IBT Staff Reporter

US market regulator Security and Exchange Commission began examining disclosure rules for privately held companies and whether they need to be rewritten following the recent deals that allowed investors to buy shares in Internet companies like Facebook and Twitter.

Israeli vulture caught and convicted for spying on Saudi Arabian territory, sounds amusing but seems Israel put the scavenging birds to better use than feeding on carcasses.

Intel Corp new Sandy Bridge microchips will yield about a third of its revenue in 2011 and help trigger more than $125 billion in sales for the struggling personal computer industry, Chief Executive Paul Otellini said on Wednesday.

Whether you're watching 2001, Lord of the Rings, Kill Bill, Toy Story 3, or countless other movies, you can watch them in their original aspect ratio and without black bars, the Irvine, California-based Vizio said. The 50 inch and 58 inch class sizes will be available later this year, and the company plans to showcase a 71-inch version too.

The number of U.S. consumers who filed petitions for personal bankruptcy protection grew 9 percent to 1.53 million in 2010 and this could rise as consumers struggle with excess debt in an uncertain economy, according to the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI), an association of attorneys and other bankruptcy professionals, and the National Bankruptcy Research Center (NBKRC).

Stocks advanced on Wednesday as a much stronger-than-expected rise in private sector employment boosted optimism about the outlook for the economy and stocks.

Credit Suisse upgraded Barnes & Noble Inc shares, citing benefits the top U.S. bookstore chain could reap from the woes faced by smaller rival Borders Group Inc , which is meeting with publishers this week to negotiate new payment terms.

With the U.S. market promising little growth in 2011, law firms are looking at emerging markets in Asia and South America for spurring their expansion.

Amazon announced that its Kindle apps will now be available for Android and Windows based tablets as part of its Buy Once, Read Everywhere strategy.

Silver and Gold Prices both unwound the last of late Dec.'s gains in early London trade on Wednesday, retreating to $29.20 and $1370 respectively per ounce on what several analysts called profit taking as world stock markets also fell.

The U.S. employment situation might be seeing better times, according to figures released in the latest ADP Employment Report for December, which showed a rise for the second consecutive month

Four names top the list of potential candidates to succeed Warren Buffett as chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, though finding a replacement for him as Berkshire's investment chief has proved more complicated, Vanity Fair reported in its new issue.

The U.S. non-manufacturing sector grew in December at it fastest pace in more than 4 years, according to an industry report released on Wednesday.

Reports had stated that Microsoft will showcase a slew of tablets running on Windows 7 and Windows 8 manufactured by Dell and Samsung at CES 2011, and part of the forecast has come true, as a UK-based AHX Global launched a Windows-based iTablet.

Retailers have not recouped all of the $1 billion in sales postponed by shoppers as they dug out from last month's East Coast blizzard, research firm ShopperTrak said on Wednesday.

Private employers added 297,000 jobs in December compared with a revised gain of 92,000 in November, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

India’s well-known cricketer Anil Kumble is now turning a sports entrepreneur and is floating his own start-up venture called Tenvic that will focus on providing for sports education and training in mainstream schools across the country.

Private sector jobs surged in December at a rate three times stronger than forecast, a hiring report showed, the most bullish signal in months that a recovery in the world's biggest economy is stepping up a gear.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday as much stronger-than-expected jobs data boosted optimism about the labor market and the economic recovery.

Toymaker Mattel Inc agreed to license some of its top brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price, to THQ Inc for use in its video games for a variety of gaming platforms.

Time Warner and two U.S. private equity funds are on a shortlist of potential buyers for assets belonging to Dogan Yayin , Turkey's biggest media group, sources familiar with the deal said on Wednesday.

Toshiba Corp will begin selling large-screen glasses-free 3D television sets in fiscal 2011 and plans to start marketing the groundbreaking devices beyond its home turf of Japan, executives said on Tuesday.

Nissan North America, Inc today reported record December U.S. sales of 93,730 units versus 73,404 units a year earlier, an increase of 27.7 percent. Nissan Division sales were up 26.3 percent for the month, also a December best. Sales of Infiniti vehicles rose 37.3 percent over the prior year.

Volkswagen of America, Inc. today reported that December sales marked a 17 percent increase over prior year sales for the entire line of vehicles.

In a chat, Joey talks about Friends, his burnout and his character in the new show, Episodes

The German luxury carmaker BMW Group in the U.S. reported December sales of 27,600 vehicles, an increase of 16.9 percent from the 23,617 vehicles sold in the same month a year ago. For 2010, the BMW Group in the U.S. reported total sales of 265,757 vehicles, up 9.9 percent compared to the 241,727 vehicles sold in 2009.

American Honda Motor Co, today reported December monthly new vehicle sales of 129,616, an increase of 25.5 percent. American Honda's 2010 annual vehicle sales totaled 1,230,480, an increase of 7.6 percent compared to 2009 results.

The Japanese motor major Honda Motor Company in Japan has put an estimated 2.2 million customers in the U.S. on a security breach alert after a database containing information on the owners and their cars was hacked, according to reports.