CNBC.com's News Now

Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008

1. Latest Fed Minutes: Making sense of these key FOMC Minutes, with CNBC's Steve Liesman; Jason Benderly, Benderly Economics; and Lakshman Achuthan, Economic Cycle Research Institute. 2. The Next Brick to Fall: Those with money in short term securities cant get their money out, with Dan Colarusso, Portfolio.com managing editor & CNBC's Steve Liesman. 3. Oil's Next Stop $107: Discussing how high oil will spike, with Walter Zimmermann, ICAP United; Fadel Gheit, Oppenheimer & Co.; and CNBC's Maria Bartiromo. 4. Bond Insurer Bailout in Trouble: Plans to bail out troubled bond insurers may be in jeopardy, with CNBC's Charlie Gasparino & Dennis Kneale. 5. Wells on Gamer's YouTube: Microsoft announces community gaming on XBox Live, with CNBC's Jane Wells. Shaquille O'Neal--The Big Cactus And My "Big" Commission NBA big man Shaquille O'Neal has a new nickname—The Big Cactus—and he owes it to Darren Rovell. Darren blogs on how he gave O'Neal the name and the "big" commission O'Neal now owes him. Click here to view posting.

KEYS TO THE KINGDOM: Investing in Saudi Arabia means winning over one man: Saudi Arabia Market governor Amr Dabbagh. Appointed by the King, Dabbagh decides the terms by which any business invests in the country. But now that international money is flooding neighbor Dubai, Saudi Arabia is courting American CEOs and their business, hungry for intellectual capital in return. Margaret Brennan talks to Dabbagh to uncover what Saudi Arabia will do to fight for your dollars and which global corporations he's courting. WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD: Oscar buzz may be down. but Oscar's value -- literal and figurative -- is as high as ever. The strike delayed the start of the Oscar season, putting a damper on the normally relentless anticipation. Not to mention that this year's nominations are artsy films that haven't drawn huge audiences. So is the party over? Hardly! The Oscars are still big business... for everyone involved. Winners collect bigger paychecks, ABC brings in over $80 million in ad revenue, movie studios get an "Oscar bump" in revenues and winners literally walk home with the gold: the value of the statuette is double last year thanks to rising commodity prices. APPROVING AVASTIN: TAKE TWO: Genentech investors are banking on FDA approval to clear Avastin as a double-duty cancer drug. Last time around, Avastin was denied approval for breast cancer treatment, but only by a narrow 5-4 vote. This time, the tide may turn. Mike Huckman previews the meeting and what the decision means for investors and the future market for cancer drugs. SOUR OVER SPLENDA: Sugar farmers are down in profits and up in arms. They've hired high profile Vioxx attorney Mark Lanier to sue Johnson & Johnson (the maker of Splenda) saying the sweetener isn't made from sugar, despite claims to the contrary. With seemingly everyone on a diet or turning to sugar alternatives, the sugar industry says Splenda is misleading consumers. Jane Wells breaks down the sugar wars to explain why Lanier thinks the false claims warrant a BILLION dollar lawsuit. Portfolio Watchlist Insider Trends Financial Glossary Stock Screeners Fund Screeners Earnings Screeners

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