Corporation News

The boss of Satyam, India’s fourth-biggest software firm, resigns after admitting to irregularities in its accounts.

Question: In your article in the January issue of Money, you recommend buying total market index ETFs. But I don’t find being able to trade ETFs like stocks throughout the day to be an advantage for me. For example, if I buy the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF I will have to pay commission when I buy and sell, whereas I can buy their Total Stock Index mutual fund with no fee. I don’t understand why ETFs are better than mutual funds.

There’s no such thing as a perfect portfolio. Value-conscious investors like me are acutely aware of this fact. Sometimes you come across a good stock trading at a great price but there’s simply no room in your portfolio at the time. In other cases you feel like a kid with his nose stuck to the windowpane of a Ferrari dealership: You spot a wonderful business you’d love to own, but you can’t justify paying the price being asked.

Ukraine says Russia has stopped natural gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine, as the two countries’ energy dispute worsens.

The US aluminium maker Alcoa has said it is cutting 13,500 jobs, or 13% of its workforce, due to the global economic slowdown.

While it may be hard to feel sympathy for America’s millionaires, they’re feeling the economic crunch, too - nearly a third of their assets have disappeared in the downturn, according to a consulting firm’s report released Tuesday.

The US recession is likely to drag on well into 2009, according to forecasts from the US Federal Reserve.

Question: I’ve lost money in my 401(k) and I’m not interested in losing any more. So I’m thinking of moving my money into more secure investments. I know I can always change my allocations later, but what’s the best way to keep my 401(k) stable until this roller coaster ride is over? –Michelle, Moravian Falls, North Carolina

Treasury prices churned Tuesday as investors weighed a tremendous amount of new debt coming to market with continued concerns about an economy mired in recession.

You’re sniffling and wheezing your way through another winter. A run of bad luck with germs? Sure, but it also may be the result of something more insidious: toxins.