AT&T trouble

Asset sale talks intended to help AT&T win approval for its T-Mobile buy have gone cold, WSJ.com reported, the strongest sign yet that AT&T may abandon the $39 billion deal.

ExxonUK

ExxonMobil is considering a $10.9 billion bid for UK oil explorer Gulf Keystone Petroleum, according to an unsourced report yesterday in The Indepedent of Britain.

Shop.com

US shoppers spent 15 percent more in online holiday buying compared to last year, after what may have been the busiest week of the season, research firm comScore said yesterday. They’ve spent $30.9 billion online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 16.

Charity cuts

Fifty-nine percent of nonprofits report their donation income is flat or lower than in 2010, which was another down year for most charities. Among those that receive some government dollars — long considered a safety net for charitable organizations — more than half are reporting a decline in income for the year, according to the Nonprofit Research Collaborative.