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Hipmunk's dazzling new view of flight search
Adam Goldstein was a whiz-kid MIT engineering student with an enviable network of tech contacts and a decade of industry experience. He also had a lofty dream: To reinvent Internet flight search.
Feeling flush: Virginia's budget surplus doubles
Most states were forced to slash expenses to end the year with a balanced budget, but severe cuts and better-than-expected revenue collections allowed a few lucky states to welcome surprise surpluses.
Intel's McAfee buy is a Buffett-like play
Intel's $7.7 billion purchase of security company McAfee makes plenty of financial sense, but it's a head-scratcher from a technology standpoint.
BP accused of stonewalling by drilling partner
Transocean, the company that owned the ill-fated drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico, lashed out at well owner BP Thursday, accusing the oil giant of stonewalling the investigation into the Gulf disaster.
Eli Lilly's patent problem
In 2009, Eli Lilly CEO John Lechleiter introduced a new drug development strategy called the Development Center of Excellence. The center's mission is to help target funding towards projects that were going to produce drugs soon, which Lilly desperately needs. The problem is, science doesn't generally bend to the will of CEOs or planning documents. And Lilly's plan cries out of a company racing to crank out a blockbuster and staring down competition from newly merged, super-sized competition.
California close to issuing IOUs - again
California is once again running out of money and may have to issue IOUs within a few weeks.
Sales taxes are highest in...
Tennessee has the highest combined state and average local sales tax rate of any U.S. state, at 9.44%, according to a research group's report released Thursday.
CBO offers mixed take on tax cuts and stimulus
If the Bush tax cuts for the majority of Americans are extended, and stimulus spending is allowed to continue, that could boost the economy and help lower unemployment in the near term, the Congressional Budget Office said Thursday.
Can microfinance be both moral and profitable?
There's a debate brewing in the world of do-gooder banking, pitting the father of microfinance Muhammad Yunus against a few entrepreneurs who have put an unlikely spin on Yunus' model of lending to the poor.
Treasury yields slip after disappointing jobs data
Treasury yields slid Thursday after a report from the government showed a surprise jump in initial jobless claims to the highest level in nine months.
Will the next pop be the bond bubble bursting?
Question: I'm within five years of retirement and currently have about 35% of my investments in bond funds. With rising interest rates a likely scenario, how do I stay diversified without exposing myself to a "bond bubble"? -- John Clay, East Helena, Montana
Stealth job hunting
With nearly 1 in 10 Americans out of work, most of us who are employed these days feel lucky just to have a job. But what if you sense impending layoffs? Or you're just flat-out miserable with your current gig?
Stocks drop on trifecta of bad reports
Investors were hit with a triple whammy of bad economic news Thursday: manufacturing still stinks, more people are jobless and confidence in the future is less than hoped.
What your kids learned from the crash
Recently I asked my 20-year-old daughter what she had learned about money during the Great Recession. I half expected her to say, "Nothing, Dad. Can we skip the teachable moment?"
Taxpayers on the hook for $3 trillion in pensions
Even if the costly state pension system undergoes reform, taxpayers could get stuck with a hefty bill.
'Just a bad trend' - 500,000 jobless claims
A government report Thursday brought bad news for workers and the economy: The number of unemployed Americans seeking a financial lifeline has reached its highest level in nine months.
Intel looks for security in $7.7 billion McAfee deal
Intel Corp., the world's largest chipmaker, said Thursday it has agreed to acquire security software maker McAfee for $7.68 billion.
Car Czar: Billions lost with GM is 'best stimulus around'
General Motors, fresh off two profitable quarters, is planning a public offering expected to raise as much as $16 billion. Does this mean election-year vindication for President Obama's much-maligned decision to take control of the Detroit automaker?
Fastest-Growing's rising stars
If you're looking for the future of American business, our annual list of the 100 Fastest-Growing Companies isn't a bad place to start. Of course, as they say on Wall Street, past performance doesn't guarantee future results. But every year companies like Genentech and Starbucks appear on this list before moving on to bigger and better things.
Fastest-Growing's rising stars: DG Fastchannel
Tinker Bell soars across my laptop screen in three dimensions, does a full somersault, emits a shower of sparkles, and then zooms straight toward me at unnerving speed. This online promo for Disney's theme parks reached me courtesy of DG Fastchannel (No. 16), a company that delivers digital advertising for a living.