NYT > Business

• Bread of Life, Baked in Rhode Island
  A family-owned company makes about 80 percent of the altar bread used by American churches.
• Early Reports Confirm Weak Holiday Shopping
  Foot traffic at retail stores declined 23.7 percent and sales fell 5.3 percent compared with a year ago, according to the research firm ShopperTrak.
• Market for Corporate Jets Goes Into Free-Fall
  Companies jettison their private aircraft as billions of dollars in business and individual wealth are lost in the economic downturn.
• Drop in Gas Prices Offers a Bit of Relief for Consumers
  Tumbling gasoline prices gave consumers more purchasing power and led to a rise in real consumer spending last month, the government reported.
• Fed Approves GMAC Request to Become a Bank
  The change in status makes the company eligible for bailout money and emergency loans directly from the Federal Reserve.
• After 5 Down Days, Wall Street Shifts Higher
  Wall Street rose in light trading after the government released downbeat, but unsurprising, readings on joblessness and consumer spending.
• Nearly the End of the Line for S.U.V.’s
  Even a bailout could not save three of the last remaining plants in the U.S. still making sport utility vehicles.
• Global Car Sales Down 21.8% for Toyota
  The dismal data comes two days after Toyota predicted that this fiscal year it would report its first operating loss in 70 years.
• Your Friends Need Money. Do They Have References?
  Loans between friends, family and even unlikely acquaintances can strengthen or test relationships.
• Madoff Dealings Tarnish a Private Swiss Bank
  L’Affaire Madoff, as it has become known, has raised questions why Union Bancaire Privée did not look more closely at its returns.
• S.E.C. Staff Seeks Reserve Fund Inquiry
  The targets of the proposed investigation include Bruce R. Bent, the president of the Reserve Management Company, and his two sons.
• Mexican Shoppers Go North, Seeking Bargains
  Middle- and upper-income families are traveling hundreds of miles to purchase a much wider selection of products at substantially lower prices than can be found in their hometowns.
• With Russia’s Help, Gas-Producing Countries Try to Be More Like OPEC
  A dozen large natural gas-producing countries founded an organization Tuesday that will study ways to set global prices for the fuel.
• Wal-Mart Settles 63 Lawsuits Over Wages
  The retailer said it will pay from $352 million to $640 million to settle lawsuits over wages and work rules.
• Home Sales Fell Sharply in November
  The plunging home sales and housing prices are the latest indication that America’s battered housing market will continue to struggle in the deteriorating economy.
• Turning Page, E-Books Start to Take Hold
  Thanks in part to the popularity of Amazon.com’s wireless Kindle device, the e-book has started to take hold.
• If You Skip the 7 Swans, the Lords Look Affordable
  Deep-pocketed romantics who want to give a partridge in a pear tree and the other whimsical gifts from “The 12 Days of Christmas” may be in luck this year.
• Square Feet: A Light-Filled Cathedral Radiates Hope
  The Cathedral of Christ the Light is a wonder of religious architecture. But for residents, city leaders and neighbors, the development is more than just the sanctuary.
• Breakingviews.com.: Deal Makers Pine for M&A Revival
  A record number of mergers and acquisitions, worth nearly $1 trillion, were pulled so far this year, according to Dealogic.
• Advertising: Dairy Queen, the Video Game
  (Almost) like the real thing: employees move too slowly, frustrating the managers.
• Square Feet: Loans on Distressed Properties Become a Burden and an Opportunity
  A shift has occurred in the commercial real estate market, away from brick-and-mortar properties and toward the buying and selling of debt.
• Rules Set for Mortgage Loan Appraisals
  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have agreed to improve the reliability of appraisals on mortgage loans bought by the two financing companies.
• Economic Scene: Insights Both Fresh and Tested
  In keeping with an unusual year, this column’s annual list of the economics books of the year is going to be a little unorthodox.