Top 10 Key Business Trends Data Points for Today

Sony
PlayStation 3 Misses U.S. Target, Loses to Wii Bloomberg
The PlayStation 3, introduced in the U.S. on Nov. 17, sold 197,000 units,
falling short of Sony's 400,000 goal. Nintendo Co.'s Wii, which made its
debut two days after the PlayStation 3, sold 476,000 units, Port
Washington, New York-based NPD said in an e-mail yesterday.
Funds
Consider New Way To Pay for Research WSJ
Spending on "soft dollars" -- the Wall Street term for bundling
research payments with trading commissions -- commissions on research is
expected to total $10.8 billion, according to consultants Greenwich
Associates.
Employers
boosted payrolls by 132,000 AP
Employers boosted payrolls by a respectable 132,000 in November, but
the unemployment rate edged up to 4.5 percent as jobseekers streamed into
the labor market by the thousands with the onrushing holidays.
What
a Difference a Year Has Made For Once-Highflying Satellite Radio WSJ
Sirius cut its subscriber projections for this year by at least 200,000 to
a range between 5.9 million and 6.1 million subscribers, blaming
weaker-than-anticipated retail sales since the Thanksgiving holiday. XM
has been trimming its forecasts all year, most recently telling investors
it will end the year with between 7.7 million and 7.9 million subscribers.
Japan's economy grew at a far weaker pace in the third quarter than previously reported due to downward revisions in consumer spending and capital investment, the government said Friday, raising concerns about the recovery's strength.
BMW
Is on Track to Keep Top Slot In Auto Sales' Premium Category WSJ
BMW overtook Mercedes premium brand as the world's leading premium car
maker last year. BMW Group yesterday posted a 0.3% rise in global
deliveries in November to 114,321 vehicles. In the first 11 months of the
year, deliveries -- which mirror sales -- rose 2.8% to 1.24 million cars.
The company said the biggest growth in November was in Asia, led by sales
in China.
Consumers
Less Cheery As Holidays Near
Home
Depot's $200 Million Error
BusinessWeek
The Home Depot Inc. announced that its incorrect accounting of stock
options over the past 26 years resulted in around $200 million of
unrecorded expense. But the Atlanta home improvement retailer also
concluded that none of its managers had meant to do wrong.
Money-Fund
Assets Rise in Week WSJ
Money-market mutual-fund assets increased $28.6 billion to $2.358 trillion
for the week ended Wednesday, from $2.33 trillion the previous week,
according to the Investment Company Institute.