Companies that promise to cleanse your name online are themselves the targets of smears more

Castigating China is a favorite tactic for both parties, says Joshua Green. They back down once they're in the White House more

The share of working-age people in the U.S. labor force is at a 29-year low. A rise in older Americans may explain why more

The numbers are proving Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s critics wrong. more

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is spending $350 million of his own to make Sin City a startup hub more

No summary available. more

A reproductive rights group asked a federal judge to reopen a lawsuit over access to the emergency contraceptive Plan B, claiming the Food and Drug Administration acted in “bad faith” when it placed restrictions on the drug. more

Sprint Nextel Corp., the third- largest U.S. wireless carrier, reported a wider fourth-quarter loss after demand for Apple Inc.’s iPhone boosted costs to subsidize the device. more

Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy, a Democrat elected in 2010, wants to overhaul rules for giving public-school teachers tenure, introducing new standards for evaluating their performance. more

With Asia’s elderly population poised to double within four decades, more money is being plowed into preserving wealth than enhancing growth, driving up demand for the region’s bonds that are beating returns on stocks. more

Prudential Financial Inc., the life insurer that expanded in Japan through acquisitions, said fourth-quarter profit more than tripled on non-U.S. earnings and narrower losses from investments and derivatives. more

Visa Inc., the world’s biggest payments network, said fiscal first-quarter profit climbed 16 percent as consumers increased use of credit and debit cards. more

Rick Santorum shook up the race for the Republican presidential nomination by sweeping three contests yesterday, casting doubt on front-runner Mitt Romney’s hold over the party’s core voters. more

The California State Teachers' Retirement System, or Calstrs, intends to question in a letter the controlling power amassed by Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg more

The beer company hit social-media gold with its Will Ferrell ad, which it paid pennies to air in North Platte, Neb. more

Companies are scrambling to handle a torrent of data, pushing them into bigger M&A frenzy since 2007 more

The gaming company faces big losses amid a two-year sales slump more

Moving away from the kroon boosted growth, raised trade, and lowered interest rates more

Dozens of technology companies boosted payroll by at least 50% in the past two years more

Low-end handsets have set off a smartphone boom in China more

A soaring currency hits Aussie winemakers on two fronts: Higher prices hurt their exports, and lower prices on imports shrink sales at home more

The Federal Reserve pushed back a vote on whether to approve Capital One's $9 billion acquisition of ING's U.S. online banking arm until Monday. more

If President Obama wanted to thanks someone for the relative calm in Europe that is buoying U.S. equity markets, perhaps he should consider an Italian economist few Americans have ever heard of.

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The Federal Reserve may need to launch another round of asset purchases with printed money, commonly known as quantitative easing, if the economy loses momentum or if inflation remains well below 2%, said John Williams, the president of the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank, on Wednesday. more

As the brilliant economist Thomas Sowell pointed out in a column this week, a minimum wage is one of the worst things you can do to young folks out of work.

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A study by Duke University researchers found that CEOs are more likely to be rated as “competent”, and actually make more money, based just on appearance.  

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The number of homes in the foreclosure inventory stood at 1.4 million at the end of 2011, down 8.4% from a year earlier, according to a report from data firm CoreLogic Inc. released on Wednesday. more

China's cabinet, the State Council, approved a plan Wednesday to create 45 million new jobs through 2015, setting a target of holding urban unemployment under 5%, according to report by the state-run Xinhua news agency. more

China's central bank pledged Wednesday to support first-time home buyers, marking the first notable softening in tone towards the real-estate sector since a clampdown on prices that began in mid-2010. more

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman late Tuesday postponed a much anticipated conference call with reporters that was set up to announce whether the state would participate in broad a settlement with five big banks over foreclosure practices. more

The European Central Bank has agreed to exchange Greek bonds it bought last year for bonds of the European Financial Stability Facility, the euro zone's temporary rescue fund, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing anonymous sources. more

Business Monday is looking for haiku with an economic theme. Are you impacted or concerned about unemployment, low housing prices, too many foreclosures, Europe on the brink, pay cuts and layoffs? Are you still fed up or do you see better days around the corner? more

