Media Digest (5/2/2012) Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT

May 2, 2012 by Douglas A. McIntyre

Moody’s warns that Japan’s finances will be hurt if it cannot get acceptance of a new sales tax. (Reuters)

New Chinese factory data indicate that the industry’s activity may have bottomed. (Reuters)

Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK) will appoint a new chairman after a scandal that involves payment to CEO Aubrey McClendon. (Reuters)

General Motors (NYSE: GM) would like to buy a third of Isuzu. (Reuters)

Research In Motion (NASDAQ: RIMM) releases a number of smartphone prototypes to show the company’s future product launches. (Reuters)

The Facebook IPO roadshow will start this week. (WSJ)

Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) management says government budget cuts will cause more M&A in the industry. (WSJ)

Some advertisers are skeptical about the return on their Facebook ads just as the firm readies its initial public offering. (WSJ)

Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) profits are hurt by generic competition to Lipitor. (WSJ)

The pace of auto sales slows in April. (WSJ)

The U.S. Interior Department will shift nearly 100,000 workers to Google’s (NASDAQ: GOOG) email product. (WSJ)

The sales of handsets by Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) drop in the past quarter. (WSJ)

A director of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority is blocked from starting his own company. (WSJ)

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hits a four-year high. (WSJ)

Toyota (NYSE: TM) sales reach a four-year high after drops related to the Japanese earthquake. (NYT)

New data on manufacturing in the United States and China show the disparity between the growing economies and Europe. (FT)

High prices of some commodities continue to undermine the profits of many companies. (FT)

Douglas A. McIntyre

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