BUSINESS NEWS

• BUSINESS: Recycling prices drop as needs fall back 4/18/2009, 4:00 a.m. ET
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) ? The recession hasn't only driven down retail sales and wiped out jobs, it's taken a toll on rubbish.

• Lab technician shortage worries some professionals 4/18/2009, 4:00 a.m. ET
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ? Boyce Lawson had just left the military and was unsure of his future as he took a maintenance job at a hospital.

• Recession has consumers making repairs 4/18/2009, 4:00 a.m. ET
MIAMI (AP) — MIAMI (AP) ? Consumers' desire to pinch pennies is paying off at local repair shops, where business has ticked up as the economy has turned down.

• SemGroup wants to sell Nymex seats 4/18/2009, 2:59 a.m. ET
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — TULSA, Okla. (AP) ? A bankrupt oil and gas transportation and storage provider wants to sell its two seats on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

• Venture investments fall 61 percent in 1st qtr 4/18/2009, 12:01 a.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) ? U.S. venture capital investments sank 61 percent in the first quarter, dropping to the lowest level in 12 years as financiers became even warier about sinking funds into startups during a deepening recession.

• China's premier sees positive changes in economy 4/17/2009, 11:37 p.m. ET
BOAO, China (AP) — BOAO, China (AP) ? China's Premier Wen Jiabao says the country's stimulus package is starting to pay off and positive changes have taken place in the economy.

• China's premier says stimulus package paying off and changes in economy better than expected 4/17/2009, 11:27 p.m. ET
BOAO, China (AP) — BOAO, China (AP) ? China's premier says stimulus package paying off and changes in economy better than expected.

• State Department reviewing Dyncorp after death 4/17/2009, 10:15 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — WASHINGTON (AP) ? The State Department is investigating DynCorp International, which conducts police training in Afghanistan, over its handling of an employee who died of a possible drug overdose and has ordered the major U.S. contractor to replace its senior project managers.

• Jamaica to train, send unemployed to US, Canada 4/17/2009, 9:30 p.m. ET
KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) ? Jamaica plans to train laid-off workers for jobs in agriculture, hospitality and construction in the U.S. and Canada through a work-abroad program.

• AP: Viacom CEO compensation $28M in 2008 4/17/2009, 9:13 p.m. ET
LOS ANGELES (AP) — LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Viacom Inc., the media conglomerate controlled by billionaire Sumner Redstone, awarded compensation in 2008 to Chief Executive Philippe Dauman valued by The Associated Press at $27.9 million, up 7 percent from a year ago, a securities filing showed Friday.

• Xcel Energy expects dip in May natural gas prices 4/17/2009, 8:36 p.m. ET
DENVER (AP) — DENVER (AP) ? Xcel Energy says it expects the average natural gas bill for residential customers in May to be about 39 percent lower compared with a year earlier.

• IMF approves $47 billion credit line for Mexico 4/17/2009, 8:22 p.m. ET
MEXICO CITY (AP) — MEXICO CITY (AP) ? The International Monetary Fund says it approved a $47 billion flexible credit line for Mexico.

• Judge sides with Vegas in city hall-union fight 4/17/2009, 8:15 p.m. ET
LAS VEGAS (AP) — LAS VEGAS (AP) ? A judge sided with the city of Las Vegas on Friday in its fight against two union-backed petitions aimed at sidetracking redevelopment efforts and blocking a proposal for a new city hall.

• Figures on government spending and debt 4/17/2009, 7:45 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) — WASHINGTON (AP) ? Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated). The government's fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

• AMR CEO's 2008 compensation fell to $5.1 million 4/17/2009, 7:31 p.m. ET
DALLAS (AP) — DALLAS (AP) ? The chief executive of American Airlines parent AMR Corp., which lost $2.07 billion in 2008, got compensation valued at $5.1 million last year, mostly in stock and option awards that could be worth far more or less when they are cashed in years from now, according to analysis by The Associated Press of a regulatory filing made Friday.

• 2 more banks fail, lifting this year's tally to 25 4/17/2009, 7:28 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) ? Regulators on Friday shut down two more banks, boosting the number of failures this year to as many as in all of last year.

• Regulators close bank in Missouri; 24th this year 4/17/2009, 7:28 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) ? Regulators have shut down American Sterling Bank in Missouri, raising the number of bank failures so far this year to 24.

• BC-Weekly amex leaders 4/17/2009, 6:55 p.m. ET
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• BC-Weekly Stox in Spotlight 4/17/2009, 6:54 p.m. ET
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• BC-Weekly percent leaders, 4/17/2009, 6:53 p.m. ET
(AP) — Only securities with closing prices or

• bc-ota-w 4/17/2009, 6:47 p.m. ET
(AP) — Nasdaq Weekly Summary

• BC-Composite Updates 4/17/2009, 6:46 p.m. ET
(AP) — AMERICAN LEADERS

• BC-Investing Companies 4/17/2009, 6:42 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) ? Friday's

• Amazon CEO Bezos' compensation unchanged in 2008 4/17/2009, 6:00 p.m. ET
NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) ? Amazon.com Inc.'s chief executive and founder, Jeff Bezos, received compensation of $1.3 million in 2008, the same as the previous year, according to an Associated Press analysis of a regulatory filing Friday.

• How the Dow Jones industrials fared Friday 4/17/2009, 5:52 p.m. ET
(AP) — Wall Street found enough in the latest earnings reports to keep its six-week rally alive. Stocks ended another winning week with a slender advance Friday as earnings from Citigroup Inc. and General Electric Co. came in ahead of the market's meager expectations.