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As G-8 world leaders head to Camp David, a test looms for the euro zone

Howard Schneider — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:43:58 EST

Top world leaders will gather in Camp David on Friday as they confront renewed financial tensions in Europe for the first time since the euro region put in place extraordinary measures meant to combat its problems.

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Wed, 16 May 2012 12:43:58 EST

What the oil industry wants — in charts

Brad Plumer — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:26:30 EST

In many ways, life has have never been better for the U.S. oil and gas industries. Production is booming, thanks to new fracking technology. Profits are high. There’s little chance Congress will cap carbon emissions anytime soon. What more could they ask for?

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Obama wants a clean debt-ceiling bill

Ezra Klein — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:07:00 EST

President Obama and Speaker John Boehner had lunch today. Here, according to Boehner’s office, is how their discussion of the debt ceiling went:

In a discussion of the debt limit, the Speaker – who has warned that the growing debt is hurting U.S. job creation – asked the President if he is proposing that Congress pass an increase that does not include any spending cuts to help reduce the deficit. The President said, “yes.” The Speaker told the President, “as long as I’m around here, I’m not going to allow a debt ceiling increase without doing something serious about the debt.”

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Democrats talk about cutting entitlements. Republicans don’t talk about raising taxes.

Suzy Khimm — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:20:55 EST

The line you often hear in Washington is that Republicans won’t talk taxes and Democrats won’t talk entitlements. The two parties, the thinking goes, are similarly irresponsible, albeit on opposite sides of the budget.

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Carlyle Group profits down 30 percent in first quarter

Sarah Kliff — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:20:00 EST

Carlyle Group’s first-quarter income dropped 26 percent, the Washington-based firm said Tuesday in its first earnings report since its lukewarm debut on the public stock markets.

Shares of the company, which went public May 3, eked out a 0.4 percent gain in regular trading Tuesday to close at $21.12, below the initial public offering price of $22 a share.

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JPMorgan Chase hit with class-action lawsuit over $2B in trading losses

Jia Lynn Yang — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:05:13 EST

A class-action lawsuit was filed Tuesday against JPMorgan Chase on behalf of investors accusing the bank of misleading shareholders about the $2 billion in trading losses that have roiled the company this week.

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Skechers to pay $40 million to settle charges over unsupported claims

Dina ElBoghdady — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:18:09 EST

Skechers agreed to pay $40 million to settle charges that the company made unsupported claims about the benefits of its toning shoes, falsely asserting that they help people lose weight, tone their lower bodies and even combat heart disease.

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Facebook’s IPO: What does it mean for you?

Barry Ritholtz — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:05:00 EST

Wondering what Facebook’s upcoming initial public offering of stock means for you? The Post’s business editors turned to our investment columnist Barry Ritholtz for some plain talk on the stock sale:

I’m a regular Joe investor, should I clear out my piggy bank to buy Facebook shares?

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Obamas’ 2011 assets valued at as much as $8 million; includes up to $1 million in JPMorgan Chase account

Felicia Sonmez — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:49:00 EST

President Obama’s 2011 assets include anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million held in a JPMorgan Chase checking account, according to annual financial disclosure forms released by the White House on Tuesday.

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E-Verify requirement would place another burden on small business

Jennifer Carey — Sun, 13 May 2012 14:36:08 EST

My small business is a melting pot, a microcosm of the world at large. We have employees who come from European, African, South American, Middle Eastern and Asian backgrounds. Some have recently escaped harsh conditions in their home countries, some immigrated years ago with their parents in search of a better life, some are the sons and daughters of immigrants who came decades ago. Despite these vast differences, we all get along.

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Sun, 13 May 2012 14:36:08 EST

Where are the jobs? Ask the patent trolls.

Vivek Wadhwa — Mon, 7 May 2012 22:10:00 EST

President Obama has been touting patents as a way to create jobs and increase U.S. competitiveness. “These are jobs and businesses of the future just waiting to be created,” he said of patent applications last September, “somewhere in that stack of applications could be the next technological breakthrough, the next miracle drug, the next idea that will launch the next Fortune 500 company.”

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Mon, 7 May 2012 22:10:00 EST