French communications firm Vivendi SA holds the balance of power over General Electric and Comcast at this point.The conglomerate has the final say on whether Comcast can acquire NBC Universal from GE.The decision will be handed down within three weeks,according to Vivendi Chief Financial Officer Philippe Capron.Vivendi owns 20% of NBC-U,and must sell its stake to GE,if the deal is to go forward.Mr.Capron said they are not there yet.Through its various holdings,Vivendi is number one in video ... Read Full Story

Duncan Niederauer is a man at the center of the financial world.As CEO of NYSE/Euronext,Mr.Niederauer feels the pulse of the business world as few others can.Young entrepreneurs were in his care recently as the NYSE held Global Entrepreneurship Week-Mentoring Madness.This annual event provides advice for young entrepreneurs.They were told to not just rely on banks for financing.NYSE awarded 25,000 dollars for the best business plan.Initial public offerings are burgeoning at the NYSE.Companies... Read Full Story

As a metabolic disorder,diabetes affects many different organs.It can have a number of harmful effects on the eye.That is why eye care professionals may be the first to diagnose diabetes in their patients.Most distinctive is diabetic retinopathy,or damage to the blood vessels in the retina,at the back of the eye.Other diabetes-related eye problems include a 60% greater incidence of cataracts than normal-at earlier ages and with faster progression.Diabetics are 40% more likely to develop glauc... Read Full Story

Industrial conglomerate Danaher is continuing to expand its businesses.The company,which has 1.64 billion dollars in cash,prefers to augment its portfolio rather than pay a significant dividend.In September,Danaher bought the analytical technologies business of MDS,Inc. of Mississauga,Ontario,plus a 50% stake in a joint venture with the Canadian firm.The total cost of those deals was 650 million dollars U.S.Then Danaher acquired the remaining 50% of AB Sciex,a mass spectrometry maker,from Lif... Read Full Story

This current rally is not progressing at the same rate as earlier ones,according to Carter Worth of Oppenheimer.The good eating's been had.We're not getting quite the torque that you would anticipate,given the news.The market keeps bumping up against 1100 on the S&P.People; are rotating out of the beta trade-the speculative trade-into the more established,recognizable names.It's a maturing of the rally,Mr.Worth believes.Everything is starting to participate,in Carter Worth's view.That's where... Read Full Story

Drug colossus Pfizer has a sprawling research and development segment.Within its two R&D; divisions,PharmaTherapeutics and BioTherapeutics,the company is investigating treatments for a host of ailments.The research units in each of the divisions include Allergy and Respiratory;Antibacterials;Biocorrection;Cardiovascular Metabolic&Endocrine; Diseases;Genitourinary;Inflammation and Immunology;Neuroscience;Oncology;Pain;Tissue Repair;and Vaccine Research.PharmaTherapeutics is concerned with smal... Read Full Story

The Institute for Supply Management,a buyers' trade group,has recorded gains in the manufacturing sector for the third straight month.The October reading for the sector came in at 55.7,up from 52.6 in September.The October estimate had been 53.0.Readings above 50 indicate growth in manufacturing.October's number was the highest since April 2006.The growth tracked by the ISM was attributed to stronger U.S. exports,inventory restocking and government stimulus programs.It manifested itself in ex... Read Full Story

The slower pace of job destruction is good news,says Paul McCulley,Managing Director at PIMCO,but the rate north of 10 bakes in the cake that the Federal Reserve is gonna be friendly for a very extended period of time,which is very good for price-to-earnings values.The recent employment data reinforce the idea that the recovery will be slow.We're gonna see the extension of various government programs,Mr.McCulley predicts,not a mega-package.If the unemployment rate continues to go up,however,w... Read Full Story

Coca-Cola is continuing its healthy lifestyle marketing campaign.Coke understands what Americans need today,and is there to meet that need,not just peddle random products.With its signature brand,Coke is offering both low calorie options Diet Coke and Coke Zero,and Coke portion-control cans.Coke is even introducing a new,all-natural no-calorie sweetener.Rebiana is derived from the stevia leaf and is part of the sweetening for 50-calorie Sprite Green and 10-calorie vitaminwater10.Coke says tha... Read Full Story

U.S. Steel posted stronger results in Q3.The Pittsburgh manufacturer's net loss of 303 million dollars,or -2.11 a share,was better than Q2's net loss of 392 million,or -2.92 a share.Its shipments of 4.2 million tons were up 41% from Q2,and net sales of 2.8 billion dollars were up 32% from Q2.Year to date cash flow was 118 million from operations,maintaining the company's strong liquidity position of 12.5 billion in cash and 2.7 billion in total liquidity.U.S. Steel projected another loss in Q... Read Full Story