Thursday morning headlines

Xmas Eve trading: Stocks are up modestly on a couple of decent economic reports.

Last-minute shoppers: They're out there and they're spending - finally. ShopperTrak is sticking to its prediction for a 1.6 percent gain. (AP)

Last-minute travelers: A winter storm in the Midwest is causing some delays on the already busy day. LAX expects the number of passengers during the season to increase 2 percent from last year. (Daily News)

After Christmas sales?: There will be markdowns, but retailers won't be giving stuff away. Plus, the selection of merchandise is likely to be limited. "I believe the selection will be slimmer pickings than in past years," said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation. (OC Register)

Madoff update: A Raleigh television station reports that Bernie was treated at Duke hospital in Durham last week for facial fractures, broken ribs and a collapsed lung. Sounds like he got beat up. Prison officials are still not talking. (WTVD)

Blueprint for recovery: The L.A. Economic Development Corp. is releasing a plan to make the area more business friendly and to create more jobs. From the Daily News:

In the last three decades, the county has added 2.8 million residents, but only created 457,000 net jobs for those new residents, said David Flaks, vice president for policy and strategy at the LAEDC. "This is really not sustainable for a region looking to protect its fast-shrinking middle class and bridge the ever-widening gap between the rich and poor," Flaks said.

Iger's pay: The Disney CEO received about $29 million in total compensation, down a shade from $30.6 million a year earlier. That would place him among Socal's highest paid executives. (LAT)

New firm gets OK: DoubleLine, the L.A. money management firm launched by Jeffrey Gundlach, has been approved by the SEC as an investment advisor. Gundlach had been ousted by TCW earlier this month. (LAT)