MarketWatch:   The Chinese let the yuan rise perhaps because of pressure from the US.

Reuters:   The BHP Billiton (NYSE: BHP) bid for Potash (NYSE: POT) may go into 2011 as the Australian company tries to get approval for the deal from the Canadian government.

Reuters:   Obama said China has not done enough on the yuan.

Reuters:   Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) M&A chief will set a record number of deals
in 2010

Reuters:   Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) and former CEO Mark Hurd settled disagreements over Hurd’s move to Oracle (NASDAQ: ORCL).

Reuters:   Nokia (NYSE: NOK) delayed the launch of its flagship N8 handset.

Reuters:   Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) and Ron Burkle each won some support in bids to control the company.

WSJ:   The Obama stimulus plan has been bogged down in bureaucracy as some programs flounder.

WSJ:   Steel prices are unexpectedly rising.

WSJ:   The European Central Bank increased bond purchases.

WSJ:   China’s biggest car maker SAIC may try to invest in the  GM IPO.

WSJ:   The head of LM Ericsson confirmed his support for the Sony Ericsson joint venture in the handset industry.

WSJ:   The  OECD said US deficits are worse than thought.

WSJ:   New details emerged about Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) efforts to repair its Motrin problems.

WSJ:   The Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhone 4 will go on sale in China.

WSJ:   Stocks hit a four month high.

WSJ:   Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) will sharply cut the workforce in its investment bank

NYT:   Code to track consumer behavior via PC data has caused several suits.

NYT:   GMAC will halt foreclosures in 23 states as it probes how some of them were granted.

NYT:   The Transportation Department said there were fewer deaths from distracted driving last year.

FT:   The Gulf states will buy $123 billion in US arms in part of counter the power of Iran.

FT:   Obama hinted at changes in his Administration’s financial staff leaving questions about Geithner and Summers.

Bloomberg:   The CTO of Nokia (NYSE: NOK) plans to use his huge R&D budget to better compete with Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) Android-based phones.

Bloomberg:  Deutsche Bank will raise over $13 billion in a share sale.

Bloomberg:   Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) hopes that the release of new Xbox services will support new initiatives for its Zune products.

Bloomberg:   Goldman Sachs Group’s (NYSE: GS) stock rose very modestly as chief Lloyd Blankfein made $125 million.

Douglas A. McIntyre