Do you run a small business or is being your own boss in your plans? more

Some homeowners have filed a class-action lawsuit against Citizens Property, charging that it overvalued their homes to raise premiums. more

In today’s 24/7 work world, some people benefit from dating coaches, who help facilitate relationships. more

For the second time in as many days, the Crown Princess returned to Port Everglades after another outbreak of the norovirus, which attacks the gastrointestinal system. more

Accelerating efforts to move troubled mortgages off their books, banks are offering as much as $35,000 or more in cash to delinquent homeowners to sell their properties for less than they owe. more

With the Dow edging back toward 13,000, will 2012 be a bull year? That depends largely on Europe, said Bob Doll, vice chairman and chief equity strategist for fundamental equities at Black Rock at the annual economic forecast breakfast of the Executives Association of Fort Lauderdale. more

Marc De Kuyper, 11th generation of the Dutch family that produces a rainbow of popular hard-partying liqueurs, didn’t exactly have a free ride into the business. He had to get the right degrees and succeed at several other jobs first. Finally, with an impressive resume in hand, he had to go through a series of formal interviews, business exams and psychological and IQ testing at De Kuyper Royal Distillers, which was founded in 1695 and has always been run by the family. more

In an interview Monday, executives with American Airlines said Miami will lose jobs — they just don’t know how many yet. more

The vacation may be winding down for Miami-Dade’s hotel rebound. more

As the last Super Bowl before the recession, South Florida’s 07 game continues out-pricing other Super Bowls. Little cities don’t help: prices down 15 percent from last year’s game in Dallas. more

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About two dozen victims of identity theft had already called U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s office by noon Friday to try to get help in reporting to the Internal Revenue Service that thieves had filed for a refund using their names. more

Andrew Levi, a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Miami, has turned from public to private investigation as head of the Miami office of a global firm. more

Find the contest rules and all you need to get started on your entry, but first let’s look back on the progress of last year’s winners. more

Two years ago, Business Monday asked readers to use the Japanese poetry form haiku to express themselves. Now we’re asking for new submissions. more

BizBytes 101 shares tips for navigating the issues of social media advertising. more

The chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders says he expects U.S. sales of new homes and single-family home construction to improve this year over 2011, when they hit record lows. more

The U.S. government easily managed to sell new 10-year debt on Wednesday. U.S. debt continues to be a safe haven for global investors who are nervous about ongoing talks in Europe for a second bailout of Greece. more

Diamond Foods Inc. is replacing its CEO and chief financial officer after an internal investigation found that the company improperly accounted for payments to walnut growers and needs to restate two years of financial results. more

Greek coalition leaders were locked in crucial debt talks with the prime minister Wednesday to review layoffs and other steep cutbacks as part of a euro130 billion ($170 billion) bailout package intended to save the country from a looming bankruptcy. more

GREECE LIGHTENING: Greece still hasn't finalized a deal to cut what it owes bondholders, get a bailout and avoid defaulting on its debt next month. But investors seemed glad that an agreement appeared near. more

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. said Wednesday that net income grew by nearly two-thirds in the final quarter of 2011, despite expenses related to the ongoing phone hacking investigation at its U.K. newspaper unit. more

Visa Inc. said Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter profit rose 16 percent, as card use rose both in the U.S. and overseas. more

Groupon investors were expecting a better deal than the surprise loss the company delivered on Wednesday. more

COPPER CLIMBING: Copper prices hit their highest level since September on expectations that demand will pick up after China announced a plan to create millions of jobs. The price of copper has increased nearly 14 percent this year. more

The Washington Post is launching another round of voluntary buyouts - its fifth in the last decade - in its shrinking newsroom. more

A Fort Lauderdale company sells armored vehicles to military clients and companies with employees overseas. more

With Scarabeo 9, a Spanish company’s leased oil rig, in place for exploratory drilling off the Cuban coast, response plans are being firmed up in case a spill reaches the United States. more

The Brazilian government created a special visa program after thousands of Haitians were stranded in remote Amazon towns. It will also issue work visas to Haitians at its embassy in Port-au-Prince. more

