top news / Business
China in huge Venezuela oil dealVenezuela announces a $16bn deal with China for oil exploration in the Orinoco river, after a similar agreement with Russia.
BBC Thursday, September 17, 2009Treating New Hires as Independent Contractors (The Tax Guy)Cost savings are on top of any
business owner’s mind these days. And even if the business is doing so well that you need to expand your staff, you may be terrified of all the obligations that go along with hiring a full-time employee. I don’t blame you. One solution: Hire an independent contractor. Unfortunately, the
government hates the idea of independent contractors and the IRS has been skirmishing with taxpayers for decades about the so-
called worker classification issue. Here’s what you need to know to avoid problems. Why worker classification matters When a worker is classified as a “common law employee,” your business generally must withhold federal income tax (FIT) and the employee’s half of
social Security and Medicare taxes from the worker’s wages. Your business must also pay the employer’s half of Social Security and Medicare taxes, pay federal unemployment tax (FUTA), file federal payroll tax returns, and follow tons of burde
Smart Money Thursday, September 17, 20093 Stocks That Have Tripled This Year (Screens)Suppose you look at some basic numbers on a stock and find plenty of promising signs. Sales and profits are growing quickly and the company’s managers earn an excellent return on the capital they invest. The stock’s valuation is a touch higher than you’d like, but still reasonable considering the company’s growth potential. You like everything you see—until you realize that the stock price has more than doubled since January. Which
should you do? 1) Disregard the stock, since you already missed out on the big gains.2) Favor the stock even more, since it has plenty of momentum.3) Keep the stock in mind, but wait for a pullback. 4) The answer depends on the type of stock, and the state of the broad market. No. 3 might sound like the best choice, but the evidence says No. 2 is better. Personally, I’d keep No. 4 in mind, too. A landmark study on momentum investing published in 1993 showed that stocks that have recently soared tend to continue be
Smart Money Thursday, September 17, 2009Banks, GE Lead Stocks UpThe Dow industrials surged 108 points as major indexes continued to trade at the best levels since last fall. Gold jumped to
nearly $1019.
Wall Street Journal Thursday, September 17, 2009Bond Buyer Regulators Challenge RatersRegulators of some of the
biggest bond buyers in the world are considering cutting
credit-ratings firms' role in the market in response to botched ratings of complicated mortgage securities.
Wall Street Journal Thursday, September 17, 2009Commodities Lift Asian MarketsAsian share markets were higher Thursday, with resource and energy stocks
getting a boost from strength in metals and crude oil prices. Japan's Nikkei 225 was up 0.9%.
Wall Street Journal Thursday, September 17, 2009A More Optimistic BunchSmall-
business owners are regaining their optimism. After a spring spent in the dumps, now a majority expect
business prospects to improve over the next 12 months, even though they're not as high on the
economy as a whole.
Portfolio Thursday, September 17, 2009The Power of Pond ScumLos Alamos has come up with a process for coaxing oil from algae. Now Solix Biofuels hopes to turn the process to profit.
Portfolio Thursday, September 17, 2009What's a Green Job?Austin, Texas, like many other communities, is taken with the idea of creating green jobs. And money is rolling in to do that. But first, the city has to figure out what, exactly, green jobs are, and how to train a workforce for them.
Portfolio Thursday, September 17, 2009Daniels' dream on a knife edge as EU-led break-up of Lloyds loomsA YEAR to the day after the terms of the takeover of HBOS by Lloyds TSB were
announced, Lloyds chief
executive Eric Daniels is battling with the European
commission to maintai
Scotsman Thursday, September 17, 2009 1 2 3 4 5
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