Unable to find a fit with a partner in an industry where technology has outstripped its traditional role, NYSE Euronext — headquartered in Wall Street's New York Stock Exchange building — has agreed to an $8.2-billion acquisition by an Atlanta-based commodity-trading outfit, InterContinental Exchange (ICE).

The deal would create a derivatives giant, as Reuters noted. It also gives a 12-year-old startup control of the most iconic symbol of U.S. capitalism, with a two-century history of serving as the very hub of company-building. While the exchange still features traders squawking in bright-colored jackets to make orders, digital technology and the rise of private trading venues have made it less and less relevant.

NYSE, which refreshed its branding earlier this year, handles only about 20 percent of equities traded in the United States on a given day, an expert told the U.K.'s Guardian, down from a peak of 60 percent to 70 percent.Continue reading...

NYSE Euronext is in merger talks with the IntercontinentalExchange. (Update: Sold!)

Foursquare starts using Facebook data for recommendations.

General Mills announces more than 100 new products for 2013.

Amazon's Jeff Bezos among retail leaders honored by NRF.

Apple feels heat in Brazil over iPhone brand and sees "pinch to zoom" patent rejected.

Barack Obama pledges to take action on gun control.

Best Buy digital chief resigns.

Darden takes new tack to spur U.S. restraurant brands.

Deutsche Bank image remake suffers.

Disney raises bar on customer experience with new Fantasy Land.

eBay stops advertising inside mobile apps.Continue reading...

Yum! Brands third quarter earnings report is being closely watched.

Barclays to buy ING online assets.

Yahoo's Marissa Mayer urged to repurchase stock, profiled in New York magazine.

AT&T shares network with IBM to lure more customers to the cloud.

Amazon veers more into advertising.

American Airlines loses traffic over operational issues.

Apple asked by Taiwan to blur satellite image as Samsung spat dings brand perception.Continue reading...

As the "who knew what when" recriminations and lawsuits fly about in the wake of the botched Facebook IPO, the murmurs on Wall Street have been that Facebook could be (according to the word on the street picked up by Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg) mulling over having the social media giant listed on NYSE instead.

Facebook shares have fallen more than 15% from the $38 IPO price to a close of $32 yesterday and the NYSE could reap the benefits in wooing tech companies from NASDAQ — including the house that Zuckerberg built. “Switching exchanges so soon after an IPO would be highly unusual," said Morningstar analyst Gaston Ceron, noting a very small number of companies switch exchanges. "It would sound like a very unusual development if they were to switch so quickly, but then again this is an unusual IPO."

While NYSE told Reuters that no such talks are underway, any such move wouldn't be entirely unprecedented. Viacom switched exchanges in November and Texas Instruments switched last week, in just two examples. That's why, according to CNBC, the CEO of NASDAQ reportedly sent a letter to clients apologizing for the Facebook IPO glitches as part of a damage control campaign to reassure current and potential clients.Continue reading...

The bloom quickly fell off Friday's Facebook IPO, as the wildly overhyped public debut staged by the social media giant and its bankers are now being sued by shareholders for concealing weakened growth forecasts prior to the $16 billion offering.

According to Reuters, defendants including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Morgan Stanley were cited as hiding “a severe and pronounced reduction” in revenue forecasts during the IPO marketing process. Two lawsuits have been filed, one in U.S. District Court in Manhattan and the other in a California state court. The New York filing said lowered business forecasts were “selectively disclosed by defendants to certain preferred investors” and not to the general public.

While everyone knew there would be post-IPO challenges, Wall Street and Silicon Valley have been stunned as Facebook shares fell 18.4% from the $38 IPO price in the first three days of trading, reducing the value of stock sold in the IPO by more than $2.9 billion.Continue reading...

NYSE Euronext today unveiled a new logo, an abstract vision of the globe that “visualizes the concept of unlocking the potential of our worldwide community," according to Euronext’s global head of marketing, Marisa Ricciardi, in a blog post.

"Our company has transformed dramatically over the course of the last five years, so we’re rolling out a new brand identity that better represents both our position today, and our direction for the future," she adds.

The vibrant blue and green colors represent “growth and optimism,” Ricciardi notes. The lighter hues, meanwhile, “convey our commitment to transparency, and the bolder colors recall our storied historical role in developing the world economy."Continue reading...

Remember "New Twitter"? Get ready for the "New New Twitter," as the 140-character driven social platform prepares to unveil a redesign. While the video touting the redesigned Twitter makes it sound like it's a great way to hook up with friends, the redesign is featured in a microsite that touts a consistent mobile experience, new user icons (Home, Connect, Discover, Me and Tweet) and a rearranging of the furniture.Continue reading...

Amazon ships Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch early.

Apple searches for next retailing genius, recalls first-generation iPod Nano devices.

Audi A7 wins car of the year nod.

Barbie links with Stardoll for premium collection.

BMW promotes sustainability with China roadshow.

Boeing cements wide-body lead over Airbus with biggest ever deal, with Emirates.

Borders demise parsed by Bloomberg Businessweek.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launch smashes records.

China 'ready' to allow foreign companies to issue stock.

Chevrolet woos Sonic buyers with perks program, while GM slows Chevrolet Cruze production.

Citrus Australia introduces new seal of authenticity.

Crowne Plaza tilts makeover toward young travelers.

Deutsche Boerse defends NYSE Euronext deal.

Disney buys Babble.com for $40M to reach 'hipster parents.'

Estee Lauder co-founder Evelyn Lauder dies, lauded for launching Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer research.

Facebook nears U.S. privacy settlement that would make public sharing opt-in, not opt-out.Continue reading...