Conditions set for merger of Ticketmaster, Live Nation

LOS ANGELES—Both U.S. and Canadian governments have imposed major conditions upon Live Nation and Ticketmaster in approving the companies’ merger.
Shares in both companies jumped in trading Monday after reports surfaced earlier that the merger would be approved.
Included in the settlement is a requirement that Ticketmaster would have to license its ticketing software to competitor AEG […]

U.S. retailer targets Canada

The much-loved “cheap-chic” discount chain, Target Corp., referred to by fans as "Tar-Jay," says it has Canada in its sights as part of a future international expansion plan.
Like many U.S. retailers, Target is mulling a move outside its home market after sales and profits took a nosedive in the past year.
The announcement comes years after […]

Olive: We’ve paid heavy price for unfettered capitalism

The new year has barely begun and already one of 2010s most important analyses of economics has appeared.
It’s John Cassidy’s rather brave confrontation with the so-called "Chicago School" of neo-con economists, whose free-market doctrines laid the groundwork for the epic global financial crisis we’ve just endured.
We have paid a heavy price for the […]

Foreclosure experts meet, debate strategies

JEFFERSON CITY — Foreclosures are running at an all-time high. And few think that will change any time soon.
So what do you do about them?
That was the subject of a conference here Thursday, where dozens of foreclosure counselors and experts from across the state gathered to talk about ways to try to […]

Stocks churn as results start to pour in

Stocks seesawed Monday as investors eyed a weak dollar, higher commodity prices and a selloff in technology shares ahead of the start of the quarterly reporting period, which began after the closing bell with Alcoa.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 46 points, or 0.4%. The S&P 500 index (SPX) added 2 points, or […]

Auto execs: Still too many plants

The U.S. auto industry has been decimated in recent years by a rash of plant closings. But according to a survey of top industry executives, more shutdowns could be on the way.
The survey, conducted annually by accounting firm KPMG, found that 88% of top industry executives thought there is still too much capacity at […]

Daw: Worse losses may lie ahead for U.S. stocks

The past decade has been brutal for Canadian investors who doggedly held on to the top 500 U.S. stocks.
Even after last year’s government-orchestrated economic recovery, and after tallying up dividends, they would have lost about a third of the money they invested at the end of 1999.
Last year, and the first day of trading this […]

Consumer confidence in 2nd straight boost

A key measure of consumer confidence rose for a second straight month in December, a research group said Tuesday, with outlook for the next few months reaching a 2-year high.
The Conference Board, a New York-based research group, said its Consumer Confidence Index rose to 52.9 in December, from an upwardly revised 50.6 in November.
Economists […]