Oil Over $143; GM Falls to 54-year Low; Starbucks Closes 600 Stores; Nikkei Post 10th Straight Loss; United Health Lands in the Emergency Ward; 900 American Flight Attendants on Standby; Blockbuster Abandons Bid; Microsoft at it Again

Carl Icahn is adding to his reputation as a boardroom bully. In a letter to Yahoo Inc. (YHOO) Chairman Roy Bostock, the billionaire investor threatened to seek control of the board and resuscitate takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).

As the dollar continues its historic decline, imported goods will become too costly for many Americans.  In addition, more of those products still made domestically will be exported to wealthier foreign consumers whose appreciated currencies increase their purchasing power.

It’s earnings season again. But with an odd twist. You see, most investors realized that earnings season would be dismal; so when the results came in pretty much as expected, many investors seemed to find that the news, especially among financial, was not worse and went on a buying spree.