This week’s roundup includes news on Brazilian banking and upcoming international trade events in Florida more

Ecuadoran plaintiffs in an $18 billion lawsuit against Chevron said the company has been trying to bribe its way out of the case by offering to support an innovative conservation effort. more

An Ecuadoran court has upheld a ruling against Chevron for polluting the environment. Chevron says the ruling is illegitimate. more

The pace of economic reforms has picked up as Cuba seeks to move more people off government payrolls in an effort to boost its economy. more

Cuevana, an Argentine website that streams the latest Hollywood blockbusters and TV series, started off as a dorm-room project that has attracted millions of viewers. Now, it has attracted lawsuits from HBO and Turner, among others. more

A bankruptcy judge converted Claudio Osorio’s personal and corporate bankruptcy cases to Chapter 7 more

However, recent measures could put the economy of South Florida’s largest trading partner back on the growth track by the second quarter of 2012. more

François Delattre focused on investment and trade during a recent visit to Miami. more

Cisco, the world's largest maker of computer networking equipment, on Wednesday said its net income jumped 44 percent in the latest quarter as it continues to put last year's slump behind it. more

Time Warner Inc. got a boost from its movie studio and cable TV networks in the last three months of the year, and the company expects growth to continue in 2012 even with the end of its lucrative Harry Potter franchise. more

Social-sharing app Path has come under fire for accessing and uploading users' phone address books without their permission. The information has now been deleted, and Path has apologized. more

Hackers affiliated with the group Anonymous obtained personal information for more than 150 police officers from an old website of the West Virginia Chiefs of Police Association and posted the data online. more

Technology licensing company Rambus Inc. said Wednesday it has signed a licensing agreement with chip maker Nvidia Corp. to settle a long-running patent dispute. more

A consumer watchdog group is suing the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to prevent Google from making sweeping changes to its privacy policies next month. more

Karaoke lovers typically fall into two categories: Those who enjoy it, and those whose arms have to be twisted to get up and sing in public. more

Gov. Rick Scott’s Facebook page is intriguing because the comments to a question about the Florida Legislature provides a snapshot of a divided state. more

The cry has been heard: After 20 years with little change to baby monitoring devices, new designs premiered in January at the Consumer Electronics Show promising Wi-Fi connectivity and high-definition video that streams live to a smartphone. more

Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock and three longtime board members are stepping down, submitting to the demands of many frustrated shareholders who blame them for contributing to the follies that have dragged down the Internet company's revenue and stock price. more

U.S. magazine sales at newsstands and other retailers dropped 10 percent in the second half of 2011, a sign that Americans are still careful about discretionary spending and impulse purchases. more

For the second time in as many days, the Crown Princess returned to Port Everglades after another outbreak of the norovirus, which attacks the gastrointestinal system. more

Two cruise ships have been hit by norovirus, a gastro-intestinal bug that spreads fast and leaves misery behind. more

Princess Cruises has confirmed the stomach illness that affected almost 100 passengers aboard the Ruby Princess is norovirus. more

Carnival Corp. said in a regulatory filing that it expects full-year profits to take a $155 million to $175 million hit from the Costa Concordia grounding. more

Authorities in the Bahamas say a 26-year-old U.S. tourist has died aboard a Carnival cruise ship and the cruise has been delayed pending the investigation. more

Passengers who suffered no physical injury from the grounding of the Costa Concordia are being offered a settlement of about $14,500. Lawsuits filed Friday put that figure in the shadows. more

The Disney Wonder will set sail from Miami beginning in December, drawing more tourists here. more

Reports of a 30-percent discount for shipwreck survivors on future cruises sparks global outrage as Carnival and Costa try to contain the damage to their brands in wake of Concordia crisis. more

On an average day, about 50,000 people around the world board cruise ships to start their vacations. Half of them set to sea on a vessel owned by Carnival Corp, the industry leader based in Doral. more

In the hours after her husband’s murder, investigators grilled Narcy Novack on her husband’s temper, their marital ups and downs and his sexual peccadilloes. more

