John Thomas Financial, the Wall Street firm owned by celebrity broker Tommy Belesis, is facing yet another regulatory headache, The Post has learned.
The industry's self-regulatory body, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, is looking into allegations that JTF improperly marked brokers' licenses, according to people familiar with the probe. As part of the probe, Finra has compiled a list of brokers who have complained that their license has been marred by untrue statements, sources said. [New York Post]

South Korean tech giant Samsung's move to broaden its footprint in Silicon Valley signals an escalation of its rivalry with Apple. Samsung Electronics Co.'s and Apple Inc.'s battle to dominate the world's smartphone markets has mostly been waged from their respective sides of the Pacific.
Now the South Korean tech giant is storming rival Apple's backyard, launching an aggressive expansion into Silicon Valley. Samsung has opened a new innovation center in Menlo Park, Calif. A research and development lab is planned for San Jose. [Los Angeles Times]

It started with Apple stores. Then came Microsoft stores. Are Google stores next? The Silicon Valley company hopes to open retail stores in time for this year's holiday shopping season, according to a report by 9to5Google, which cites an unnamed source. According to the report, Google's leaders have decided retail stores are necessary for the eventual launch ofGoogle Glass - eyeglasses with capabilities similar to that of smartphone. [The Chicago Tribune]

Starbucks Corp. expects to more than double to 40,000 its employees in Asia Pacific over the next five years, a sign the Seattle chain expects coffee consumption to accelerate despite the slowing of major economies in the region.
The region "has been a growth engine and will continue to be a growth engine despite economic uncertainty," said Jinlong Wang, the company's Asia Pacific president, pointing to rapid growth in employees and stores. [Market Watch]

Beef prices are expected to increase as much as 10% by summer, leading beef producers and sellers to worry that their product might become a luxury.
"We can't let beef turn into lobster," said Ed Greiman of Garner, the president of the Iowa Cattlemen's Association.Retail beef prices have risen by an average of $1 per pound since 2007. Prices for cattle have jumped by as much as 25% in the past two years as the nation's herd dropped to its lowest level in six decades while foreign export demand boomed. [USA Today]

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