Homes afloat
Soaring prices are leaving fewer homeowners owing more money than their properties are worth. At the end of March, 19.8 percent of the nation’s mortgaged homes were underwater, down from 23.7 percent a year earlier and 25 percent during the same period of 2011, CoreLogic said.
Vivendi acts
Vivendi is exploring alternative moves to extract cash from its Activision Blizzard unit after failing to sell part of its 61-percent stake in the US video games business, the Financial Times reported.
BP appeal
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hear arguments today by lawyers for oil giant BP, which is in a dispute over the terms of a multibillion-dollar settlement with Gulf Coast businesses that say the nation’s worst offshore oil spill cost them money.
Shazam $
Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, the world’s richest man, is investing $40 million to back smartphone app developer Shazam, best known for helping music fans identify catchy songs.