Spark Capital invested in Oculus VR Inc. in June after the firm’s partners bought the company’s virtual-reality goggles online. The bet ended in a 20-fold gain following Facebook Inc.’s agreement yesterday to buy Oculus for as much as $2.3 billion, said people with knowledge of the deal.

Oculus Deal Said to Deliver 20-Fold Return to Spark and Matrix - Bloomberg

The economic impact of annexing Crimea from Ukraine could drive Russia into a sharp recession this year even if the West stops short of trade sanctions, the World Bank warned on Wednesday.

The Economic Costs Of Annexing Crimea Are Mounting For Russia - Business Insider

China has lost a dispute at the World Trade Organization over restrictions on its exports of rare earth metals, tungsten and molybdenum, the U.S. Trade Representative's office said on Wednesday.

China's Dominance Of Rare Earth Metals Just Took A Hit - Business Insider

After the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, Viennese banks pushed aggressively into the newly open markets of Eastern Europe, as if rebuilding the old Hapsburg Empire one A.T.M. at a time. The banks of Vienna were not the only Western lenders seeking to stake out the former Soviet bloc, of course. But the Austrians, for reasons of geography and history, bet big on Eastern Europe and Russia. Now, as regional tensions with Russia rise, Austrian banks risk being caught in the financial and geopolitical crossfire.

European banks feel effects of Crimea crisis, with Austria bearing brunt

Russia's Vladimir Putin has committed a grave strategic blunder by tearing up the international rule book without a green light from China. Any hope of recruiting Beijing as an ally to blunt Western sanctions looks doomed, and with it the Kremlin's chances of a painless victory, or any worthwhile victory at all.

Lack Of Chinese Support For Crimea Is A Big Problem For Putin - Business Insider

Even the family cat had refused to enter the kitchen while the giant rat was in residence, father Erik Korsas told BBC News.

BBC News - Giant rat: Swedes agog at 'Ratzilla' in Stockholm

There are nascent signs that the European Central Bank (ECB) may be considering buying bonds and other assets in an effort to stump up the euro zone's economy, in what would be something of a drastic change in policy.

ECB to get drastic? QE could be on the table

Assuming we’re going to accept terms like “sphere of influence,” what would be the advantage to America of expanding ours into Ukraine? A Ukrainian manpower contribution to NATO? The economic benefits of greater trade with Ukraine? Diplomatic support for American initiatives? None of these is obviously of substantial benefit. Meanwhile, we (or, more correctly, the European Union) would take on the burden of Ukraine’s substantial political and economic deficits.

How Does US Respond To Russia In Crimea? - Business Insider

Once this year's harsh weather has faded, the U.S. economy could be poised for a breakout year — its strongest annual growth in nearly a decade.

Why economists say 2014 could prove breakout year - Yahoo Finance

Earth-bound challenges will determine the success of Facebook and Google’s plans to use balloons, drones and satellites to spread Internet access.

Facebook’s Drones Will Battle Google's Balloons to Spread Internet Access | MIT Technology Review

On Wednesday, I noted that the recent decline in the so-called “momentum” stocks--particularly in the S&P 500 Biotechnology, Internet Retailing, and Internet Software & Services industries--has raised fears that this might signal a market top. I noted that the S&P 500 remains near record territory despite the weakness in these stocks and that investors may simply be rotating into stocks with lower valuation multiples.

Rotating Into Systems Software - Business Insider

This chart tells a remarkable story. Just two years ago, Greece was on the ropes. The yield on the Greek government’s 10-year debt hit a punishing and unsustainable 30 percent. Today the yield is less than 7 percent—a sign that investors are increasingly confident of the nation’s ability to pay its debts. Rarely has a country repaired its image with creditors so quickly.

Yasou: Greece Is Pulling Off an Amazing Recovery - Businessweek

A teen's science fair project could save the US government $136 million each year. Oh, and it could save you a few bucks, too. Suvir Mirchandani, 14, wanted to find a way to make his many school handouts more sustainable. It all boiled down to a single liquid: After all, "ink is two times more expensive than French perfume by volume," he tells CNN.

