trading

Facebook employees and investors can now sell some of their stock to Digital Sky Technologies, the Russian investment firm that infused $200 million into the social network this spring.

Part of the deal at the time of the investment would be that Digital Sky Technologies would buy back up to $100 million in common stock from shareholders whose shares have vested.

Now, Digital Sky Technologies is purchasing stock at $14.77 per share, which assumes a valuation of about $6.5 billion for Facebook, according to Brad Stone of The New York Times, who first reported the news. That's … Read more

The Federal Trade Commission is planning to crack down on bloggers who review or promote products while earning freebies or payments, the Associated Press reported Sunday.

This would, for the first time, bring bloggers under FTC guidelines that ban deceptive or unfair business practices.

"New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers--as well as the companies that compensate them--for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest," the article explained.

The rules could be quite strict, even extending to the practice of affiliate … Read more

As time passes, Apple's attempts to keep quiet about upcoming iPhone models are failing. Now, a post on iClarified, AT&T Accidentally Confirms 32GB iPhone?, appears to confirm rumors about a 32GB iPhone.

According to the post, iClarified "received information from an anonymous tipster directing them to the AT&T BlackBerry Trade Up site, where AT&T customers can trade in their specific cell phones to upgrade to a BlackBerry."

Customers visiting the site can select the phone they want to trade in, the BlackBerry model they want to upgrade to, and are then … Read more

The House Energy and Commerce Committee passed an energy and climate bill on Thursday that puts a cap on greenhouse gases in a way designed to give heavy polluters years to transition to low-carbon technologies.

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, sponsored by Congressmen Henry Waxman and Edward Markey, passed through the committee after four days of marathon "markup" sessions where dozens of amendments were considered.

The bill calls for a cap-and-trade system designed to reduce greenhouse gases and a mandate that would require utilities to get a portion of their electricity from renewable energy … Read more

You might have heard about online "phishing" scams designed to steal money from unsuspecting Web users, but now criminals are using another type of scam called "vishing" to commit the same crimes.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed lawsuits against two telemarketing firms in Florida and a company claiming to sell extended automobile warranties for violating the Do Not Call registry and fraud for selling bogus warranties for between $2,000 and $3,000 a pop. Since 2007, the companies supposedly made 1 billion calls and generated more than $10 billion.

These companies likely used … Read more

Those annoying robocalls asking if you'd like to extend the factory warranty on your car may soon come to an end.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission filed lawsuits against three companies--Voice Touch and Transcontinental Warranty, both of Florida, and Network Foundations, based in Illinois--alleging these companies violated the Do Not Call registry law by making more than 1 billion robocalls since 2007 to residences, businesses, and mobile phones.

The suit also alleges that the calls, which have generated more than $10 million since 2007, offer unnecessary and false warranty extensions for several thousands of dollars. And that the … Read more

Correction at 2:50 p.m. PDT: This story initially misquoted Kent Walker. He confirmed that Google was aware of a "pending FTC discussion" into Schmidt's board seats.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--Google confirmed that the Federal Trade Commission plans to hold discussions with the company over a possible conflict of interest due to CEO Eric Schmidt's participation on both Google and Apple's board of directors.

In response to questions posed by reporters during a lunch meeting with Google executives--including Schmidt--Google vice president and general counsel Kent Walker confirmed that Google was aware of a "… Read more

Correction, 5:03 p.m. PDT: This story had an incorrect title for Art Levinson. He is the former CEO of Genentech.

The Federal Trade Commission has decided to take a look at the cozy relationship between Google and Apple, according to a report.

The New York Times reported Monday that Google and Apple have been informed that the FTC would like to investigate whether the fact that Apple and Google have two members of their boards of directors in common--Google CEO Eric Schmidt and former Genentech CEO Art Levinson--amounts to a violation of antitrust law. The Times attributed the … Read more

Policies now being considered to boost renewable electricity generation and efficiency at utilities will make it cheaper to comply with caps on greenhouse gas emissions, said members of the Energy Future Coalition, a group of business, environmental, and labor advocates.

Both the the House and Senate are expected to move ahead with energy and climate change bills in the coming weeks.

The Waxman Markey bill in the House combines both energy and climate regulations in a single bill, while the Senate is working on separate efforts. Committee markup meetings in the House and Senate are expected, starting as early as … Read more