Slow traffic ahead: Memorial Day and the Internet

In my home state of Rhode Island, Memorial Day traditionally marks the start of beach-going season. Families head for the shore, opening beach houses for another summer away from scorching city temperatures. These days, I know something else that starts this three-day weekend: Internet traffic begins falling, and remains low during much of the summer, as more people vacation and stay away from the Web.

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[Photo: bather at Pompano Beach, Fla., by Eric Thayer of The New York Times via Gawker]

Top Pop | Landis confessions, Valentino T-shirts

[Nelson]

Most popular right now on the websites of:

• The New York Times: Setback delays ‘Top Kill’ effort to seal leaking oil well in Gulf
• USA Today: Braids be gone: Willie Nelson gets a haircut
• The Wall Street Journal: Big spat on rig preceded explosion

Stock | Publishers dip in broad market retreat

Major newspaper publishers's stocks are following overall stock markets lower, on renewed investor worries over E.U. debt. Recent trading in stocks I follow:

• Gannett: $14.79, down 3.3%
• New York Times Co.: $8.52, down 6.5%
• News Corp.: $15.04, down 4.8%

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 277 points, or 2.7%. The S&P 500 is down 33 points, or 3%.

The broad retreat is stocks, according to The Wall Street Journal, came on mounting worries over Europe's will to address its debt woes as unions went on strike in Greece and investors fretted that trading regulations like those introduced this week in Germany could be adopted in other countries.

Top Pop | Doubtful vet, Travolta dogs, health care

[Travolta]

Most popular stories right now on the websites of:

• The New York Times: Candidate’s words on Vietnam service differ from history
• USA Today: Dogs in Travolta's family killed at airport
• The Wall Street Journal: No, you can't keep your health plan

Stock | NWS outlook dims as E.U. bank fears build

After falling 2% on Friday, NWS shares resume trading tomorrow morning as fear in the financial markets is building again -- this time over worries Europe's biggest banks face strains that will hobble European economies.

"Bourses and bank shares in Europe plunged on Friday because of these fears," The New York Times says, with Wall Street following suit.

Shares were also down in Tokyo and Australia in early trading on Monday. Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index fell 2.1% to 19,732.12, MarketWatch is reporting, falling back below the psychologically important 20,000 level; the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index lost 2.9% to 11,254.22.

Related: the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the S&P 500 Index

Times said to start charging for Web in January

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that The New York Times will begin charging for access to articles on its website in January. The Journal cites remarks that NYT Executive Editor Bill Keller made at a dinner for the Foreign Press Association this last night.

The WSJ report notes the Times unveiled a plan early this year to begin charging for access to the Web version of its flagship newspaper. "Keller's comments helped pinpoint the timing of the plan,'' the Journal says.

Urgent: In broad market rout, NWS down nearly 5%

Company shares finally closed at $16.21, down 78 cents, or 4.6%, as stock markets overall plunged on growing worries over the debt crisis in Europe. News Corp.'s performance was worse than broader stock market indexes: The S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average both dived 3.2%. At one point, the Dow fell by nearly 1,000. (Updated at 5:25 p.m. ET.)

Stock | Post earnings, investors pound NWS

Company shares recently traded for $16.56, down $1.11, or more than 6%, as Wall Street registered disappointment with News Corp.'s third-quarter results yesterday. NWS's decline is well below other market indexes: The S&P 500, a closely watched barometer of broad stock market activity, was down less than 1%, as was the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Earnings | Third-quarter earnings pop on 'Avatar'

Record box-office receipts from Avatar, coupled with growth in its cable, broadcast and newspaper operations fueled third-quarter earnings, surpassing forecasts and propelled shares in after-hours trading, the company just announced.

Amid a broad market selloff, MarketWatch says, NWS shares fell this afternoon by 3.8% to end trading at $17.68, but the stock climbed 3% in after-hours trading.

Stock | NWS pummeled in broad market selloff

News Corp.'s stock recently traded for $17.56 a share, down 82 cents, or 4.5%, as broader markets dived on renewed concerns over the European Union's bailout plan for Greece. NWS's plunge is greater than other market measures: The S&P 500 Index was recently down 2.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is off 2.2%, or 248 points. The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite has fallen 3.2%.

In Times Square near-bombing, it's advantage: NYT

The Wall Street Journal missed the big local story in print because it doesn't publish on Sundays. In the rising battle over New York City news, that gave The New York Times an advantage. Still, it kept the play modest, limiting it on the front page to the traditional far-right column lede position (bigger view):


The two papers are now duking it out online, of course. Screenshots, taken moments ago; click on images for bigger view:



[Image: front page, Newseum]