Teen Discovers Font Change Could Save Feds $136M - Suvir Mirchandani finds Garamond is the way to go

Smartphone users are frustrated and deprived by bad service, including slow application load times and frequent service crashes. Looking at it another way, we are like petulant children, whining about the insufficient miracle of technology while we pace in front of a microwave for our frozen burritos to cook.

Smartphones, the Disappointing Miracle - NYTimes.com

The online insurance marketplace in Oregon is such a technological mess that residents have been signing up for health coverage by hand. In Texas, political opposition to President Obama’s health law is so strong that some residents believe, erroneously, that the program is banned in their state.

But in Connecticut, a smoothly functioning website, run by competent managers, has successfully enrolled so many patients that officials are offering to sell their expertise to states like Maryland, which is struggling to sign people up for coverage.

Deadline Near, Health Signups Show Disparity - NYTimes.com

The latest trend among collectors “is for consumable wine,” said Jamie Ritchie, Sotheby’s head of fine wines for the Americas and Asia, adding that people want to drink good wine without waiting. In other words, popularity is growing for bottles that do not need to age much further, rather than those that must sit around for an additional 15 years.

BBC - Capital - Drink it or save it? The wine collector’s dilemma

The dichotomy between ‘deficit countries’ and ‘surplus countries’ has been replaced by one between ‘net debtors’ and ‘net creditors’

Delivering the Eurozone ‘Consistent Trinity’ | vox

“The president of WellPoint, which is one of the big national insurance companies, said a couple of weeks ago that the sign-ups are getting younger by the day,” Senator Angus King, a Maine independent, said “In other words, younger people, not surprisingly, are the last people to sign up.

Obamacare Enrollment Heading to 7 Million at Deadline - Bloomberg

Three of the world's largest banks have warned that the flood of "hot money" into China is at risk of sudden reversal as the yuan weakens and the US Federal Reserve brings forward plans to raise interest rates, with major implications for global finance.

A new report by Citigroup told clients to brace for a second phase of the "taper tantrum" that rocked emerging markets last year, but this time with China at the eye of the storm.

Global banks issue alerts on China carry trade as Fed tightens, yuan falls - Telegraph

Automation is nothing new, but what is new is the intrusion of technology into sectors that have long been dependent on a human touch—or thought to be, anyway. Restaurants are beginning to take orders through smartphone apps or electronic tabletop menus, reducing the need for waiters. Online banking, via smartphone or PC, has cut down sharply on consumer visits to banks and the need for tellers. Utility companies are replacing meter readers with gizmos that automatically report usage. Digital technology, in other words, may be transforming the workplace—including lower-skilled and menial jobs--in ways that are only beginning.

How iPads and smartphones are killing jobs | The Exchange - Yahoo Finance

The Wu-Tang Clan are releasing just one copy of their latest “secret” album in the hope of sparking a shift in the way music is funded and distributed.

A dangerous or ingenious musical precedent? | FT Alphaville

Eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day is healthier than the minimum five currently recommended and would prolong lives, experts say.

BBC News - Seven-a-day fruit and veg 'saves lives'

When it comes to finding "The One" -- that one special person and relationship that will last a lifetime -- the conventional wisdom is simply, "When you know, you know." That's all fine and dandy, but many of us require something more concrete than just a gut feeling. We reached out to marriage and relationship experts to help us pinpoint the most telling signs that you're in the right relationship. Find out what they had to say below.

8 Signs You're In The Right Relationship

Economic reasoning often begins with a presumption that people act in a self-interested manner. And so there's been a string of small-scale research over over time about whether studying economics makes people more likely to act in a selfish manner. Adam Grant offers a nice short overview of this research (with links to underlying papers!) for Psychology Today last October, in "Does Studying Economics Breed Greed?"

CONVERSABLE ECONOMIST: Does Economics Make You a Bad Person?

Michael Lewis' new book, Flash Boys, is leading to large amounts of discussion both on and off the business pages. The basic story is that a new breed of traders can use sophisticated algorithms and super fast computers to effectively front-run trades. This allows them to make large amounts of money by essentially skimming off the margins. By selling ahead of a big trade, they will push down the price that trader receives for their stock by a fraction of a percent. Similarly, by buying ahead of a big trade, they will also raise the price paid for that trade by a fraction of a percent. Since these trades are essentially a sure bet (they know that a big sell order or a big buy order is coming), the profits can be enormous.

