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• DealBook: Signs From Central Bankers Send S.&P. 500 Over 2,000 for First Time
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index briefly topped 2,000 before closing a bit shy of the mark following a meeting of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyo., last weekend.
• Bits Blog: Lawyers Suing HP Lose a Payday, Gain a Target
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  On Monday, a judge ruled out a deal that would have given the lawyers suing Hewlett-Packard over its Autonomy deal perhaps $66 million while ordering changes in corporate governance.
• Bits Blog: California Governor Signs Law Requiring a ‘Kill Switch’ on Smartphones
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  The law requires smartphones sold in California to include antitheft technology, a feature that lawmakers hope will lead to a cool down in phone theft, now the hottest urban crime.
• Harried Travelers Take the Bus
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  Executive buses with amenities like leather seats, beverage service and Wi-Fi are becoming alternatives to flying or driving between cities.
• A downed Israeli drone could advance Iran’s own drone program
  Quartz 25 Aug 14
  Iran may have just caught a big break. State media reports out of Tehran on Sunday said that the elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard had shot down an Israeli drone near the Natanz uranium enrichment site, home to Iran’s nuclear program…
• DealBook: Hedge Funds Sue to Get Argentine Bond Payment in London
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  The hedge funds contend that their securities are covered by British law and thus not subject to United States court rulings.
• Business Briefing: Crisis in Ukraine Drags Economy in Germany
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  The eurozone’s flatlining economy took another hit on Monday when data showed German business sentiment sagging for the fourth consecutive month.
• Business Briefing: Consol Energy Starts Drilling at Pittsburgh Airport
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  The project could ultimately bring more than $500 million in royalties to local airport authority.
• Business Briefing: Meat Prices Continue to Rise, but Corn and Soybeans Slip
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  Retail prices for many meats in the United States continue to rise on a combination of drought and disease, but overall food cost increases remain near long-term averages.
• DealBook: Investors Urge Ann Taylor to Explore Sale of Chain
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  In a letter to the board, the activist investor Engine Capital and the hedge fund Red Alder said Ann Inc., the parent company of Ann Taylor stores, could be worth a significant premium in a sale.
• Report: Tech creating black, Hispanic underclass
  USA Today 25 Aug 14
  Security guards, janitors and grounds workers in Silicon Valley are mostly black or Hispanic.            
• Deloitte warns on UK political risks
  Financial Times (paywall) 25 Aug 14
  General election poses dangers, says chief of professional services company, which reported lower than expected growth in its latest financial year
• Sony Network Hacked, Exec's Flight Diverted
  NBC 25 Aug 14
  Hackers infiltrated Sony’s PlayStation Network and disrupted the travel plans of a Sony executive by going on Twitter and forcing the diversion of a passenger plane.
• California Smartphone 'Kill Switch' Bill Becomes Law
  NBC 25 Aug 14
  Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation requiring all smartphones sold in the state to come with a “kill switch” to render them inoperable if stolen.
• It Looks Like Scotland Will Have To Risk Defaulting On Its Debt To Get Independence
  Business Insider 25 Aug 14
  Monday night’s Scottish independence referendum debate between Alex Salmond and Alistair Darling raised the scariest question for voters leaning toward a Yes vote: Does Scotland have the courage to face down the Bank of England, walk away from…
• Exclusive: Chevron Seeks Up To $1.5 Billion For Canadian Oil Project – Sources
  Business Insider 25 Aug 14
  By Mike Stone NEW YORK (Reuters) – Chevron Corp has been searching for up to $1.5 billion of equity investment to help develop its Duvernay shale formation assets in Canada and contacted potential investors including private equity firms, according…
• Studio Deals Unlock a Trove of Reruns From Shows Like ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘Sons of Anarchy’
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  Thousands of hours of shows are becoming available after new residual agreements between studios and Hollywood’s three largest guilds.
• Time Warner to cut more than 500 staff
  Financial Times (paywall) 25 Aug 14
  Media group’s Turner cable unit, which accounts for more than half of the group’s operating income, to reduce operating costs
• Where Can Drivers Put the Pedal to the Metal?
  NBC 25 Aug 14
  Our highways have gotten increasingly faster since the national 55 mph restriction was lifted nearly two decades ago. Where are the lead feet?
• Sony says no customer information was taken in online attack
  Washington Post 25 Aug 14
  Sony said that no consumer information was taken in the attack that brought down its online networking service, the PlayStation Network, and its entertainment network over the weekend. The company said in a statement that while its networks…
• Napa Ready for Tourists Despite Quake Cleanup
  NBC 25 Aug 14
  Tourism officials encouraged visitors to keep flocking to the charming towns, tasting rooms, restaurants and spas that drive the area’s economy.
• Amazon buys Twitch to woo gamers
  Financial Times (paywall) 25 Aug 14
  Acquisition of three-year old site is a bet on the fast-growing niche of live video game streaming and is tech company’s biggest deal buying Zappos
• The Chief Technology Officer of the United States is leaving. What now?
  Washington Post 25 Aug 14
  It wasn’t all that long ago that having a Chief Technology Officer of the United States was a novel concept. Many in the tech world were thrilled in 2007 when then-candidate Barack Obama pledged to name a U.S. CTO * who would work to “ensure…
• Wonkblog: Why the Napa Valley earthquake is unlikely to affect wine prices
  Washington Post 25 Aug 14
  Winemakers in California’s storied Napa Valley are hopeful that Sunday’s magnitude-6.0 earthquake  spared most of the region’s 2013 vintage. At some wineries, bottles and barrels rolled off shelves and burst, fermentation tanks ruptured, and…
• So my phone can be tracked anywhere. Can I make it stop?
  Washington Post 25 Aug 14
  Monday’s story on surveillance technology that can track cell phone users anywhere in the world left some readers with a question: What can they do, short of tossing their phones into the sea, to keep their locations private? Read full article…
• Amazon is now aggressively going after Google’s core business
  Quartz 25 Aug 14
  Amazon and Google, having evolved well beyond their respective beginnings as on online bookstore and a web search engine, are now expanding in ways that bring them closer to becoming direct competitors. The latest: Amazon is spending $970 million…
• Amazon to acquire Twitch for nearly $1 billion
  USA Today 25 Aug 14
  Streaming site had been target of acquisition by Google.            
• Work fails to add up for accountants
  Telegraph 25 Aug 14
  Highly profitable work slowing as HM Revenue & Customs cracks down
• Sales of New Homes Fall, but Supply Is Growing
  New York Times 25 Aug 14
  Despite the housing news, economists are pointing to relatively strong job growth and manufacturing activity as good signs.
• Hackers target gaming companies
  Financial Times (paywall) 25 Aug 14
  Cyber criminals disrupt PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox in ‘denial of service attacks’, while also claiming responsibility for a bomb hoax