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Posted on Thu, Nov. 05, 2009 10:51 PM
Heads up | Ford to introduce inflatable seat belt for back-seat passengers
More News
Inflating seat belts
Ford is introducing an inflatable seat belt for back-seat passengers, hoping it will reduce injuries in front and side crashes. The device initially will be available as an option on the next-generation Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle, which goes into production in 2010. Safety sensors measure the severity of a crash and quickly inflate the seat belts if needed, much like front-seat air bags. Each belt’s tubular air bag inflates with cold compressed gas, which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat.
More insider trading arrests
Two attorneys and Wall Street professionals were among 14 people charged Thursday in a widening $53 million insider trading case. That raises to 20 the number of people who have been charged in the case, including Galleon Group founder and hedge fund operator Raj Rajaratnam, one of America’s richest men. The case also has shown white collar suspects to be using the cover-up tactics of drug dealers.
Fannie’s troubles
Fannie Mae is asking for an additional $15 billion in government aid after posting a third-quarter loss of nearly $20 billion. The government-controlled company said 4.7 percent of its borrowers had missed at least three payments by the end of last month. That’s nearly triple last year’s level.
Hot IPOs
Two well-known companies shined in their market debuts Thursday despite what has recently been a difficult market for initial public offerings. Shares of Hyatt Hotels Corp. jumped 12 percent in their first day, and investors impressed by Ancestry.com’s large subscriber base and growth story pushed the genealogy Web site’s stock up as much as 21 percent.
Direct gains
Satellite TV operator DirecTV Group Inc. was one of the few pay-TV companies to gain subscribers in the third quarter, boosting its rolls by 136,000, to 18.4 million. Third-quarter earnings were flat at $366 million.
Posted on Thu, Nov. 05, 2009 10:51 PM
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