Based off the last news reports, without Steve Jobs, the multi-billion-dollar enterprise that is Apple (NYSE: AAPL) would simply cease to exist. Every new report of his health is followed in the market, and Apple’s stock price takes corresponding hikes and plunges.

The U.S. unemployment rate, currently at a level of 6.5%, could rise to 8% next year. But it could also find a ceiling sooner than expected, as more companies implement unpaid vacations and four-day workweeks to preserve jobs.

Dell Inc. (DELL) Chairman and Chief Executive Michael Dell announced the company would eliminate more jobs then originally targeted and plans to buy back $1 billion in stock in the first quarter.