(Business 2.0) – WALL STREET O'Neal Takes Over "The Bull"

Ahead of schedule, Merrill Lynch president Stan O'Neal is set to become CEO of the bellwether investment bank. Singed by its association with Enron and ImClone and fined $100 million for Henry Blodget's e-mail trail, Merrill wants O'Neal's appointment to signal that the fallout has cleared. Dec. 2

ECONOMIC STATISTICS Is the Downturn Over?

The nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research has pegged the start of the current recession to March 2001, but has not yet declared its end. If employment and real personal income show healthy gains, NBER's economists may herald the onset of a recovery. Early December

BIOTECH Honoring Ubiquitin

The American Society for Cell Biology will confer honors on Avram Hershko and Alexander Varshavsky, the "fathers of ubiquitin." The molecule (left) appears to help control everything from HIV and Ebola viruses to cancer and heart disease. Celgene, DeCode, and Rigel are exploring its potential. Dec. 15

ENTERTAINMENT Merchandising Bonanza, the Sequel

'Tis the season for nervous marketing execs. Air New Zealand, Electronic Arts, and Harmony Gold Mining (maker of the official 14-karat-gold One Ring jewelry), among others, will be watching to see if their Lord of the Rings product tie-ins meet sales expectations. Dec. 18

ANTITRUST Bill's European Headache

Microsoft's monopoly woes may be over at home, but not abroad. Mario Monti, the European Union's competition commissioner, is set to make a preliminary determination on the legality of Microsoft's software-bundling practices. Investors beware: MSFT took a hit when Monti began probing Windows 2000. Late December

ELECTRONICS First Product Using Light-Emitting Silicon

Silicon circuits are great electricity conductors, but researchers at Switzerland-based STMicroelectronics use silicon circuits to emit light too. Optical and electronic processing on the same chip means lower power consumption and faster data communications. ST's first light-emitting chips--for electrical power controls--are about to reach the market. Late December

BOOKS Predicting the Future of Business

Sci-fi wunderkind Bruce Sterling envisions the first half of the 21st century in Tomorrow Now, his first nonfiction book since The Hacker Crackdown. So what does Sterling think the most important business skill will be in the next 50 years? Knowing how to manage relationships. Jan. 1

TRAVEL Connexion Takes Flight

Who wants Net access at 35,000 feet? Lufthansa will be the first to find out, with British Airways to follow, as both airlines roll out Boeing's satellite-based Connexion data service on transatlantic routes. Research shows that you want it for updating presentations outbound and catching up on e-mail inbound. Jan. 15