Industries

P&G Chief Bob McDonald Pins Growth on Closer Shave Than a Mumbai Barber Procter & Gamble Co.’s Bob McDonald is going undercover in Latin America next week.

Retail LBOs are Back as Credit Freeze Abates, Buyout Firms Executives Say Private-equity firms looking to buy retail and consumer companies said they’re now able to finance deals and pay reasonable prices after the credit crisis and global recession triggered a buyout slump.

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Crude Oil Poised for Weekly Gain on Optimism About U.S. Economic Recovery Crude oil traded above $82 a barrel in New York, poised for a weekly gain, on optimism fuel demand will recover as China’s economic expansion accelerates.

Formosa Seeks Eight Cargoes of LPG for Delivery to Taiwan in May-December Formosa Petrochemical Corp., Taiwan’s only publicly traded oil refiner, is seeking eight cargoes of liquefied petroleum gas for delivery from May to December, said a trader with knowledge of the offer.

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JPMorgan, Citigroup Helped Cause Lehman's Collapse, Examiner's Report Says JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. helped cause the failure of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. by demanding more collateral and changing guarantee agreements, according to a court-ordered report on the biggest bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Pandit Says He `Wouldn't Be `Surprised' If Treasury Weighing Sale of Stake Citigroup Inc. Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit said the U.S. Treasury Department will be free to sell its 27 percent stake in the bank starting next week and that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if the government were considering a sale.

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Fat Surgery Urged for Obese Kids May Boost Allergan Sales, Trim Liability David Ludwig, director of the obesity program at Children’s Hospital Boston, was against weight-loss surgery for kids, he says, because it ignored the real problem, a “toxic environment” jammed with junk food.

Birth-Control Pills Reduce Cancer, Lengthen Women's Lives in 40-Year Study Birth-control pills may lead to longer lives for women, according to a 40-year study that showed users were less likely to die of heart disease, cancer or a range of other medical ailments.

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Buffett Gets $100,000 Berkshire Salary for 29th Straight Year, No Bonus Warren Buffett, the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. who pays the company for postage and personal phone calls, received a $100,000 salary for a 29th straight year as he arranged a $27 billion acquisition.

AIG Said to Query Bonus Holdouts on 2009 Income in Push for Concessions American International Group Inc.’s effort to reach its commitment of $45 million in bonus concessions are focusing on former employees who have refused to accept reduced payouts, said people with knowledge of the talks.

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Hong Kong Property Prices Set for `Another Good Year,' Sun Hung Kai Says Hong Kong’s home market may see “another good year” in 2010 as buyers remain financially sound, according to Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd., the world’s biggest developer by market value.

Australian Home Prices to Keep Rising on Building Shortage, Council Says Australian home prices will keep rising due to a building and land shortage, according to a unit of the Property Council of Australia.

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Calpers May Challenge Apple, BlackRock on Directors Over Election Methods The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the biggest state-run U.S. public pension, may use its financial clout to force BlackRock Inc., News Corp, and other companies where it has large holdings to change the way they elect directors.

Microsoft Xbox Takes U.S. Console-Sales Lead After 2 Years, Surpassing Wii Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 beat Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 last month to become the best-selling video-game console in the U.S. for the first time in more than two years, helped by the release of the “BioShock 2” shooting title.

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Toyota Sees Recovery in 2010 for Most of U.S. Market Share Lost on Recalls Toyota Motor Corp. set a 2010 goal of regaining most of the U.S. market share lost in the past two months after global recalls of 8 million vehicles damped demand, the No. 2 U.S. sales executive said.

Hyundai Motor Adds Chairman's 39-Year-Old Billionaire Son Chung to Board Hyundai Motor Co. appointed Vice Chairman Chung Eui Sun to the company’s board, bringing the 39- year-old billionaire a step closer to succeeding his father, Chung Mong Koo, as head of South Korea’s biggest carmaker.

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