High Speed Trading and Slow-Witted Economic Policy | Beat the Press

The trends of rising income inequality and the declining national savings rate since the early 1980s may be related, according to a paper by Marianne Bertrand and Adair Morse. The authors find that higher levels of visible consumption by increasingly better-off households at the top of the income distribution induces consumers in the lower parts of the income distribution to spend a higher share of their disposable income.

Quantitative Ease by Carola Binder: Consumption Contagion and Income Inequality

Why does the economic policy pursued or proposed by the left in Europe often seem so pathetic? The clearest example of this is France. France is subject to the same fiscal straightjacket as other Eurozone countries, but when a left wing government was elected in April 2012, they proposed staying within this straightjacket by raising taxes rather than cutting spending.

mainly macro: The Left and Economic Policy

The clearly agitated BATS CEO came out swinging, blasting Katsuyama and Lewis "Shame On You," for apparently telling the truth of what occurs in the stock 'market and letting everyone in on it'. The tension grows when he presses Katsuyama on whether he really believes it is rigged... who then erupts "I believe the markets are rigged.. and that you are a part of the rigging." Then the gloves come off "you wanna do this, let's do this!" and then it got worse (or better)...

Watch As HFT Debate Devolves Into Epic Screamfest In Milliseconds | Zero Hedge

As we warned previously, it was only a matter of time before the hubris of VRTU's own trading perfection swung around and crushed it: "Simply put, first it was their boastful trading record that got the NYAG involved, and then Lewis slammed the door shut."

Goodbye HFT: Virtu "Delays" IPO In Aftermath Of Michael Lewis Book Furor | Zero Hedge

Ms. White, testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee, said the SEC currently has "a number" of ongoing investigations regarding "market integrity and structure issues, including high-frequency traders." She declined to provide specifics about the investigations, but said they have been under way for "quite some time."

SEC Has Opened Several HFT Probes | Zero Hedge

“But if the universe were only 6,500 years old, how could we see the light of anything more distant than the Crab Nebula? We couldn’t. There wouldn’t have been enough time for the light to get to Earth from anywhere farther away than 6,500 light years in any direction. That’s just enough time for light to travel a tiny portion of our Milky Way Galaxy.”

Last night’s “Cosmos:” Neil deGrasse Tyson debunks creationists, Sir Patrick Stewart makes a cameo - Salon.com

Online architecture database Architizer announced the winners of their 2nd Annual A+ Awards for the most incredible new architecture around the globe today. The result was a total of 129 winners in more than 60 categories.

2014 Best Buildings In The World - Business Insider

Can you tell whether someone is smart just be looking at them? It sounds preposterous, but new research from the Czech Republic suggests you can—if the subject in question is a man.

Perceived Intelligence And Measured IQ - Business Insider

Walking may seem like more of a mode of transport than a form of exercise, but it really is one of the best things you can do for your body, your beauty and your long-term health.

Is Walking Just as Good as Running? - Business Insider

The plant, dubbed a "gigafactory" by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, would be the world's largest factory by a long shot. Mr. Musk has outlined a proposal to spend $5 billion on it, hiring up to 6,500 workers and creating thousands of ancillary jobs. He compares the undertaking to auto-industry pioneer Henry Ford's early 20th century Rouge complex. It took in iron ore and other raw materials at one end and rolled out completed Model Ts at the other, aiming to control and cut costs at every stage of production.

Does Tesla Really Need a $5 Billion Battery? - Yahoo Finance

As European banks gear up for tests to gauge their ability to withstand financial shocks, one analyst told CNBC that almost none of them would pass the U.S.'s tougher stress tests.

How many European banks would pass US stress tests?

The endless chatter of bubbles and crashes continues unabated. Eventually, all bull markets come to an end, and this one must eventually as well. But as I sit down to write this, the Standard & Poor's 500 Index yesterday hit yet another all-time high. U.S. markets continue to have good internals, strong breadth and broad participation.

Irrational Non-Exuberance for Stocks - Bloomberg View

According to the charts, not only is the shale revolution breaking down America’s dependence on foreign oil, it’s African crude — rather than Middle Eastern — that it’s displacing the most.

The ‘Crude Wall’ cometh | FT Alphaville