Last-minute shoppers helped boost retail numbers before the holiday, but overall buying was still weak. Jill Barshay reports women's clothing was a particularly big casualty, and tells us where to go for bargains now.

Many private-equity stories on Wall Street had disappointing endings this year. Amy Scott recaps some of the deals with Doug Krizner, and looks into why many investors started turning away from risky debt.

If you're out shopping today and you want to know how safe that toy is before you buy it, you can peruse with more confidence if you've brought your cell phone. Rachel Dornhelm has more on toy safety texting.