Tech competition is heating up: Google vs. Microsoft! Microsoft vs. Apple! Apple vs. Palm! Here's how the second half of '09 is shaping up.

Seven banks were shut down by authorities Thursday, pushing the tally of failed banks for 2009 to 52, more than doubling the failures in 2008.

One year ago, on July 3, 2008, oil prices settled at a record high -- a once-unthinkable $145.29 a barrel

Despite emergency stimulus measures, small business lending continues to fall. In the just-ended quarter, the Small Business Administration's flagship program backed 30% fewer loans than it did a year ago, and 55% fewer loans than it did in 2007, before the recession set in.

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Tired of hearing that everything tastes like chicken? So are Seattle entrepreneurs Justin Esch and Dave Lefkow. They want it all to taste like bacon.

AT&T's widely leaked best-ever sales day memo ticking off the records set on June 19, 2009 - the day it began selling the iPhone 3GS - is packed with superlatives but notably lacking in numbers.

The safety of municipal bonds is often taken for granted. But California's recent budget troubles have thrown the default possibility back into the limelight.

Here come the California IOUs.

It looks like someone may have sprayed a healthy dose of Ortho Weed B Gon on those economic green shoots.

In his latest astutely staged gesture as grand economic reformer, President Obama this week directed his Treasury Department to deliver to Congress a 153-page bill creating a new agency to protect unwitting consumers against devious lenders.

If ever there were an industry in need of a general, it's the ethanol industry. Already under siege from food companies blaming biofuels for rising grocery prices, ethanol companies are now seeing their profit margins crushed by falling prices for their product. Compounding the problem, many environmentalists -- who five minutes ago seemed to be in ethanol's corner -- have turned against the corn-based fuel.

Your car may not be new, but its gizmos can be - for as little as a few hundred bucks.

When Iran cracked down on journalists following its recent election, international focus turned to Twitter as citizen journalists posted 140-character reports and links to photos and videos to the site. Trouble was, it was hard to sift the useful and reliable nuggets of information from scores of tweets that included plenty of spam, useless remarks, and stray sentiments.

As he returns to work after a serious illness, we take a look at the highlights of Jobs' years at Apple.

You say, "potato," I say, "netbook." That's a bit how I feel when Michael Rayfield, who heads up the mobile computing effort at graphics chip specialist Nvidia, drops a tiny computer on my desk. Branded Mobinnova, it had an almost 9" diagonal screen and a solid keyboard that folded around a tube stuffed with batteries and various connectors.

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Asian officials and scholars say lax U.S. financial regulation is to blame for the financial crisis, rather than their countries' high savings rates.

U.S., U.K. and Austrian prosecutors are investigating a former fund manager they believe was paid more than $40 million in kickbacks to funnel billions of dollars of investments to Madoff.

European regulators proposed measures that could place additional burdens on Europe's  derivatives industry, fueling concerns that trading could be pushed onto exchanges, crimping the profits.

Mining company Teck Resources agreed to sell a 17% stake to China Investment Corp. for about $1.5 billion, with the aim of reducing bank debt.

A federal judge ordered the appointment of a permanent receiver over Danny Pang's companies and ruled that there was sufficient evidence of fraud to justify a continued freeze of his assets.

Two law firms representing Latin American customers of Stanford Financial have filed a class-action suit against U.K. insurance broker Willis, contending that it shoulders partial responsibility for investors' losses.

Job losses accelerated last month and the unemployment rate rose to 9.5%, casting doubt on the U.S. economy's ability to rebound soon.

The Justice Department confirmed that it is investigating a settlement between Google and authors and publishers due to antitrust concerns.

British Airways reported that passenger traffic declined in June, prompting the carrier to further reduce summer and winter capacity.

Regulators closed six banks in Illinois and one in Texas, raising the number of bank failures in the U.S. to 52 this year. The seizures were the most in a single day during the financial crisis.

Most publicly traded vehicles that invest in mortgages have plummeted toward extinction, but some big names are trying to line up money to buy battered real-estate debt.

European shares finished slightly lower, with utilities and metals producers pressuring markets.

Most Asian markets fell Friday following a dismal U.S. jobs report. The Nikkei was down 0.6%.

Oil brokerage firm PVM Oil Futures identified the broker involved in unauthorized oil trades by the firm earlier this week, causing a loss totaling "a little under $10 million."

The FDIC proposed new rules on private-equity investors wanting to buy failed banks to protect against aggressive management.

Iraq said it will move up a second round of licensing bids for 11 oil and natural-gas fields that was to be held at the end of this year.

J&J will buy an 18.4% stake in Irish biotech company Elan, in a bid to crack the potentially lucrative Alzheimer's market.

Oracle is planning to cut up to 1,000 jobs in Europe, according to a French labor union.

Former Republican vice presidential candidate Palin announced she is stepping down as Alaska's governor on July 26. A source close to Palin said she she has been bogged down by opposition from Democrats and by fellow Republicans.

Marines moved into villages in Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan, meeting little resistance on the second day of a large U.S. offensive.

Make your website's overhaul an event that attracts traffic--and customers.

Use your online network to lure quality talent.

Take advantage of expert advice--but know that the final say is yours.

Gamefly's Sean Spector gives us a peek inside his game-rental empire.

Ramp up sales by interacting with consumers and fellow business owners.

Keep your online business running smoothly with a monthly check-up of these crucial areas.

Understand your threshold and exceed your goals.

Don’t give away equity or authority to these characters.

The market has changed, but smart hiring strategies are timeless.

Simple steps to give your business a competitive edge, on a budget.

Roy Spence explains why entrepreneurs are the key to our economic future.

5 tips to make sure you get paid and keep the cash flowing.

John Fox, CEO of New York-based biodiesel manufacturer Innovation Fuels, explains how government stimulus can make a difference to small biz.

It's a great way to get started quickly, but consider these factors.

Look in these areas to find things your business can live without.

Some banks see the new loan program as too much of a risk.