Travel experts say it’s difficult to tell how many potential passengers have been scared away from taking cruises. more

Jackson Health System and SEIU agreed to a new three-year contract after months of intense bargaining, but union workers can earn back some of their concessions by finding efficiencies. more

The case of a Hialeah single mother illustrates key issues — uninsured patients with complicated cases — facing Miami-Dade’s beleaguered public health system. more

Jackson Health System is restructuring in response to lower patient volume and budget problems. more

UM’s eye institute announced plans for a three-year expansion as it celebrates its 50th anniversary. more

Limited data on 1,219 University of Miami patients was stolen in November when someone broke the back window of a pathologist’s car and took a briefcase that contained a flash drive. more

Backers of the controversial, and expensive, procedure say it can zap tumors with such accuracy that surrounding tissue is unharmed. more

Jackson Health System and the University of Miami are planning a new arrangement that would have some UM doctors practicing only at UM, while opening the way for FIU doctors. more

Hospitals made disastrous decisions in the 1990s in hiring doctors. Now, they’re again buying physician practices — saying better management will make the difference this time. more

Jackson Health System executives projected for the second straight year that the system might run out of cash this summer unless major steps are taken. more

Federal authorities have rejected a request from Florida to get a waiver on a crucial reform requirement -- a move that could clear the way for state consumers to get more than $170 million in refunds on their health insurance. more

A little-known part of the federal healthcare reform act could get Floridians $145 million in insurance rebates and perhaps put many insurance agents out of business. more

A look at how South Florida’s economic rebound at the end of President Obama’s first term compares to the end of Ronald Reagan’s first term. more

The number of South Floridians filing for their first unemployment checks continues to plunge. But the levels are still disturbingly high compared to years when the economy was healthy. more

Sprint dug deep into its pockets in the latest quarter to put iPhones in the hands of its customers. The perennially money-losing company on Wednesday posted its largest loss in three years. more

Guan Jianzhong is waging a one-man crusade to change the global credit rating industry. more

The mad dash to cobble together college funding will soon be under way. more

An Ohio building constructed around the first Wright brothers' bicycle shop has been declared a public nuisance and may eventually be demolished, despite a resident's effort to preserve the site. more

Diamond Foods Inc. is replacing its CEO and chief financial officer after an internal investigation found that the company improperly accounted for payments to walnut growers and needs to restate two years of financial results. more

A request by reality television star Richard Hatch to give the Internal Revenue Service a reduced payment of $25 for January in his tax evasion case has been denied by a Rhode Island judge. more

Syrian opposition activists say the regime is continuing its brutal crackdown, hours after Russia touted President Bashar al-Assad's "commitment" to ending violence. more

The English Football Association have confirmed that England national manager Fabio Capello has resigned from his post with immediate effect. more

All Airbus A380 airplanes must be checked for cracks in the wings within three to four weeks, the European Aviation Safety Agency ordered Wednesday. more

As though there were not enough tumult in Egypt, a new crisis has soured its strongest Western ally and threatened to sever military aid a year after revolution felled a longtime dictator. more

Alcohol has been involved in most of the deaths blamed on the extreme cold in Ukraine, the country worst affected by the icy temperatures gripping eastern Europe, the country's emergencies minister said Wednesday. more

The British Foreign Office Wednesday dismissed a complaint from Argentina about the "militarization of the South Atlantic" as tensions rise over the Falkland Islands, over which the two countries fought a war 30 years ago. more

Ten suspected militants were killed Wednesday when a U.S. drone fired two missiles at an insurgent hideout in Pakistan's northwest tribal region, three security officials said. more

Rick Santorum awoke to a new reality Wednesday after sweeping all three Republican presidential contests a day earlier, reshaping the contest that will decide who runs against President Barack Obama in November. more

The publisher of Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid paid out tens of thousands of pounds Wednesday to settle lawsuits over phone hacking from celebrities and politicians, including a former Tony Blair spokesman. more

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani filed an appeal Wednesday against a Supreme Court decision to charge him with contempt, his lawyer said. more