They say it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. But with just hours left on the last trading day of the year, it seems safe to say that she is going through her vocal exercises, sipping some hot tea with lemon and honey and getting ready to serenade Legg Mason Value Trust manager Bill Miller.

If he hadn’t discovered glass blowing during his last semester at the University of Kansas, John Burchetta would have been a business major. Instead, he became a business founder.

Stocks clung to a tight range near midday Friday, with investors content to hold on to recent gains at the end of a strong year on Wall Street.

Stocks rose modestly Friday morning, with investors extending gains at the end of a strong year on Wall Street.

Online retail spending surged this holiday season and for the first time ever will top the $100 billion mark for the entire year, according to a report Friday.

Treasury prices fell on Friday bringing yields to their highest levels in nine weeks, as traders look to a reduced chance of a rate cut due to indications of a robust economy.

The balancing act between teaching your kids independence and keeping them safe isn’t easy. Do you let them climb to the top of the jungle gym? Are they old enough to venture into town to see a movie? What’s a reasonable curfew for a teenager … with a car?

Apple Computer disclosed in a regulatory filling Friday that chief executive officer Steve Jobs was aware that some stock options granted to him and other executives at Apple between 1997 and 2002 were backdated and that the company was restating financial results for the past few years as a result of the backdating.

The nation’s financial markets will be closed Tuesday to honor former President Gerald Ford, who died Tuesday.

Stocks crept higher Friday morning, extending gains at the end of a strong year on Wall Street.