From wire reports

Soros guilty of insider trading, fined $2.2M

PARIS - A French court convicted American billionaire George Soros, president of Soros Fund Management, of insider trading in a 1980s stock deal and fined him $2.2 million.

French bank Societe Generale was privatized in 1987. A year later, its stock price went up during an unsuccessful takeover bid. Mr. Soros was accused of having obtained insider information before the abortive corporate raid pushed up the stock price.

eBay chief leaves Goldman Sachs board

NEW YORK - Meg Whitman, the chief executive of eBay Inc., has resigned from the board of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. after questions arose about the propriety of lucrative initial public offerings she got from the investment bank.

Congressional investigators disclosed in October that Goldman Sachs offered hot IPO shares to executives of at least 20 companies that did investment banking business with Goldman, and the executives often quickly sold the shares for big profits. Ms. Whitman was a big beneficiary.

Foot Locker slides after Nike pulls shoes

NEW YORK - Shares of Foot Locker Inc. closed at $10.48 on Friday, down $1.19, or 10 percent, a day after news of a dispute with Nike Inc. came to light.

Mark Parker, Nike brand co-president, announced Thursday that Foot Locker will "no longer be a primary distribution channel for our elite and performance product," effective February. Foot Locker will continue to sell Nike products, but not key footwear.

Ex-battery maker CEO gets 10 years for fraud

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Arthur M. Hawkins, the former chief executive of Exide Technologies, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in a scheme to sell defective batteries to Sears, Roebuck & Co. in the 1990s.

Hawkins also was ordered to pay a $1 million fine and submit to three years of court supervision after his release from prison, U.S. Attorney Miriam Miquelon said.