BUSINESS

JumpTime, a Los-Angeles based technology company, has hired media veteran Elizabeth Osder as SVP of Strategy & Business Development.

U.S. solar installations soared nearly 40 percent in the third quarter and are likely to be even higher in the current period, though 2011 overall will lag expectations slightly due to a decline in state incentives.

This is the second in TheWrap's series of Studio Report Cards.PARAMOUNT:Grade: A-

Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) is buying a stake in Saudi Arabia-based beverage company Aujan Industries for $980 million in what is seen as a bid to catch up with rival PepsiCo Inc (PEP.N) in the Middle East.

Two weeks after MF Global's collapse, officials from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission briefed Senate staff on the brokerage firm's final days. When asked about reports that the brokerage firm had written checks that bounced when customers tried to cash them, the regulators had an admission that surprised the room: they didn't know about the bad checks.

Spain's Telefonica SA trimmed its planned 2012 dividend on Wednesday in a move to keep its debt under control as the telecoms group battles sluggish economic growth in its home market and uncertainty in Europe.

An eight-year growth spurt for the U.S. aerospace industry appears set to end in 2012, the industry's chief trade group said Wednesday.

Political turmoil in the euro zone is undermining the ability of computer-driven trading systems to cope with volatile market sentiment, challenging the rocket scientists who create them to seek new ways to guarantee returns.

Stocks declined Wednesday as a fall in commodity prices sparked a selloff in the energy and materials sectors and as a falling euro and high Italian bond yields kept Europe's debt crisis in focus.

The Japanese government has delayed a formal announcement on its choice of a next-generation fighter jet until December 20, according to two sources familiar with the process, but Lockheed Martin Corp's radar-evading F-35 is still expected to get the order.

Goldman Sachs resumed coverage on the U.S. Internet sector, saying it presented an attractive investment idea as revenue growth at some Web-based companies would likely outpace consensus expectations.

U.S. stocks fell on Wednesday with traders focused on a sliding euro and rising Italian bond yields as market anxiety over Europe persisted.

Online gaming firm Nexon Co slipped on its trading debut on Wednesday following a $1.2 billion IPO, Japan's biggest this year, and may signal a bumpy ride for U.S.-based rival Zynga, which debuts on Nasdaq later this week.

Germany's chancellor and central banker urged Europe to stick to stricter budget discipline and forget about one-shot solutions after financial markets judged that another EU summit had failed to resolve the euro zone's debt crisis.

The sovereign debt crisis crippling the euro zone still threatens other developed economies, leaving Britain and Japan teetering on the edge of recession but with the United States seen several paces away from a slump, a Reuters poll found.

Pressure mounted on Wednesday for the European Central Bank to intervene more decisively after financial markets judged that yet another EU summit had failed to resolve the euro zone's debt crisis.

China's plan for a new $300 billion sovereign wealth fund is as much a warning to Washington as it is a body blow to Brussels.

Europe's no pain no gain attitude to solving its sovereign crisis risks exacerbating the bloc's problems, choking off the very growth needed to raise the money to pay down the debt.

Stock index futures fell in light Wednesday trading, pressured by a decline in the euro and by rising Italian bond yields as market anxiety over Europe persisted.

Italy paid a euro era record yield of 6.47 percent to sell five-year paper at its first auction of longer-term debt after the EU moved towards greater fiscal integration at last week's summit, but failed to convince markets it can solve the debt crisis.

The looming new year may well bring as much financial turbulence as tumultuous 2011 but global investors reckon panic is no longer an option and just protecting your money will require taking on at least some risk.

China pledged to guarantee growth in the face of an extremely grim outlook for the global economy in 2012, rounding off its annual policy-setting conference on Wednesday with a series of commitments to deliver economic stability.

The euro hit an 11-month low against the dollar and stocks eased on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve warned Europe's sovereign debt crisis could hurt the U.S. economy but failed to signal fresh action to stimulate growth.

Asian shares drifted lower and the euro idled near an 11-month low on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve failed to take any new steps to stimulate growth and offset the chilling effects of Europe's still-unresolved sovereign debt crisis.

China will maintain prudent monetary and proactive fiscal policies in 2012, the official Xinhua news agency said as the country's top economic policy-setting conference closed its annual meeting on Wednesday.

A federal appeals court on Tuesday revived a class-action lawsuit against Oracle Corp, basing its ruling on a state court decision that employers in California must pay nonresident workers for overtime work performed in the state.

Morgan Stanley agreed to give up insurance claims against MBIA Inc in exchange for a $1.1 billion payment from the ailing insurer, ending a two-year legal fight over guarantees on mortgage bonds.

Jive Software Inc's shares soared in their market debut as investors look to cash in on the immense popularity of social media offerings on the backdrop of upcoming IPOs like those of Facebook and Zynga.

Third Point LLC, an activist shareholder in Yahoo Inc, expressed fresh concern on Tuesday that the Internet company is looking at a sweetheart deal with private equity that could entrench founder Jerry Yang and the current board.