San Francisco Chronicle: Business

One hundred and fifty-seven new Emoji are bound for smart phones this year, thanks to Unicode Consortium.

LOS ANGELES — Thirty-six people were indicted in connection with an international identity theft ring known as a “one-stop shop for cybercriminals” that sold stolen credit card information on the Dark Web, leading to losses of more than $530 million, U.S.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

SAN FRANCISCO — The creators of the famous Forbes rich list have made their first attempt to identify the wealthiest people in the virtual currency industry. Yet the list that was published on Wednesday, right after major drops in virtual currency prices, inadvertently also served as a reminder of the fleeting nature of that wealth.

Nektar Therapeutics is exploring options including a potential sale of the $15 billion biotechnology firm, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The San Francisco company could also opt for partnerships and licensing agreements instead of a disposal, said the people, asking not to be identified because the discussions are private.

Los Angeles biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong is nearing a deal to buy the Los Angeles Times and the San Diego Union-Tribune from its parent company, Tronc, according to two people familiar with the talks.

Acquisitions

Arby’s buys

Wild Wings

Arby’s completed its deal to buy Buffalo Wild Wings on Monday and created a company named Inspire Brands that will run the chains.

Inspire will oversee Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and a small chain called R Taco.

More than a tiff over tips

A Trump administration plan to give employers more control over workers’ tips is being denounced as legalizing wage theft. Under the proposal, employers could use tips for essentially any purpose, as long as the workers were directly paid at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 1,500 points at one point during his speech at Sheffer Corp., a manufacturing plant in Blue Ash, Ohio. Both the Dow and the broader S&P 500 touched levels during the speech that erased their entire gain for the year.

If you missed it ...

In a week when the Dow Jones industrial average plunged to its lowest level since, uh, January, this also happened:

•When Amazon.com advertises its Alexa-powered speakers during Sunday’s Super Bowl, there will be celebrities like Gordon Ramsay, Rebel Wilson, Anthony Hopkins and Cardi B, left, and the word “Alexa” will be uttered 10 times.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

U.S. stocks slumped Friday, and the market suffered its worst week in two years, as fears of inflation and disappointing quarterly results from technology and energy giants — including Apple, Alphabet and Chevron — spooked investors.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share