Business news for Mon, 31 Dec 2007 & with word industry. 19 news.

The year just past was not a good one for the stocks of Long Island's publicly-traded companies, which fell 11.5 percent overall, pulled down mostly by two companies involved in the mortgage industry crisis.

Mortgage insurers saw defaults rise to a new monthly record in November, according to data published Monday by an industry trade group.

BEIJING (AP) - Beijing is easing a ban on foreign investment in its securities industry but...

J ack Kellogg has a big jump on his New Year's resolutions. After about 30 years of selling hats, Kellogg noticed a troubling trend at his Hatman Jack's Wichita Hat Works in Delano. Most of his customers -- 65 percent of whom live in Wichita -- were skewing older. "It had me a little nervous," Kellogg says. So he started thinking that he'd like to expand to custom-designing hats for a couple of new groups of people: musicians doing the "soul, funk, hip-hop thing" and classic-music industry types. The first took care of itself recently when he got a call from a Wisconsin woman who helps outfit Prince and his entourage for concerts and music videos. The woman's sister lives in Wichita and recommended Kellogg's hats for a video being shot in Miami.

Not so long ago, Mexico floated along as a low-cost producer to the auto parts world. But now its niche is threatened by global rivals who can trump it with lower salaries or superior quality and productivity

A Morningstar analyst in China discusses the rapidly changing telecom industry.

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Sales of semiconductors rose 0.7% in November compared to October to $22.5 billion, or 2.3% more than last year, the Semiconductor Industry Association said Monday. "Early indications are that consumer products with high semiconductor content such as LCD TVs, PMP and MP3 players, along with digital cameras all sold well in the holiday buying season," said SIA President George Scalise. "While unit demand has been very robust, average selling prices have declined in a number of key product segments," it added.

LONDON (MarketWatch) -- Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda is going to buy 35% of Delta Petroleum for $684 million, or $19 a share, the companies said Monday. The investment is at 23% premium to Friday's close. This transaction will allow Delta Petroleum to accelerate development drilling activities in its core areas, including the Piceance and Paradox Basins. "Under (CEO) Roger (Parker's) leadership, Delta Petroleum has become a very important company in the industry, with valuable resource plays, a strong asset base and well-positioned exploration projects that we believe hold significant growth potential," Tracinda said.

They are a Christmas staple, but like those surplus socks and regrettable jumpers, many of the ?1bn of gift tokens received on December 25 will never be used. The Voucher Association, the industry's trade body, admits that a quarter of them are unlikely to be redeemed.

Industry analysts are predicting a lackluster end to an already dismal year for automakers, likely the worst in nearly a decade.

Italy's decision to let Air France enter exclusive talks with Alitalia may lead to creating a behemoth that could alter Europe's aviation industry.

The subprime industry succeeded in defeating state efforts to limit risky lending to borrowers with weak credit during the housing boom. Ameriquest, until recently one of the biggest lenders, distributed over $20 million in political donations and swayed lawmakers in New Jersey and Georgia.

Selling T-shirts of rock bands on the Internet didn't sound promising to music industry veterans, who dismissed Lee Tepper and Justin Beck's idea in the late 1990s. Yet, the two high school and college buddies knew very quickly after launching their enterprise that they were on to something.

The Washington region's financial sector reflects the industry nationwide, with stock prices dropping, companies incurring losses from sour mortgages and private-equity investors pulling back on takeovers because of tighter lending.

The film industry was the brightest spot in economic development in 2007, say state experts, and despite layoffs at Intel and the national labs, New Mexico continues to have low unemployment and healthy growth.

WASHINGTON -- Sales of previously owned homes inched up in November but that didn't change the overall bleak picture for an ailing housing industry that has been suffering through a painful slump.

Russia is not only rich in oil, but the precious metal titanium, which is underpinning so much of the US aerospace industry. This deal is a massive win for VSMPO-Avisma and also for Boeing, which has locked in a reliable supply for badly needed titanium parts.

One of Scotland's oldest distilleries is to be acquired by a consortium of buyers from Eastern Europe in the latest vote of confidence for the booming Scotch whisky industry.

There are fears today that oil giant Shell is preparing to shed some 3,200 jobs in the latest cost-cutting move by the industry.