Today in business

ON THE JOBS FRONT: BAD NEWS LIKELY

The job market is tanking, crimping spending and making it harder for consumers to pay bills. Wednesday's ADP National Employment Report, which measures private sector employment, came in worse than expected. Today's reading on the number of people who have just begun filing for unemployment benefits is expected to stay high.

Trends suggest the unemployment rate will jump to 6.9 percent for December in Friday's report, from a level of 6.7 percent in November, according to Moody's Economy.com analysts.

HELEN OF TROY LOOKS A BIT PALE

Helen of Troy, the consumer products company, makes many things that people want but don't necessarily need. That's why Jefferies & Co. analyst Douglas M. Lane recently slashed his rating on shares to "underperform" from "hold," noting that consumers are reducing spending. Household products sales through the OXO brand are likely suffering, he says.

Helen of Troy is also a "market leader in the largely discretionary categories of hair care appliances" through its Vidal Sassoon and Revlon lines, the analyst says. Lane trimmed his 12-month target price to $13. The company releases its third quarter earnings today.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS GADGETS AND DEALS

Polaroid will announce a new digital camera that produces "instant prints" today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The annual show started Wednesday with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer using his keynote to take aim at rival Google. Ballmer said that Microsoft will give its Internet search engine preferred treatment on most new Dell computers and some Verizon Wireless cell phones.