Reuters: Regulatory News: PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - April 20

Reuters: Regulatory News Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals. // via fulltextrssfeed.com

PRESS DIGEST - Wall Street Journal - April 20 Apr 20th 2012, 06:21 April 20 | Fri Apr 20, 2012 2:21am EDT April 20 (Reuters) - The following were the top stories in The Wall Street Journal on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. * President Obama's efforts to project himself as a protector of the middle class have strengthened him for the general election, while Mitt Romney has gained traction with his argument that he can improve the economy. * Dewey & LeBoeuf is considering a novel rescue plan that would put the law firm into bankruptcy protection but might be its best hope at preserving value at a prestigious firm that this year has been hemorrhaging talent. * Rising layoffs, falling home sales and slowing manufacturing activity are sparking fears that the economic recovery is headed for a springtime stall for the third year in a row. * An unprofitable business-technology start-up with a funny name turned in the best stock debut this year. Splunk closed up 109 percent, the latest proof that the tech-stock appetite extends beyond hot names like Facebook. * Verizon, fed up with the high costs of offering the iPhone, plans to push smartphones powered by Microsoft's Windows software, as a counterweight to the popular Apple device. * The SEC voted to take an enforcement action against Egan-Jones Ratings, alleging the credit-rating firm's regulatory filings included inaccuracies. * Ford Motor Co said it would build its fifth car factory in eastern China as part of a plan to double its production capacity and sales outlets in the country by 2015 -- a $5 billion bet overall on a market where the U.S. auto maker faces significant challenges. * The hedge-fund industry is bigger than ever before, after a market rally helped lift assets under management to a record. Total hedge-fund assets surged to $2.13 trillion at the end of the first quarter, beating the previous high of $2.04 trillion, set in the middle of last year, according to Hedge Fund Research Inc. Higher returns, rather than the flow of new money from investors, accounted for a large portion of the industry's growth. Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions