The bottom line
China's wealthy lawmakers; Google's move into TV; Fastenal tops Apple and Microsoft; Sheldon Adelson's big bets; Housing prices in Detroit move up
China's wealthy lawmakers
China’s legislators make U.S. lawmakers look like paupers. Last year, the 70 richest members of the Chinese legislature added more to their wealth—$11.5 billion—than the combined net worth of all 535 members of Congress, President Obama, the entire Cabinet, and the Supreme Court.
Bloomberg.com
Google's move into TV
Google has applied for a license to offer a service similar to cable TV to residents of Kansas City, Mo., which it chose last year as a test market for a high-speed fiber-optic Internet service. The move into TV would pit Google against cable companies like Time Warner and Verizon.
The Wall Street Journal
Fastenal tops Apple and Microsoft
The top-performing stock of the past 25 years isn’t Apple or Microsoft. It’s Minnesota-based hardware supplier Fastenal, which is up 38,565 percent since the market crash of 1987. Told of the distinction, 72-year-old founder Bob Kierlin said, “Oh wow. Gee. Well, thanks. That’s great news.”
Bloomberg Businessweek
Sheldon Adelson's big bets
Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, who has made headlines by giving lavishly to a pro–Newt Gingrich Super PAC, has made more money since the financial meltdown than any other American. Though his casino empire was nearing default just three years ago, Adelson has made nearly $22 billion since 2009 thanks to big bets on casinos in Macau.
Forbes
Housing prices in Detroit move up
Detroit was the only U.S. city among the 20 tracked by the Case-Shiller Housing Index to have posted an uptick in average housing prices last year.
Financial Times
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From Da Vinci to a golden toilet: a history of museum heists
In the Spotlight Following the ‘spectacular’ events at the Louvre, museums are ‘increasingly being targeted by criminal gangs’
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Can Gen Z uprisings succeed where other protest movements failed?
Today's Big Question Apolitical and leaderless, youth-led protests have real power but are vulnerable to the strongman opportunist
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The allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria
The Explainer West African nation has denied claims from US senator and broadcaster
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The bottom line
feature Fewer jobs, bigger paychecks on Wall Street; Home as the primary workplace; Revenue up in the music industry; The success of community college graduates; Millennials mind their debt
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The bottom line
feature Cattle prices hit a record high; The top 1 percent's new tax rate; The rising cost of college textbooks; Carbon emissions fall; Which microwave would you buy?
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The bottom line
feature Americans prefer bonds; The high cost of patent lawsuits; The price of gas in California; India's stock market takes a beating; The IMF issues a warning
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The bottom line
feature Real estate near good public schools; Travel agents make a comeback; Amazon takes on Home Depot and Staples; People receiving disability benefits at record high; How important are high-paying careers?
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The bottom line
feature Sales of digital music surpass album sales; The business savvy of immigrants; The Kate Middleton Effect; China's luxury car market; A poor market for architecture majors
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The bottom line
feature JPMorgan Chase surpasses BofA; Are the protestors right?; A weak market for music; Italy's debt; Residence visas for wealthy foreigners
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The bottom line
feature AIG repays last of $85 billion loan; Fewer Americans own homes; Credit-card interest rates peak; Consumers hoard the incandescent; Lenders return to commerical property
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The bottom line
feature Default rate on corporate debt falls; Business travel is up; Gold reaches a record high; Hunting industry reaps billions; Average credit card debt drops