Media Digest 12.27.31 Reuters, WSJ, NYT, FT, Bloomberg

China said it will try to keep prices down as inflation worsened (Reuters)

Auto companies will lower the weight of light trucks to meet fuel standards (Reuters)

Oil hits 26 month high as a blizzard blanketed the East Coast (Reuters)

Sony (NYSE: SNE) will increase its output of sensor chips used in cellphones (Reuters)

Cities have begun to tax non-profits to close budget gaps (WSJ)

Silver prices are up toward record levels, partially on speculation (WSJ)

Retailers will make its easier to return gifts (WSJ)

AMD (NYSE: AMD) and Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) will release chips which provide features normally done by two processors (WSJ)

GE (NYSE: GE) will sell some of its mortgage assets (WSJ)

China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) will sell unlocked Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPhones. (WSJ)

Cities have added new fees to raise taxes on residents who resist property taxes (WSJ)

Oprah’s network will launch at a cost of $105 million. (WSJ)

Toyota (NYSE: TM) will reopen a plant in Mississippi (WSJ)

About 100 banks which got federal aid may still fail (WSJ)

More IPOs of over $1 billion are likely to return to the market this year (WSJ)

New devices have built a generation of skilled hackers (NYT)

China raised interest rates for the second time in two months (FT)

Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE: GS) will pay more managers will stock which vests over long periods (FT)

Investors who bought US stocks as the euro weakened made large returns (Bloomberg)

Retailers were hurt by the huge blizzard in the eastern US (Bloomberg)

Tax liabilities at refiners may keep the price of crude down (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre