Wednesday morning headlines

Stocks still sluggish: Slow week continues, though the Dow is up around 40 points.

Patrick Soon-Shiong possible AEG bidder: The L.A. billionaire is making it known that he'd be interested in acquiring the sport-and-entertainment giant (he was part of an investment group that tried to buy the Dodgers). From the LAT:

Other bidders could include Madison Square Garden Co., which owns the iconic New York sports arena and the Knicks basketball team, sports consultant [Marc] Ganis said. The New York company has already pushed westward. This year it paid $23.5 million to buy the Inglewood-based Forum, and it has embarked on a $50-million renovation of the Lakers former home. AEG also is expected to attract intense interest from private-equity firms, which could purchase the company intact and sell it off in pieces.

Fox well positioned for MLB renewal: CBS is no longer interested and NBC's bid has come up short, the NY Post reports. That leaves the league's current partners, Fox and Turner, to work out new deals. ESPN has a separate contract.

Better to buy than rent: That's according to a study of metro areas by online property tracker Trulia, though affordability depends on location. SF and L.A., for example, have only a small buying advantage while Detroit and Oklahoma City has large advantages. (OC Register)

Brown signs workers comp bill: The legislation promises an increase in benefits to permanently injured workers and procedural improvements that are supposed to reduce insurance costs. From Capitol Alert:

The legislation, Senate Bill 863, was hammered out in months of private negotiations between employer and labor union representatives. It was formally carried by Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, and passed the Legislature in the final hours of the 2012 session despite late-blooming opposition from lawyers who represent injured workers and some medical care and rehabilitation groups.

Early review of iPhone 5: WSJ tech columnist Walt Mossberg likes Apple's smartphone.

The world's most popular smartphone becomes significantly faster, thinner and lighter this week, while gaining a larger, 4-inch screen--all without giving up battery life, comfort in the hand and high-quality construction. That's my quick take on Apple's new iPhone 5, the sixth generation of the iconic device, which goes on sale on Friday. I've been testing the new iPhone for nearly a week and I like it a lot and can recommend it, despite a few negatives, such as a new maps app that has one big plus, but other big minuses. On balance, I still consider the iPhone the best smartphone on the market, especially with its staggering 700,000 third-party apps and a wealth of available content.