Company: Blackstone Group

Shares of private equity firm Oaktree Capital Group opened 5 percent below their initial public offering price Thursday in the company's NYSE debut.

Blackstone Group and Bain Capital have tapped banks for an initial public offering of Michael Stores, North America's largest specialty retailer of arts and crafts for which they paid over $6 billion to take private in 2006, four people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Wilbur Ross provided some indication of the future of his firm, W. L. Ross, in a letter to investors, but, like many aging business titans, the line of succession has been a looming question. The New York Times reports.

Stephen Schwarzman, the Blackstone chief executive, took home $213.5 million in pay and dividends in 2011, a third more than the year before and topping the scale for a select group of the founders of listed private equity companies, the Financial Times reports.

The co-founder of Blackstone Group LP is set to receive at least $120.6 million from his part ownership of the company, much of which comes from client fees.

Food prices and security, threatened by weather-caused production declines and relentless rising demand, will be a key issue at the conference of world business, political and social leaders.

Before Europe’s debt crisis flared anew last summer, corporate cash piles and cheap debt had fostered hopes that deal-making would recover strongly. The New York Times reports.

Analysts expect that volatility and correlation will continue to afflict markets in the year to come, the New York Times reports.

As Europe struggles with its debt crisis, U.S. businesses and financial firms are swooping in amid the distress, making loans and snapping up bank-owned assets. The New York Times reports.

Stocks finished narrowly mixed in a quiet session Thursday as investors took a breather following a sharp rally in the previous session and ahead of the crucial government non-farm payroll figure due Friday morning.

Futures turned lower Thursday following news that weekly jobless claims climbed unexpectedly last week and following a sharp rally in the previous session.