Today's Headlines

Bloomberg:
- Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reduced a bet against the US dollar after losing more than $900 million on the incorrect trade this year.
- The compensation of recent business school graduates from Harvard, Dartmouth and Stanford rose at least 9.5% from a year earlier, fueling by increased hiring at investment banks and consulting firms.
- Alec Litowitz, a former trading executive at hedge fund company Citadel Investment Group LLC, raised $1.7 billion for his first fund even as industry returns lag behind the S&P’s 500 Index.
- EnCana Corp., Canada’s largest natural-gas producer, said it could increase production from its oil-sands deposit 12-fold in the next decade and has received approaches from companies seeking to join the development.
- Guidant Corp. sued to force Johnson & Johnson to complete a $25.4 billion purchase of the troubled medical-devices maker and reported a plunge in quarterly profit.
- Crude oil, heating oil and natural gas are falling again on higher-than-normal temperatures and a demand cut forecast by the IEA.
- US Treasuries snapped a four-day slide on speculation falling energy prices will reduce future inflation readings.

Wall Street Journal:
- The US could draw steel imports from China and other countries because its prices for the metal are higher than elsewhere.
- Yahoo and Google plan to introduce wireless services that take advantage of advanced networks and cell phones to provide features similar to those available on computers.
- Share buybacks by technology companies are approaching an annual record.
- Energy production in the Gulf of Mexico is making a slow recovery after Hurricane Rita hit in late September, as important communications systems remain disabled.
- Japan’s Toyota Motor may build the Lexus RX400h sports utility vehicle as a hybrid in North America, along with it Toyota Prius.
- Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and casino-company Harrah’s Entertainment will develop a $2 billion Bahamas resort and casino.

NY Times:
- Microsoft has emerged as the top contender for buying a stake in Time Warner’s AOL unit.
- More people are leaving California after a decade of increasing home prices.
- Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game console will offer users the option of purchasing small arcade-style games that can be downloaded from the Internet.
- The US Senate Intelligence Committee so far hasn’t found evidence of “political manipulation or pressure” in the use of prewar intelligence on Iraq.

AppleInsider:
- CBS, the television broadcasting unit of Viacom, has held talks with Apple Computer to offer TV shows over the new video Ipod, citing a CBS executive.