Bloomberg:
- First Solar(FSLR), the largest US maker of solar power-modules, said fourth-quarter profit rose almost eightfold on surging demand for its thin-film technology. First Solar shares are soaring 27% on the report.
- Students in the US are Becoming Better Prepared for College. Almost 30% more US public high school seniors passed at least one advanced placement exam in 2007, showing they’re better prepared for college than five years ago, the College Board said. About 15.2% of seniors scored 3 or better on a 5-point scale in at least one advanced placement exam, up from 11.7% in 2002, according to a report released today. The improved scores reflect growing efforts to prepare high school students for college and reduce the need for remedial courses. More than 3,600 of the world’s colleges and universities accept AP credit. The 3 score makes them “qualified” to receive college credit, though some colleges require a 4 to offer credit.
- Bethune of Global Insight Says US Economy Will Improve in Second Half. (video)
- The portion of newsletter writers who were bullish on stocks slid to 36.7% in the five days ended February 8 from 41.6%, the largest decline in almost five years, the NY-based Investors Intelligence said today.
- NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will sue UnitedHealth Group(UNH) and subpoena 16 other insurers to investigate reimbursement practices.
- Iraq Lawmakers, Sidelining Disputes, Pass Budget, Other Bills.
- Yen Falls as Gain in US Retail Sales Signals Continued Growth.
- OPEC may add 840,000 barrels a day to its oil production capacity this year, boosting the group’s available spare volumes, the International Energy Agency said.
Wall Street Journal:
- Norfolk, CSX Boost Spending to Improve Rail Lines.
- Iran Avoids Sanctions, Strengthens Ties With Neighbors.
- Hershey(HSY), Mars Offer Caffeinated Candy to Boost Sales.
- Big Clinton Fund-Raisers May Run Their Own Ads. Rich Backers Huddle With Lawyers to Help Cash-Strapped Effort.
CNBC:
- Turnaround specialist Wilbur Ross said Wednesday he does not expect Warren Buffett’s offer to reinsure $800 billion of municipal bond debt to succeed. “If it went through, it would be the best deal since the Dutch bought Manhattan Island from the Indians,” Ross said.
BusinessWeek:
- Rupert Murdoch’s New Startup Incubator. The SlingShot Labs venture is designed to spawn Internet startups for News Corp. and also likely to help MySpace compete with Facebook.
TechCrunch:
- Yahoo(YHOO) And News Corp.(NWS/A) Continue Marathon Discussions; Possible Bid To Counter Microsoft(MSFT).
Washington Post:
- Lawmakers and the American public should support US-Iraqi talks on establishing a “status of forces” agreement, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote. The agreement would include helping Iraqis fight al-Qaeda, developing security forces and stopping the flow of weapons from Iran, Rice and Gates wrote. The accord wouldn’t authorize permanent US bases there.
Financial Times:
- Google(GOOG) homes in on revenue from phones. Google on Wednesday said it had seen 50 times more searches on Apple’s(AAPL) iPhone than any other mobile handset, adding weight to the group’s confidence at being able to generate significant revenues from the mobile internet.
Actualidad Economica:
- Banco Santander SA, Spain’s biggest bank, would like a “significant position” in the US, CEO Alfredo Saenz said.
Asharq al-Awsat:
- Arab states approved a law giving them the power to cancel permits for Arab news channels that are deemed to broadcast offensive material. The law, which was adopted by all Arab states except Qatar, calls on Arab satellite channels to respect Arab tradition, leaders, religion and culture and has the power to ban channels, suspend their licenses and reject renewing their licenses.
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