Goldman Sachs

Last minute shoppers gave merchants a solid lift during the final week before Christmas, according to a report from a mall trade group Wednesday. Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 0.9 percent for the week ended Saturday compared with the previous week.

People enraged by the status quo are occupying America's public spaces. Most agree that companies wield too much influence in government -- and that we need to change that. The way to do so is to limit corporate donations to politicians -- it's not even their money to give.

There's never a dull moment on Wall Street. Next week brings a Xoom-related media event from Verizon and Motorola Mobility, as well as fourth quarter results from Apple and several of the country's biggest financial institutions.

Last week, Bank of America ignited a firestorm of controversy by choosing to charge its customers $5 a month to use their debit cards. Now, an angry consumer group has called for a federal investigation. Is this overkill or a smart response to what could be a budding disaster for the bank -- and taxpayers?

The policies of departed Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) CEO Leo Apotheker helped cost investors $50 billion in market value as the tech company's stock dropped from a 52-week high of $49.49 to its current price of $23.19. Now, the board wants to create a plan that could well keep the price of the stock low for some time.

At 89, Betty White is America's sweetheart. This elder stateswoman of show business was recently named the country's most trusted celebrity -- and she's just thrown her prestige behind William Page and Associates' "life settlements."

Tablets, a new digital tollbooth, a traveling e-tailer, a smartphone tie-up, and a would-be titan toppler -- sounds like the plot for a Hollywood action movie, or, at the very least, the stuff that will dominate high-tech headlines in the coming days. Here's what to watch as the week unfolds.