TIME.com Top Business Stories

Toyota's Safety Problems: A Checkered History

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

For decades Toyota and U.S. Government agencies have been negotiating over a growing list of safety issues. This is a history of major events pertaining to Toyota's acceleration-related problems

Music Company EMI's Debt Load Makes Survival Doubtful

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

EMI, the world's fourth largest record company, is on the verge of financial ruin after announcing losses of $2.5 billion last year. Can the venerable musicmaker survive?

Thain, Merrill Lynch Execs Find Top Jobs on Wall Street

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

John Thain is the latest ex-Merrill Lynch executive to land a high-profile, high-paying job. Across the financial landscape, former Merrill execs are sitting pretty -- an ironic twist for a firm that almost went belly up

Banking: Should Wall Street Cease Proprietary Trading?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

President Obama and adviser Paul Volcker are calling for banks to stop engaging in proprietary trading. Is this smart? Is it even possible?

Spain's Troubled Economy: Fears Over Euro Zone Outlook

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Spain is in trouble. It's the only major world economy still in recession, and its rising deficit is sparking concerns that it could bring down the entire euro zone

From Comcast to Xfinity: Does Name Change Conjure Porn?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Cable giant Comcast is changing the name of its core products to Xfinity. Does the new name convey cutting-edge innovation or pornography?

Facebook's Doppelganger Week Is Viral Groupthink

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Posting your celebrity twin is the latest ill-advised viral fad to take over the popular social-networking site

Amazon Earnings Up, Outlook Bright Despite New Threats

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Blockbuster earnings and a nimble response to market trends keep online retailer Amazon in favor on Wall Street, even as competitive threats grow

U.S. Looks to China Economy for Resilience in Recession

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Americans are taking the wrong message from Asia's economic success. Heavy-handed state control isn't the future; increasingly, it's on the way out

Toyota Recalls: Prius Problems Add to Quality Woes

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Model recalls, repairs and a chiding from Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood all point to a precipitous decline in Toyota's fortunes. But some saw this day coming many years ago

Pepsi Skips Super Bowl TV Advertising for Social Media

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

For the first time in nearly a quarter-century, Pepsi won't run a Super Bowl advertisement, choosing instead to focus on a social-media campaign. Can a brand now afford to skip the big game?

German Bank-Data Deal Angers Swiss Over Secrecy Laws

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

The German government has agreed to pay a reported $3.5 million for stolen bank details of some 1,500 suspected tax evaders, a move that some warn couldlead to a black market for personal electronic data

Which Automakers Benefit from Toyota's Car Recall?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Honda looks like the big winner from Toyota's accelerator recall

Europe Debt on Rise; Greece Scrambles to Lower Deficit

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Across the European Union, governments are borrowing more to drag their economies out of recession, putting the entire bloc in financial peril and bringing euro-zone countries Greece and Spain close to default

A Former Goldman Sachs Partner on Wall Street Regulation

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Roy Smith, a finance professor at New York University and a former Goldman Sachs partner, believes that Washington and regulators need to intervene to make financial markets safer

America's Business Law Protects International Crime

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Lax state laws of incorporation allow shell companies to operate freely in the U.S., helping the Russian mafia, drug cartels, and still, even some terrorists.

Apple iPad Shortcomings Spark Questions About Updates

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

If the Apple iPad really wants to be a device that you might take on a business trip instead of the laptop, it's going to need a little more document-centrism

Is GDP An Obsolete Measure of Progress?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Most economists are cheering the 5.7% GDP growth rate estimated for the U.S. 4th quarter. But increasingly people are asking whether there's a more holistic way to measure a nation's growth

Weighing a Proposal of Tax Credits for Hiring Workers

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

In President Obama's State of the Union address, he mentioned a proposal to offer tax credits to businesses that hire workers. It sounds promising -- and expensive -- but would it really work?

Retail Experts Foresee More Shoppers Seeking More Sales

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

With the stock market up from its lows and federal stimulus programs proceeding apace, some retail experts foresee rising sales, though mostly for discounters

Apple iPad Tablet: Steve Jobs Unveils Visionary Computer

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

Publishers see the Apple iPad tablet as a savior. Will consumers feel the same way?

AIG Bailout: Geithner Defends Payments at House Hearing

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

In bailing out AIG, the U.S. government paid AIG's counterparties far more than their securities were worth. But new documents reveal that the counterparties might have accepted less

India vs. China: Which Economy Is Better After Recession?

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:25:00 EST

China grabs the headlines, but India may be the real Asian success story of the Great Recession