U.S. Economy: Trade Gap Reaches Record on China, Oil - 2007-02-13
The U.S. trade deficit grew to a record for a fifth straight year in 2006 as American purchases of Chinese goods and imported oil overwhelmed a jump in exports. The gap between imports and exports grew 6.5 percent to $763.6 billion last year, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. The shortfall jumped to $61.2 billion in December from a month earlier, more than economists forecast.
Read the full story at Bloomberg

Harrah’s To Split Real Estate, Operations - 2007-02-13
Harrah’s Entertainment declared in a regulatory filing last week that it intends to split its real estate holdings from its operations by the time its acquisition by private-equity firms Apollo and Texas Pacific Group is completed. The transaction is expected to be done before the end of the year, pending how quickly the buyers can get casino licenses from each state in which Harrah’s operates.
Read the full story at GlobeSt. com