U.k.

Netflix is enjoying a period of rapid expansion, riding on the popularity of DVD-by-mail and online video streaming. The question for investors is: What's next? Netflix has signaled that it plans to expand abroad, and the U.K. is a likely target. But is Britain ready for Netflix?

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development upped its estimate for second quarter economic growth among its 33 member nations on signs that investment rose. Gross domestic products in OECD countries increased by an average of 0.9% in the three months through June, the organization...

In the debt and credit mess that now extends clear across Europe, Fitch Ratings has put the U.K. on notice to get its finances into much better shape -- pronto.

As debt mounts in both the U.S. and U.K., the drums are getting a bit louder at Moody's. The credit rating agency is warning both countries to get their debt under control. Yet only under the most pessimistic scenario does the agency think the U.S. could possibly lose its top rating by 2013. In...