F rom the stark warning that “There will be blood” and the stock selloff that followed AIG’s earnings report in March, to the GM Canada pension bailout and, neither last nor least, an investor clinic on dividend stocks, here are the most-read business stories of 2009 on globeandmail.com. Harvard author and financial crisis guru Niall Ferguson has landed with a thud in Ottawa, spreading messages that could make even the most confident policy makers squirm. The global crisis is far from over, has only just begun, and Canada is no exception, Mr

T he Quattrone Family: Dad, Mom, Joe, Jenny, and Kateri Occupation: Portfolio managers at The Family Fund Portfolio: Ford Motor Co., Starbucks Corp., Intel Corp., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Sirius XM Radio Inc. The Family Fund Last Christmas, the Quattrone family – father Joe, mother Barbara, Joe, Jenny, and Kateri – did something rather unorthodox. Instead of giving each other presents, they pooled their money and invested it.

A pple Inc. AAPL-Q shares reached their all-time high on Thursday as excitement builds over the expected release of its tablet computer.

I f Pong comes to mind when you think of video games, then you may be out of touch with the powerhouse that the video game industry has become. Once the exclusive realm of teenage boys and male college students, video games are breaking through barriers to become entertainment for the whole family; they are even recommended as activity for seniors. In this article, we’ll look at ways to invest in this winning industry.

C anadians will likely hit the malls in droves on Boxing Day, as they always do, but a growing number of consumers are changing their shopping habits and making purchases from home. While it’s not an entirely new trend that more people are shopping online, retail analyst Wendy Evans says the popularity of social media networks has made more Canadians comfortable with buying from online sources. “It’s a really big shift this year, but it’s been happening over the last 18 months or so,” she said

S peaking at an annual investor meeting on Tuesday, General Electric GE-N CEO Jeffrey Immelt told investors that the worst is over for its financing arm. Throughout 2009, GE Capital has been losing profits, but Mr. Immelt says the company has been shrinking the financing arms balance sheet and reducing the highly leveraged parts of its portfolio.

A lawyer for the hospitalized Bernard Madoff says his client has experienced dizziness and high blood pressure. The Bureau of Prisons said Thursday that the 71-year-old disgraced financier remains under medical care for a seventh day. Prison officials have declined to reveal why he was transferred from a North Carolina federal prison to a hospital.