DailyFinance Wire

British Airways' cabin crews began a three-day strike this weekend that caused the UK carrier to cancel over 1,000 flights over the weekend. The the airline said it would try to accommodate 49,000 passengers, is redirecting many more to other airlines.

When it comes to marketing to the elite of the black community, many companies are getting it wrong. How to do it right is the premise of Black Is the New Green.

With a painful recession, frozen credit and massive unemployment drawing consumers away from pricey brands, some automakers are abandoning their most flamboyant brands. Mercedes is reportedly killing Maybach, GM is axing Hummer, and Ford may be getting ready to put the Lincoln Town Car to rest.

The Federal Reserve must reveal documents identifying financial companies that received Fed loans to survive the financial crisis, a federal appeals court ruled Friday. A 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel said that such information isn't automatically exempt from FOIA requests.

Boeing plans to accelerate its production of 777 and 747 jets after the International Air Transport Association reports increased air travel. Meanwhile, the company may face competition for a Defense Department contract.

Though many Americans are weary of the debate as Congress prepares to vote on one of President Obama's highest legislative priorities, experts note that this is only one battle in a very long war. And if it passes, things may get only hotter and more contentious.

The following is a round-up of the most active gainers and losers from Friday's trading session:

Best Buy (BBY) increased 1.3%, or 54 cents per share, after analysts boosted their ratings for the retailer from neutral to buy on indications it could benefit from an economic recovery.

Google (GOOG)...

A recent study finds that Americans are less willing to leave an existing job. Workers had lots of reasons for staying put, but a big one is fear of losing employer-provided health coverage. Would passage of the health care overhaul change that?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning Friday about using high doses of the popular cholesterol-lowering drug Zocor -- generic name simvastatin -- and the increased risk of serious muscle injury.

A couple of recent incidents have Wal-Mart suffering a doozy of a PR headache this week, with two different groups are talking about boycotting the world's largest retailer. Wal-Mart is paying attention to the threats -- but it's not remotely worried, and it shouldn't be.

The smartphone maker's stock cratered to a new 52-week low after it warned that fourth-quarter revenues would be roughly half of Wall Street's expectations. Then two analysts lowered their price targets for the stock to $0. That's like throwing gasoline on a four-alarm fire.

In a city with 24,000 restaurants -- one of them, featured in a popular YouTube clip, a Taco Bell infested with rats -- it's high time a transparent restaurant-cleanliness ratings system was put in place. Will the rest of the U.S. take its lead?

Since the bursting of the credit bubble, debt markets have seemingly become a leading indicator for stocks. If the two markets' new relationship is still valid, the recent divergence between them could indicate that stock prices have gotten a bit too optimistic again.

In Friday's legal news, a judge rejected proposed changes to a 2003 legal settlement by the SEC and several investment banks that would ease controls on stock analysts.

Given that Best Buy depends on consumer spending on non-essentials, it wouldn't be a surprise of the company were in trouble now. That's not the case, says Goldman Sachs, which lifted its rating on Best Buy shares to buy from neutral.

A group of investors, led by Barry Sternlicht's Starwood Capital, has agreed to invest $905 million in Extended Stay Hotels. The proposed deal will bring the company out of bankruptcy -- and most likely, mean another nice return for the real estate tycoon.

MGM is expected to fetch buyout bids of $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion Friday as its deadline for offers closes. The once-illustrious movie studio, now a struggling media empire, is anticipated to receive bids from three companies: Time Warner, Lions Gate and Access Industries.

Identity-theft protection firm LifeLock is famous for printing its CEO's Social Security number in its ads. But the FTC has come down hard on LifeLock for making false claims in those ads, and as fraud expert Tracey Coenen explains, the company offers only the illusion of protection.

Chris McIsaac has been investing in mutual funds ever since his boyhood in Edmonton, Aberta, Canada, when he deposited his summer-job wages into a growth-oriented fund. He now picks fund managers for Vanguard, with its $1.35 trillion in assets. Investors can learn a lot from him.

The following is a round-up of news likely to affect stock prices today:

Shares of Lloyds Banking Group (LYG) soared more than 8% in London trading Friday after the company said it expects to return to a profit this year, helped by a steeper-than-expected drop in bad debts and further cost cutting....

China will send an envoy to Washington next week to ease tensions over trade and the rate of exchange for the Chinese yuan, which some U.S. lawmakers say is unfairly undervalued by as much as 40%.

Thursday morning's announcement that Steve Riggio would step down as Barnes & Noble's CEO seemed unexpected -- at first. But his replacement is looking into the company's digital future, without overlooking its secret weapon: bricks-and-mortar stores.

If promising early results of its cholesterol-busting drug RVX-208 get supported in larger clinical trials, it could put this young company on the map in a big way. A partnership with a major drugmaker is a very strong possibility.

Some of Friday's best reads for investors from the Internet, including my favorite stock for less than $5, 20 reasons to be optimistic about the economy, and should Michael Burry succeed Warren Buffett?

In Asia Friday, China's Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.7% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index inched up 0.2%, helped by the territory's relentlessly climbing property prices. In Japan, the Nikkei 225 Index gained, with exporters getting a boost from the recent U.S. jobs report.