http://finbonanza.com Fresh business news Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:23:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en OTTAWA–Ottawa is moving forward on plans for a national securities regulator but will let provinces opt out if they oppose the scheme.In yesterday's throne speech, the federal Conservatives echoed their pledge to institute a single national stock market watchdog in a bid to replace the patchwork of provincial regulators ... http://finbonanza.com/national-securities-watchdog-on-the-way/ Wal-Mart is highlighting flat screen TVs, Blu-ray players, Xbox 360 consoles and home computers in its much-anticipated Black Friday deals this year, according to a copy of the retailer's circular obtained by CNNMoney.com.Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving - is one of the busiest shopping days for ... http://finbonanza.com/wal-marts-black-friday-deals-high-tech/ North American stock markets plunged deep into the red on Wednesday morning as commodities prices and overall confidence lost ground even as governments announced new measures to calm fears. Toronto's S&P/TSX composite index accelerated its earlier losses and fell 352.31 points in morning trading to 9,071.69. The TSX ... http://finbonanza.com/stock-markets-sink-further/ Canadian cultural policy has long relied on two levers to promote Canadian content. First, regulators require broadcasters and cable companies to allocate a portion of their revenues to help support the creation of new Canadian content. Second, that content is granted preferential treatment through minimum "CanCon" requirements for both ... http://finbonanza.com/can-culture-policy-apply-to-new-media/ NEW YORK – Toy maker Mattel Inc. said Thursday it is cutting about 1,000 positions worldwide in response to the economic downturn. The El Segundo, Calif.-based company, which makes Barbie, American Girl and Fisher Price products, among others, said the positions amount to 3 percent of its worldwide work ... http://finbonanza.com/mattel-to-cut-1000-jobs-worldwide/ NEW YORK – The nation's retailers saw their sales plummet last month to what is likely the weakest October level in decades, as the financial crisis and mounting layoffs left shoppers too scared to shop.The stunning drop-off from an already weak September performance is further darkening the outlook for ... http://finbonanza.com/us-retail-sales-the-worst-in-decades/ NEW YORK–Finance company GMAC LLC lost $2.52 billion in the third quarter, hurt by the housing slump and vehicle lease writedowns, and said its mortgage unit, one of the nation's largest home loan providers, may not survive. The fifth straight quarterly loss compared with a loss of $1.6 ... http://finbonanza.com/housing-slump-hits-gmacs-bottom-line/ Most of the area's union glazier workers went on strike Saturday after they rejected a labor agreement offered by a group of local contractors. The strike involves most of the 330 members of Glaziers, Architectural Metals & Glassworkers Local 513. The union's five-year labor contract ... http://finbonanza.com/glazier-workers-strike-over-wages/ A deal to merge General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Chrysler LLC has hit an impasse after the Bush administration ruled out funding for it, three people with direct knowledge of the talks said. This puts any merger of the struggling automakers on hold ... http://finbonanza.com/gm-chrysler-merger-on-hold-as-aid-hopes-fade-sources/ Asset managers who bought into the bombed-out mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market after the subprime implosion are hoping that their patience will be rewarded now that the U.S. Treasury's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) has put a floor under prices. MBS prices fell rapidly when banks and hedge funds ... http://finbonanza.com/funds-find-value-in-bombed-out-mbs-market/