Business & Markets - Business - BostonHerald.com

Thumbs down for Deval Patrick

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:53:09 -0500

A majority of Bay State voters say Gov. Deval Patrick has mishandled the state's economy, according to a poll released this morning. The Suffolk University/7 News...

Harvard historian sees banks, China dragging down U.S.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:48:22 -0500

Harvard economic historian Niall Ferguson, whose "The Ascent of Money" book and TV series traced the world's financial system, last night painted a pessimistic...

Brigham's closes Boston restaurant

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:16:29 -0500

It's the ultimate economic meltdown. Brigham's Ice Cream on High Street served its last banana split, Buffalo wings and chicken fingers yesterday as the shop...

The Ticker

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:21:59 -0500

Altus liquidates Waltham-based Altus Pharmaceuticals Inc. filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, after winding down drug development and selling off equipment in recent weeks. Lowell...

Stocks rise as dollar continues to dictate trading

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:28:09 -0500

NEW YORK - Another weak day for the dollar and upbeat economic news from China gave investors more reason to keep buying stocks. A drop in the dollar lifted gold and oil...

Applied Materials to cut 1,300 to 1,500 jobs

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:35:18 -0500

SANTA CLARA, California - Applied Materials is laying off 1,300 to 1,500 people over the next year and a half to cut costs as the company grapples with a downturn in business. The...

US risks following Japan's example of stagnancy

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:33:51 -0500

WASHINGTON - Heavy government stimulus spending and near-zero interest rates did little to end a "lost decade" of stagnation and mushrooming debt in Japan. Some...

Dummy perched on billboard draws complaints

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 14:00:02 -0500

The tight rope act is over for a mannequin balancing on an Interstate 93 billboard after 9-1-1 operators started fielding calls from people who thought they were looking at...

Volunteering for duty

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:26:52 -0500

His home has just been painted a crisp Colonial blue and his windows sparkle, but it's a bittersweet Veterans Day for John MacPherson, a South Boston native and World...

Friendly Toast at risk of closure

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:48:49 -0500

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - While many restaurants are struggling, most restaurateurs don't talk about their woes until they suddenly close, but the owner of The Friendly Toast...

Report: Mass. federal stimulus jobs inflated

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:37:42 -0500

BOSTON - A new review has found that the number of jobs created or saved by federal stimulus money in Massachusetts has been greatly exaggerated. The Boston Globe reports...

The Ticker

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:37:32 -0500

Citizens Legacy Citizens Bank will take 50,000 square feet of office and retail space at Legacy Place in Dedham. It will be the bank's hub for consumer...

Eric Rosengren: Big banks need to build big reserves

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12:33 -0500

Boston Federal Reserve chief Eric Rosengren, speaking yesterday in London, said that, despite the danger posed when financial institutions get "too big to fail,"...

Deal nets $4M for victims

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:11:41 -0500

One of the nation's largest independent broker-dealers, National Planning Corp., has agreed to pay about $4 million to Massachusetts investors who were sold speculative...

Study: 'Green' jobs surge limited

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:06:22 -0500

The emerging "clean energy" industry won't be a major engine of economic growth over coming years, experts warn, contradicting Gov. Deval Patrick's past...

Experts see Mass. layoffs

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:05:31 -0500

The Massachusetts economy will likely lose tens of thousands of jobs before a recovery takes hold next year, economists warned yesterday. The New England Economic Partnership's...

KBR, Halliburton sued over toxic 'burn pits'

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:03:30 -0500

Two Massachusetts veterans are suing KBR Inc. and Halliburton Co., claiming the companies "poisoned" them and at least 100,000 other soldiers and contractors in...

Two Mass. Guardsmen sue Halliburton, KBR over toxic exposure

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:56:21 -0500

Two members of the Massachusetts Army National Guard are suing KBR Inc. and Halliburton Co., claiming the government contractors "poisoned" them and at least 100,000...

Settlement falls through in Blackwater civil suit

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:55:52 -0500

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A settlement in a civil suit against the government contractor once known as Blackwater has apparently fallen apart after a plaintiff's lawyer said...

Stocks zigzag after rally as the dollar rises

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:39:33 -0500

NEW YORK - Investors cooled their buying of stocks and commodities, pausing from a surge that carried major stock indexes to their highest levels in more than a year. Stocks...

Job openings remain close to record-lows

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:17:41 -0500

WASHINGTON - Job openings are at rock-bottom levels, according to government and private surveys released today, a trend that could keep the unemployment rate high even as...

Former GM manager pleads guilty in aluminum fraud

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:05:11 -0500

CHICAGO - A former General Motors manager has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and tax evasion, admitting he took $6.5 million in kickbacks in the sale of hundreds of millions...

US busts ATM hacking ring accused of stealing $9M

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:02:00 -0500

ATLANTA - Federal authorities say they've cracked a sophisticated computer hacking ring that stole more than $9 million within 12 hours last November, securing indictments...

For now, 'illegal' Apple billboard dropped

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:06:09 -0500

A controversial Apple billboard has come down, leaving many questions and some large whales in its wake. This weekend, Planet Storage on Traveler Street removed its iPod...

Local brewer raises a glass, money for son's Marine regiment

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:02:59 -0500

WESTPORT - When the Marines toast their proud history tonight at Boston's Seaport Hotel, they'll celebrate with a new brew, courtesy of Westport's Bill Russell,...