News Archive for September 30, 2013

• Chinese Miners Compete for Glencore's Las Bambas Project in Peru

  HONG KONG—Two of China's biggest mining companies put in indicative bids for Glencore Xstrata PLC's Peruvian copper project earlier this month, according to people familiar with the situation, in a rare case of state-owned firms competing ...

• China Details Off-Limits Sectors in Shanghai Free-Trade Zone

  BEIJING—A detailed list of sectors that are off limits to foreign investors in Shanghai's free-trade zone provides clarity on how the economic experiment will work, but is a disappointment for those expecting a more liberal approach.

• Asian Shares Fall on U.S. Budget Impasse

  A possible government shutdown in the U.S. loomed large in Asia Monday, sparking a measured selloff across the region's stock markets.U.S. budget talks hit an impasse over the weekend as lawmakers wrangled over funding for President Barack ...

• Millennials Face Uphill Climb

  The on-ramp to adulthood is delayed and harder to reach for young people today, a reality that is changing the country's society and economy, according to a new report.

• Voter ID Targeted in North Carolina

  The U.S. Justice Department plans to sue North Carolina to block new state voting rules, part of a growing battle between the Democratic administration and Republican-controlled state houses over election laws and race.

• China's Manufacturing Sector Expands Slightly

  BEIJING—A final reading of China's manufacturing activity in September showed a slight rise, mainly supported by rising overseas demand, adding to evidence that the Chinese economy continues to recover, albeit at a more modest pace than ...

• What's News: Business & Finance

  The budget standoff is spooking businesses and consumers, according to several gauges of economic confidence and uncertainty.Twitter, Hilton and Chrysler are among the expected IPOs that could lure individual investors back to stocks.

• What's News: World-Wide

  The federal government looked headed for a partial shutdown as lawmakers gave no sign of a funding deal before a midnight deadline.A Kenyan report warned of a potential attack at the Westgate shopping mall a year before the assault.

• How a Good Idea Mushroomed

  Sometimes you get your best new ideas by revisiting your old ones. That's how Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora got started on their latest venture.

• Proceedings | Highlights from the Law Blog

  Linkrot Attacks The Supreme CourtLinkrot.It sounds like what happened to the Law Blog's leftover Memorial Day hot dogs.But the term actually refers to broken links on old Web pages, an irritating but inevitable part of online ...

• You Have a Great Idea. Now What Do You Do

  Want to know a couple of secrets?You don't have to be an entrepreneur to have a great idea for a business. And you don't need to start a business to profit from a great idea.

• More and More, There's No Place Like Home for Small Firms

  It's getting a lot easier to set up shop at home.Looking for an easy way to boost local economies, states and cities across the country are revamping old zoning restrictions on home-based businesses. In some cases, they're allowing more ...

• Why Small Firms Should Consider Setting Up 401(k)s

  Small companies aren't big on 401(k)s.A recent study by SurePayroll, a company that provides payment services, found that more than 70% of small firms didn't offer a 401(k) plan to their employees. That comes at a time when American workers ...

• How Small Firms Should Deal With Data

  It has never been easier for entrepreneurs to collect information about their businesses.But how do entrepreneurs know what to collect—and how to act on it? For small-business owners strapped for time and resources, sorting through reams of ...

• Artists With Home Studios Must Mind the Neighbors

  Everyone's a critic.When artists set up a studio in their house, they often end up facing the same complaints about noise, traffic or clutter that traditional home-based businesses do.

• What Small Companies Need to Know About Soliciting Investments

  It just got a lot easier to reach out to investors.The Securities and Exchange Commission has lifted its long-standing ban on soliciting investments on public platforms. When the rule was laid down in 1933, public platforms meant things ...

• The Stork Brought a Bright Idea for a Business

  Ed Han and his wife went looking for birth announcements. They ended up with part of a $333 million payday.Back in 2005, Mr. Han, a new Stanford M.B.A., and his wife, Polly Liu, were expecting a daughter and were scouring the Web for just ...

• Startups Seek Out Workers Who Want to Be Entrepreneurs

  How do you get somebody to work at your startup if they'd rather be launching their own?It's a situation many new companies are facing. They're hungry for workers with advanced technical skills like engineers and product designers. But ...

• One Fashion Entrepreneur Built a New Business on Green

  Randy Brewer spent his career in fashion following trends. Then he followed one all the way to a new business.Mr. Brewer was working as head buyer for Villains, a San Francisco clothing boutique, when he noticed an idea spreading among ...

• Getting Software Tools to Work Together

  Small businesses are getting their software tools to play nice.For years, many small firms have been leaning on low-cost online programs to handle jobs like inventory, accounting and payment processing. But those services came with a big ...