IBT Staff Reporter

Billionaire Warren Buffett said that while his businesses have bottomed after the worst financial crisis in decades, he saw few upticks and ruled out a buoyant holiday season.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Japan's largest bank, will issue about $11 billion in new shares to meet stricter capital requirements and boost lending in Asia, three sources familiar with the matter said.

Hollywood studios are now thinking twice about splurging on A-list movie stars and costly productions in reaction to the poor economy, but also because of the surprising success of recent films with unknown actors.

The top U.S. futures market regulator on Friday fined hedge fund EMF Financial Products LLC $4 million for making false statements about its market positions relating to U.S. treasury note futures.

Funds specializing in niche assets such as art and wine, long the preserve of ultra-rich hobbyists, are seeing a spike in interest from more mainstream investors seeking an antidote to the complexity of hedge funds.

Investor Carl Icahn on Friday raised his offer for the senior notes of bankrupt CIT Group to $650 per $1,000 of principal notes tendered.

Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson's firm took a stake in Citigroup , while cutting holdings in Bank of America and its interest in Goldman Sachs , according to a regulatory filing on Friday.

U.S. regulators are looking hard at banks' expected future tax benefits and the result for some financial institutions could be more writedowns.

Even as they are forced to wait like everyone else for swine flu vaccines in short supply, thousands of nurses and other front-line healthcare workers are fighting mandatory flu immunization policies being put in place by some U.S. hospitals.

The US trade deficit widened more than expected in September although import prices increased less than expected, suggesting that inflation in remaining steady.

Blackstone Group said on Friday its Chief Operating Officer sold $67.5 million of his stake in the private equity firm to invest in various Blackstone funds.

After an $81 billion refunding this week, the U.S. government securities market turns its attention in the coming week to the state of the economy and what that portends for Federal Reserve monetary policy.

Palm will officially launch its Palm Pixi, the smaller companion to the Palm Pre, this Sunday, Nov. 15. In terms of features,The Palm Pre has a slide out keyboard, while the Palm Pixi's keyboard is on the actual phone itself.

The Palm Pre's little brother, the Palm Pixi, is due to hit the market this Sunday, November 15th, and retailers are already offering the phone at discounted prices.

Intel Corp on Friday said that it has named Douglas Melamed as senior vice president and general counsel.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is helping well over 1,000 of its apparel suppliers secure financing based on the strength of its own credit rating.

The United States needs a credible way to dismantle large troubled financial institutions to squash a belief that some firms will always be rescued, a top U.S. government watchdog said on Friday.

Apple Inc, which is expected to ship 11 million iPhones in the quarter, has sold 30,000 units in China since its debut on October 30, according to an analyst note issued on Friday.

Chicago Federal Reserve President Charles Evans said on Friday that U.S. monetary policy was likely to remain accommodative well into next year, but that the tools for shifting gear were being explored.

The International Monetary Fund is studying a wide range of possible ways to impose a levy on banks, including taxes on profits, assets and financial transactions, its chief economist said on Friday.

The percentage of homes bought in the United States by first-time buyers rose significantly in the year through June, helped by a popular $8,000 tax credit, the National Association of Realtors said on Friday.

The euro zone shook off recession in the third quarter although the largely government-engineered rebound after more than a year of shrinkage fell a little short of forecast, official estimates showed on Friday.

Leading U.S. bank regulator Sheila Bair said on Friday that the government's capital injections into the largest banks was probably not a good thing.

Strong demand in China and Germany last month triggered a double-digit growth rate in group sales volume at Volkswagen that wiped away the last signs of weakness from the start of this year.

Workers at a Ford Motor Co assembly plant in Missouri have started a vote that would authorize a strike as the automaker and the United Auto Workers union continue talks aimed at resolving disputes over local plant conditions.

Canada's trade deficit narrowed sharply in September from a record large gap in August thanks in part to a comeback in auto exports and growing sales to non-U.S. markets, Statistics Canada said on Friday.

Nissan Motor Co Ltd will keep the price of its upcoming battery-powered Leaf competitive with similar-sized cars and expects to make money on the vehicle despite the cost of its launch, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn on Friday.

Lithium-ion battery maker A123 Systems is increasing its focus on the automotive market, creating a new business unit led by a former auto parts executive.

U.S. stocks rose in light volume on Friday to achieve a second straight week of gains as upbeat retail news reinforced hopes for strong sales in the key holiday season