Adam's Mark hotel sold
The Clearwater Beach property is one of six to be sold. A name change is expected.
Robert Trigaux
Time to bring Wall Street's IPO con game to an end
In the classic movie The Sting, con artist Paul Newman teams with swindler Robert Redford in 1930s Chicago to dupe a big-time crook in an elaborate fake betting parlor scheme.
Enron's collapse hits state
Florida's employee pension fund could be out more than $200-million because of the energy trader's meltdown. The state will sue, an official says.
USA Networks, Vivendi discuss shuffling assets
The French company's bid for the entertainment holdings would not affect Home Shopping Network.
Business digest
OCTOBER INVENTORIES DROP: U.S. wholesale inventories fell 1 percent in October to $294.2-billion, the largest decrease in 19 years. October's results followed a 0.4 percent decrease in September, the Commerce Department said. Sales fell 1.4 percent, after falling 1.2 percent a month earlier. The inventory-to-sales ratio, a measure of the time goods sit unsold, rose in October to 1.32 months, from 1.31 months in September. The October ratio was the highest since June.
