Wednesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 7/8/2015

Wall St. woes: NYSE suspended trading for 3 hours

Trading in all securities was halted on the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday due to technical difficulties. Full story from Reuters is here.
Note: Trading resumed at 3:10 p.m. after being offline for 3 hours.

Even before trading was halted, U.S. stocks were heading downward as investors grappled with a precipitous selloff in Chinese shares, lingering nervousness over Greece and the coming Federal Reserve minutes. More from NASDAQ and the Street.

» Other computer glitches impacting business today:
United Airlines resumes service after computer problems grounded them worldwide

BP could get billions in tax breaks on oil spill settlement

Federal tax law prevents companies from deducting penalties paid for breaking the law from their corporate taxes. But damage payments -- such as money paid for coastal restoration -- can be treated as a business expense. More at the Times-Picayune.

Manny Medina to receive lifetime achievement award from FIU

Tech mogul Manny Medina will be recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award at Florida International University College of Business' 2015 Hall of Fame Awards. More at the South Florida Business Journal.

Related Florida Trend Archived Content
» Building a tech community in Miami-Dade

Florida High Tech Corridor universities rival other research hubs in patents

The three Florida High Tech Corridor research universities — the University of Central Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of Florida — individually ranked in the top 30 of worldwide universities granted U.S. patents in 2014. More at the Orlando Business Journal.

Small businesses and startups have more in common than you think

On the surface, launching a startup and running a small business is like comparing apples to oranges. Startups are perceived as sexy and up and-coming while small businesses conjure images of local mom-and-pop shops, the quintessential Main Street America. More at Entrepreneur.

Education
Top schools for Jewish college students

When it comes to college, many Jews choose Florida schools. Four of the top 20 public universities with the largest numbers of Jewish undergraduates are in the Sunshine State — with the University of Central Florida rising to the No. 2 spot among schools in North America.

» More from the Miami Herald

Out of the Box
Shark Week promises to turn over a new fin

Shark Week is a ratings bonanza for the Discovery Channel with more than 40 million people tuning in last year. Shark Week kicked off this weekend with the most hours of programming ever in its 28-year history. But many scientists think the huge audiences — and the hype — have come at the expense of real science. Below, listen to the story from NPR. See also "Truth behind a TV sensation."