Financial news on January 1st, 2009

Business and Financial news
As Trade Slows, China Rethinks Its Growth Strategy

In the last two weeks, Chinese officials have announced a series of measures to help exporters. Read more..

By KEITH BRADSHER - The New York Times

A Surge in Bicyclists Appears to Be Waiting

A run on bicycles during the summer raised hopes among bike store owners, but sales have leveled off since then. Read more..

By JAN ELLEN SPIEGEL - The New York Times

Buying Less Expensive Wine, and More of It

In response to the economic downturn, alcohol retailers and industry experts say, consumers have been trading down for less expensive wines and spirits. Read more..

By CATHERINE RAMPELL - The New York Times

Citigroup’s Top Executives to Forgo ’08 Bonuses

The decision from Vikram S. Pandit, Citigroup’s chief executive, and Winfried F. W. Bischoff, the bank’s chairman, stands as a test of whether high pay is necessary to retain talented executives. Read more..

By ERIC DASH and LOUISE STORY - The New York Times

Judge Denies MGA’s Request on Bratz Dolls

MGA Entertainment lost a bid to extend a freeze on a court-ordered ban on manufacturing and selling the Bratz dolls while it appeals a jury verdict. Read more..

By BLOOMBERG NEWS - The New York Times

Markets Limp Into 2009 After a Bruising Year

On Wall Street, about $7 trillion of shareholders’ wealth — the gains of the last six years — was wiped out in 2008. Read more..

By VIKAS BAJAJ - The New York Times

Oil Prices Rise on Inventory Report

Stocks were higher on the last trading day of the year. Read more..

By JACK HEALY - The New York Times

Test Memory for Errors

Ever since I increased the amount of memory inside the box, my Windows Vista PC has been crashing off and on. Is there a way to tell if the new RAM chips are causing the problem as opposed to, say, a virus? Read more..

By J.D. BIERSDORFER - The New York Times

To Save Battery Life, Turn Down the Heat

Simple recharging practices can help solve common battery problems. Read more..

By PETER WAYNER - The New York Times

When Laptops and iPhones Need a Kick in the Battery, One Charger Can Feed All

Innergie has created a charger, the mCube90, that lets you charge many models of notebook computers as well as any other device that can be charged through a U.S.B. port. Read more..

By AZADEH ENSHA - The New York Times

Exchange Rates of January 1st, 2009
CurrenciesExchange Rates
US DollarJapanese Yen1 USD = 90.710 JPY1 JPY = 0.011 USD
US DollarCanadian Dollar1 USD = 1.220 CAD1 CAD = 0.820 USD
US DollarSwiss Franc1 USD = 1.061 CHF1 CHF = 0.942 USD
EuroJapanese Yen1 EUR = 127.300 JPY1 JPY = 0.008 EUR
EuroPound Sterling1 EUR = 0.956 GBP1 GBP = 1.046 EUR
EuroAustralian Dollar1 EUR = 1.988 AUD1 AUD = 0.503 EUR
EuroCanadian Dollar1 EUR = 1.711 CAD1 CAD = 0.584 EUR
EuroSwiss Franc1 EUR = 1.489 CHF1 CHF = 0.672 EUR
EuroChinese Yuan1 EUR = 9.544 CNY1 CNY = 0.105 EUR
Japanese YenPound Sterling1 JPY = 0.753 GBP1 GBP = 1.327 JPY
Japanese YenAustralian Dollar1 JPY = 1.571 AUD1 AUD = 0.637 JPY
Japanese YenCanadian Dollar1 JPY = 1.353 CAD1 CAD = 0.739 JPY
Japanese YenSwiss Franc1 JPY = 1.182 CHF1 CHF = 0.846 JPY
Pound SterlingAustralian Dollar1 GBP = 2.078 AUD1 AUD = 0.481 GBP
Pound SterlingCanadian Dollar1 GBP = 1.790 CAD1 CAD = 0.559 GBP
Pound SterlingSwiss Franc1 GBP = 1.557 CHF1 CHF = 0.642 GBP
Pound SterlingChinese Yuan1 GBP = 9.964 CNY1 CNY = 0.100 GBP
Australian DollarCanadian Dollar1 AUD = 0.860 CAD1 CAD = 1.162 AUD
Australian DollarSwiss Franc1 AUD = 0.748 CHF1 CHF = 1.336 AUD
Australian DollarChinese Yuan1 AUD = 4.814 CNY1 CNY = 0.208 AUD
Canadian DollarSwiss Franc1 CAD = 0.869 CHF1 CHF = 1.150 CAD
Canadian DollarChinese Yuan1 CAD = 5.589 CNY1 CNY = 0.179 CAD
Swiss FrancChinese Yuan1 CHF = 6.396 CNY1 CNY = 0.156 CHF

See what else happened on January 1st, 2009