Business

Philadelphia -- Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell says a tentative agreement could end Philadelphia's transit strike by Saturday night.

Bentonville -- Wal-Mart is preparing a round of Christmas-season price cuts that are making smaller U.S. competitors nervous, analysts say.

Washington -- The levels of U.S. unemployment and underemployment announced this week has made it official that joblessness is worse than in the early 1980s, analysts say.

New York -- The giant U.S. bank Citigroup says it is distributing stock options to its employees in a bid keep them on board at the bailed-out institution.

London -- A disastrous summer is prompting British Airways to lay off about 4,900 workers, or 12 percent of its staff, company officials say.

I did not think it possible for
American Science & Engineering (Nasdaq:
ASEI) to thrill me again,

as it did earlier this year.

Welcome to week 65 of my

stock-picking throwdownwith Mr. Market. Let's get right
to the numbers:

The most recent quarter was something of a good-news,
bad-news affair for cable kingpin
Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA). While video
subscriber numbers continue to shrink, the company
nevertheless watched its net income increase by 22% year over
year.

Welcome back to Growthsville,
Blue Nile (Nasdaq: NILE).

You and I both know it's coming ...