S&P 500 in longest winning streak since 2004
The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed above 1,500 on Friday for the first time since the start of the Great Recession in 2007, lifted by strong earnings from Procter & Gamble and Starbucks.
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Michigan lawyer claims Indiana prosecution was political
A Michigan attorney claims in a lawsuit that former Indianapolis prosecutor Carl Brizzi and former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita used unwarranted charges against her in a cemetery theft scheme to enhance their political reputations.
ChaCha secures $14M investment to expand services
The latest round of funding will enable ChaCha to make “significant” investments in new products to expand both mobile and online services, CEO Scott Jones said. Internally, the project is dubbed “Go Big.”
APPEL: Mergers and acquisitions will accelerate by midyear
Savvy Indiana business owners rightly wonder about the merger-and-acquisition and capital market outlook for 2013. Unfortunately, it is likely mixed, with a sluggish outlook for the first half of the year. However, many hope that, by midyear, there will be a pickup to end the year strong.
Indianapolis-area mergers and acquisitions in 2013
Lack of a disclosed price kept these deals off of Indianapolis Business Journal's list of deals.
Hillenbrand diversifies by growing whole new business
Casket company turns heads with aggressive foray into equipment manufacturing.
ITT suffers tough quarter on enrollment drop, loan losses
ITT Educational Services Inc. shares swooned Thursday morning after the private educator reported sinking revenue and a $9.5 million loss in the fourth quarter. But the stock rebounded strongly later Thursday.
Ex-councilor Bateman agrees to plead guilty to fraud charges
Paul C. Bateman Jr., a former Democrat city-county councilor, agreed to plead guilty Wednesday to 13 counts of money laundering and wire fraud for his part in defrauding an Indianapolis physician of $1.7 million.
Lampoon paid for Durham’s defense, trustee alleges
Fair Finance bankruptcy trustee Brian Bash, charged with recovering funds for Fair investors, alleges in a court filing that National Lampoon funded convicted Ponzi schemer Tim Durham’s defense. Durham is a former CEO of the film company.
Local buyout firm acquires New York shapewear maker
Indianapolis investment firm E&A Industries has acquired a fast-growing New York apparel firm specializing in body-slimming fashions, the companies announced Tuesday.
Local tooling manufacturer acquired by private-equity firm
Techniks Inc., a designer and distributor of industrial cutting tools, has been acquired by Tenex Capital Management. Tenex, in turn, merged Techniks into another of its companies, Jasper-based Nap Gladu, to form a new holding company.
Indiana firms see big drop in venture funding
Venture capital investments in Indiana dropped off in 2012, but local investors see the market here steadily gaining strength.
Leader of fraud scheme pleads guilty to 20 counts
Michael Russell faces between 57 and 71 months in prison for defrauding an Indianapolis investor of $1.7 million. Two associates, Paul Bateman, a former City-County councilor, and Manuel Gonzalez, have pleaded not guilty and are set for trial Feb. 11.
HHGregg ratchets back, but analysts still uneasy
HHGregg now has 228 stores in 20 states. So it has grown a great deal. But the “exceptional store economics” it used to promote are gone, thanks largely to a breathtaking collapse in sales of flat-screen televisions.
New tool could drive down employers’ health care costs
Ten of Indiana’s largest employers—including the state of Indiana; Cummins Inc.; CNO Financial Group Inc.; Indiana, Purdue and Butler universities; and Indiana University Health—think they have hit upon a solution.
Analyst cuts Cummins rating, citing rise in shares
Analyst Stephen Volkmann lowered his rating on the engine maker's stock to "Hold" from "Buy," noting that the shares have risen 30 percent from their October lows and are now just 10 percent below all-time highs.
Emmis’ well-paid CEO signs on for 3 more years
CEO Jeff Smulyan's supporters praise him for repositioning Emmis during a harrowing stretch for the media industry. Detractors complain about his hefty compensation.
Farmers seek rescue from unexpected property tax hit
New soil-productivity factors issued by the Department of Local Government Finance last year would have raised tax collections an average 18.5 percent this year.
BioCrossroads seed fund makes first investments
Local startups Esanex Inc. and Algaeon Inc. have received $500,000 and $250,000, respectively, from Indiana Seed Fund II, BioCrossroads’ second fund to help fledgling life sciences companies.
Indiana liberal arts colleges strategize to survive perfect storm
Colleges are experimenting with business models at a time when the ability of students and their families to pay are dropping dramatically, and endowments and scholarship funds remain depressed.