Media Digest (8/22/2011) Reuters, WSJ, NYTimes, FT, Bloomberg

The Federal Reserve to make a modest number of steps to keep the economy moving higher. (Reuters)

Wall St. layoffs, already begun, will hurt morale as the industry tries to recover. (Reuters)

As Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) kills its tablet, the question arises of what company can challenge the Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) iPad. (Reuters)

Unions return to work at Verizon (NYSE: VZ) but labor talks continue. (Reuters)

Dollar Thrifty (NYSE: DTG) likely to accept a buyout bid from Avis Budget (NASDAQ: CAR). (Reuters)

Kinetic Concepts (NYSE: KCI) receives a bid from Avisa. (Reuters)

If Libya’s opposition takes over the nation, oil prices are likely to fall. (WSJ)

Bank foreclosure charges may not be settled because financial firms may not get long-term liability wavers. (WSJ)

Investors with money in Treasuries will have to face long-term low yields. (WSJ)

EU officials say the sale of euro bonds is unlikely. (WSJ)

Skype, soon to be part of Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), acquires GroupMe. (WSJ)

Apple tells developer not to put tracking software in products made for iPads and iPhones. (WSJ)

The yen hits a postwar record. (WSJ)

States that need tax revenue from investors were hurt by the market sell-off. (WSJ)

The number of cellphone patent disputes continues to grow. (WSJ)

Newspaper profits drop, which means there will be more layoffs in the hard-hit industry. (WSJ)

REITs find that they can only raise money in small increments in many cases. (WSJ)

China extends its lead in wind and solar power. (WSJ)

Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) may not have concrete plans for Motorola Mobility (NYSE: MMI) beyond use of its patents. (NYT)

Analysts do not cut earnings estimates, in many cases, even as economists at the same firms downgrade economic growth. (NYT)

German politician says, once again, that they oppose euro bonds. (NYT)

Anglo American may bid for MacArthur Coal, adding a potential buyer to Peabody (NYSE: BTU) and ArcelorMittal. (FT)

Italy’s debt may rise as austerity hurts GDP. (Bloomberg)

Large banks tapped the Federal Reserve for $1.2 trillion during the credit crisis. (Bloomberg)

Of Motorola’s 17,000 patents, 18 may be highly useful to Google. (Bloomberg)

Douglas A. McIntyre