Industries

Retail LBOs are Back as Credit Freeze Abates, Buyout Firms Executives Say Private-equity firms looking to buy retail and consumer companies said they’re now able to finance deals and pay reasonable prices after the credit crisis and global recession triggered a buyout slump.

Apple Will Start Taking Orders for IPad Today at 5:30 a.m. California Time Apple Inc. will begin taking pre- orders for its iPad multimedia tablet computer today at 5:30 a.m. California time.

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Crude Oil Futures Fluctuate as Retail Sales Gain, Consumer Sentiment Drops Crude oil fluctuated after U.S. retail sales unexpectedly rose in February and a separate report showed that confidence among U.S. consumers declined this month.

IEA Raises 2010 Crude Oil Demand Estimate on Developing Economies, China The International Energy Agency raised its forecast for global oil demand this year for a second month as fuel consumption in Asia rises more than expected.

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JPMorgan, Citigroup Helped Cause Lehman's Collapse, Examiner's Report Says JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. helped cause the failure of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. by demanding more collateral and changing guarantee agreements, according to a court-ordered report on the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history.

KKR Files to List $2.2 Billion of Its Shares on NYSE, Broadening Ownership KKR & Co., the private-equity firm run by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, filed to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, as it seeks a broader investor base in the U.S.

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Fat Surgery Urged for Obese Kids May Boost Allergan Sales, Trim Liability David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston, was against weight-loss surgery for kids, he says, because it ignored the real problem, a “toxic environment” jammed with junk food.

Genzyme, Third Rock Bet $35 Million on Gene Therapy Developer Genetix Genzyme Inc.’s investment arm and Third Rock Ventures, a Boston venture capital firm, are putting $35 million into closely held Genetix Pharmaceuticals, a gene therapy developer whose technology saved the lives of two French boys with a rare brain disease last year.

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Buffett Gets $100,000 Salary for 29th Year, Still Pays for Own Phone Calls Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. who pays the company for postage and personal phone calls, received a $100,000 salary for a 29th straight year as he arranged a $27 billion acquisition.

AIG Said to Query Bonus Holdouts on 2009 Income in Push for Concessions American International Group Inc.’s effort to reach its commitment of $45 million in bonus concessions are focusing on former employees who have refused to accept reduced payouts, said people with knowledge of the talks.

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House Prices in World's Biggest Markets May Fall Further, IMF Adviser Says House prices in the world’s major economies, which in 2009 were down an average of 5 percent from 2007, may keep dropping, said Prakash Loungani, an adviser to the International Monetary Fund’s research department.

Dubai World Seeks to Separate `Good' Businesses From Underperforming Ones Dubai World, the state-owned holding company restructuring $26 billion in debt, is seeking to separate “good” businesses from underperforming assets as part of its restructuring plan, the head of the city’s airline said.

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Apple Starts Taking Orders for IPad Tablet, Expanding Beyond IPod, IPhone Apple Inc. began taking pre-orders for its iPad multimedia tablet today, seeking to expand sales beyond the iPhone, iPod and Macintosh computer.

Microsoft Xbox Takes U.S. Console-Sales Lead After 2 Years, Surpassing Wii Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 beat Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 last month to become the best-selling video-game console in the U.S. for the first time in more than two years, helped by the release of the “BioShock 2” shooting title.

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Finnair Is in Talks With Norwegian Air on Pact to Squeeze Unprofitable SAS Finnair Oyj is seeking an agreement with Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA that would funnel more passengers onto the Helsinki-based carrier’s long-haul flights, helping win market share from unprofitable rival SAS Group AB.

British Airways Flight Attendants Plan Seven Days of Strikes in Late March British Airways Plc’s 12,000 flight attendants will strike for seven days starting on March 20 after talks about pay and lower staffing levels broke down.

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