Blog Posts by Rebecca Stropoli

The P stood for "plunge" for Pandora (P) stock on Friday as its shares sank 18% in early trade following reports that Apple (AAPL) is in the middle of licensing negotiations for a service that will rival the online radio company's. Pandora shares are trading at around $10 following the report in the Wall Street Journal.

According to the Journal, "Apple's outsize presence in online-music sales and massive installed base of MP3 players, smartphones, tablets and computers could make it a much more serious threat to Pandora than any of its current would-be rivals."

Pandora, which started as part of the Music Genome Project back in 2000 and went public in June of last year (priced at $16, it rose more than 8% on its first day of trade on the NYSE), currently owns the online streaming radio market, with about 54 million active users. The largely ad-supported service allows its users to create radio stations based on their favorite artists or tunes. So, for example, if you want to

New York's crackdown on carbonated beverages continues, shifting from the sugary soft drinks targeted by NYC major Michael Bloomberg to the world of caffeine-fueled "energy" drinks.

The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday that, in July, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued subpoenas to energy-drink makers Monster Beverage (MNST), PepsiCo (PEP) -- which manufactures AMP -- and Living Essentials, LLC. The investigation, which could expand to other energy drink manufacturers, centers on whether the industry as a whole is misleading consumers about both the ingredients and health benefits of these often psychedelically packaged drinks. If this is found to be the case, the companies could be forced to pay fines and overhaul their marketing efforts. The AG investigation was first revealed by Monster in an SEC filing a few weeks ago, but the state in question was not specified until Tuesday's report.

Interestingly, Bloomberg reported Monday that an Italian study found

On Friday, Aug. 24, a verdict was reached in the landmark Apple-Samsung case, with Apple (AAPL) winning $1 billion after a jury found Samsung infringed six out of seven patents for its mobile devices. An epic case in trademark and patent law, the verdict could have far-reaching implications for the smartphone industry. The tech universe is littered with high-profile patent and trademark cases, but every industry has its share of disputes over trademarks and manufacturing methods. Here are some other cases that have made -- smaller -- headlines of late.

Levi Protects Its Pocket: San Francisco-based Levi Strauss & Co. has filed close to 100 lawsuits nationally and internationally -- including against such big-name brands as Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF), Guess (GES), Dolce & Gabbana, Ralph Lauren (RL) and Wet Seal  (WTSLA) -- since 2001, all alleging trademark infringement of its iconic back-pocket design. Levi filed to trademark the double-stitched connecting arches in 1978, although

Just in time for college football season, five states will see a sporty change to a time-honored breakfast treat: the sticky-sweet, packaged pastry known as the Pop-Tart. Kellogg's (K) perpetually popular product -- which first hit grocery shelves nearly 50 years ago -- will honor five college football teams by embossing their logos atop the frosting of specially named specimens set to roll out in early September.

The schools partnered with in this deal: the University of North Carolina (Tar Heel Berry Pop-Tart), the University of Florida (Florida Gators' Strawberry), University of Georgia (Bulldog Berry), University of Michigan (Go Blue Strawberry) and the Arkansas Razorbacks (Razorback Red). Consumers looking for an actual new flavor as part of this promotion may be disappointed, as all of these choices are just versions of one: strawberry.

According to Dick Podiak, Kellogg's marketing director for Pop-Tarts, there is no specific time frame for this promotion; the push will last as

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for three clothing retailers on Wednesday, as two hit 52-week highs and one hit a 52-week low. If you like your good news first, here it is:

* American Eagle (AEO): Shares closed above $22 on high volume in afternoon trade,  eclipsing their 52-week high of $21.53, hit earlier this month.  This is a 4% rise on the day, following their earnings report this morning, in which they met analyst expectations but raised their outlook.  Year to date, shares are up more than 42%. Its 52-week range before Wednesday's trade was $10.00-$21.53. It was the largest percentage decliner for the day on the NYSE.

* Chico's (CHS) was up close to 7%, above $18 a share, on 5 times typical volume heading into the close; the retailer -- which operates clothing stores including its namesake, Soma Intimates and White House, Black Market -- also reported earnings Wednesday morning, beating on both EPS and revenue and revenue. Chico's also upped the low end for

Staples (SPLS) was one of Wednesday's big stock losers following a disappointing second quarter earnings report and lowered full-year sales and profit outlook amid slower U.S. growth and waning European demand. The stock sank more than 14% on high volume --  topping the most-active stocks list for Wednesday, according to Yahoo! Finance data -- dipping below $12 and hitting close-to-a-decade lows of $10.99 in intraday trade. Shares have seen a 52-week range between $12.10 and $16.93.

Net income for Staples fell to $120.4 million and 18 cents per share vs. $176.4 million  and 25 cents per share last year. This marks a slip of 31.7% year-over-year. Revenue declined 5.5% to $5.5 billion from a year ago. This fell well short of analyst expectations.

At the same time, smaller rivals Office Depot (ODP) and Office Max (OMX) both sank more than 3%, making it a rough day all around for the office-supply space. Office Depot last week also reported earnings that missed expectations, citing, as

Retail sales for July were the strongest in five months as data show Americans opening up their wallets and spending more on items such as cars, furniture, electronics and clothes.

In a week with a heavy retail focus, we've also seen strong earnings so far for major players such as Home Depot (HD), Saks (SKS) and Michael Kors (KORS); later this week we'll get reports from Target (TGT), Wal-Mart (WMT), Sears (SHLD) and the Gap (GPS). Wall Street rallied early on the news, along with better-than-expected second quarter GDP reports from Germany and France (although the region as a whole did contract), but lost steam by the close.

The latest economic data follow a relatively strong jobs report for July and come amid an earnings season that has seem some healthy showings.

So is the U.S. consumer -- such a crucial part of the economy and GDP growth -- on the road to a comeback? Are Americans set to spend, spend, spend?

If Tuesday's Yahoo! Finance poll is any indication, you might say, "Not

Facebook (FB) is about to hit another milestone since its much-maligned initial public offering in May. Later this week its 91-day lockup period expires, which means some of the company's insiders and most prominent investors -- such as Goldman Sachs (GS) and Microsoft (MSFT) -- can begin selling their shares.

While there are currently fewer than 500 million shares available for trade, around 1.6 billion more will flood the market as additional lockup periods expire over the next several months, leading to speculation that the price -- which is down around 46% since the company's May 18 debut on the Nasdaq -- could have even further to fall. This week 271 million shares will unlock; November will see a much heftier addition of 1.2 billion shares.

It remains to be seen what the longer-term picture is for Facebook's stock as the company deals with challenges including a slowing growth rate and maximizing its ad revenue opportunities. A major focus is doing a better job of monetizing its