OPINION

Taking his private equity firm public paid off big for Blackstone Group LP's Stephen Schwarzman, who became the top-paid chief executive in the United States last year, a title he is likely to retain for some time, according to an analysis released on Thursday.

Who is the Pay Czar?; IOUs to End; Top Paid Exec

Retail Bumps, Foreclosure Record, Magna's

Fed Decision at 2:15 p.m.; Huge Tax Case Settled; Biggest IPO This Year

Soros Calls Bottom; Madoff Partner Charged, Cost of Using GM's Volt?

Obama Attacks Health Firms; Madoff's Accomplice?; VMware's Big Grab

Cuts=Productivity; Clinching a Big Insurer Deal, 230 miles per gallon

Bonus saga not over, New Test for GM, Hedge Insiders

It's Ending but When?; Shaky Wall St; Phone Giant Winds Down

Jon & Kate Plus 8 star Kate Gosselin tells TODAY's Meredith Vieira that she is coping with the breakup of her 10 year marriage to estranged husband Jon.

Recession is Ending, Rio's Toll, Nortel Dismantling

Fed Treads Carefully, Old Ads Meet New, Details Stall Tax Deal

Investors heartened, Obama's 'true recovery,' Employers cutting less jobs

Recovery more certain, AIG soars, No final tax deal

Jobs look up, Greenberg's fine, Blackstone's loss

Jobs situation looks better, Britain 'prints' more cash, 'Clunkers' Day of Truth

Recovery worries, Electric injection, Network doldrums

Economy worries, Loan demand up, Ratings rejection

House shopping growing, Layoffs to grow, Consumer profit slides

Consumers Spending More, GM's Thumbs Up, Clunkers Go!

'Flashes' under the gun, Opel Talks Advance, Bigger Spenders

Bank of America to Pay, Citi chips, Apple's Google Goodbye,

BofA Charged, Google CEO, Apple Split, Ford's Fortune

'Clunkers' boosts sales, UBS Soars, HSBC slips

'Clunkers' Hope, Housing's Double Dip? Stocks Watch

Rebates Rushed, Economy May Soon Recover, Tax Row Near End

Economy stabilizing, Tax Row Deal, Chevron's plunge

Yahoo Gets Hard Look, Cumo's Bank Critique, Exxon Earns Less Billions

Stocks Rebound, Exxon's Profit Sinks, MasterCard Beats