for 13 years may have to wait months — or even years — before they receive a payout from a …
Government OKs Texas LNG plan
By The Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Energy Department on Friday conditionally approved a Texas company’s proposal to export liquefied natural gas, only the second such project allowed to move forward amid a production boom that has led to a glut of domestic natural …
Stocks charge higher on hopeful economic reports
By The Associated PressNEW YORK — Encouraging news about the economy extended the stock market’s rally on Friday. Small company stocks rose the most, a sign that investors are taking on more risk. Two companies soared in their stock market debuts in the …
Bloomberg appoints ex-IBM CEO as privacy adviser
By The Associated PressBloomberg LP, the financial news and information service, said it’s appointing Samuel Palmisano, the former CEO of IBM, as an independent adviser on its privacy and data standards. Last week it was revealed that Bloomberg journalists had access to information …
Study: Retirees face declining standard of living
By The Los Angeles TimesThe retirement crisis is deepening, with recent generations of Americans less financially prepared for their golden years than their parents or grandparents, according to a new study. The study by the Pew Charitable Trusts suggests that people who retire in …
‘Sonic’ to join Nintendo lineup
By The Associated PressSonic the Hedgehog is rolling with Nintendo. Sega said it will exclusively release the next three games starring the popular blue critter on Nintendo platforms. The first title will be called “Sonic Lost World” and is set for release on …
Graduates hope for pomp and jobs
By The Atlanta Journal-constitutionAs strains of “Pomp and Circumstance” drift from college campuses this month, odds are improving that new graduates’ next stop will not be their parents’ basements. Hiring isn’t strong, but it looks better than it has since the economy tipped …
Auto safety advances through the decades
By Larry PrintzIt’s hard to imagine, but most items on the long list of safety features offered on modern cars were developed only in the past 50 years. In the early days of the automobile, just getting cars to run reliably was …
Sensors can develop faulty connections
By Brad BergholdtQ I have a 2001 Subaru Forester S, which has slightly less than 60,000 miles on the meter. This has been a great car; I have had little to no trouble with it. Lately, however, the “check engine” lamp turns …
Turbo makes stealthy, spirited Buick Verano
By The Associated PressThe 2013 Buick Verano Turbo is a stealth car. It looks pretty and rides comfortably. But stomp on the accelerator, and this newest Verano sedan takes off. A full 250 horses come out of the turbocharged four cylinder under the …
Federal regulators say Consol can reopen fire-stricken mine
By Timothy PukoConsol Energy Inc. will reopen its Blacksville No. 2 Mine on the Pennsylvania-West Virginia border on Monday, but federal investigators doubt they’ll learn what caused a fire there, officials said Thursday. Cecil-based Consol began safety and compliance training at the …
Business Briefs
Roundup: Insurance regulators fine Highmark $50,000; Transocean shareholders oust chairman; more
By Staff and WiresInsurance regulators fine Highmark $50K Highmark Inc. was fined $50,000 by the state Insurance Department for minor violations relating to denying claims. The state’s largest health insurer disputed most of the findings of the department’s Market Conduct Examination, but said …
Business Columnists
Jack Markowitz
Don’t try to pin down Andree Pruett’s age. “I’m not young and I’m not old,” she chuckled by long-distance. But …
John Browne
Sell in May” is an old stock market maxim. It has long been respected, as it has proved profitable. On …
John Dorfman
Is it an honor to belong to the Do Nothing Club? That’s a trick question. I started the “club” in …
Chris Posti
Some time ago, I was summoned to a panicked business owner’s office to discuss his urgent need for employee training …
Kim Komando
Do you know every Google search you’ve ever performed is stored on the search giant’s servers? And that data is …
Andrea Kay
Parents of young people graduating from college ask me constantly what their kids can do to get a job. Frankly, …
Real Estate
Sales might speed bidders’ pulses
By John AltdorferA 1950s antique auto and a more-modern set of wheels should rev up the BPM — that’s bids per minute — at two local auction …
