Tobacco giant Altria today posted strong profits, with analysts crediting the fact that low gas prices have allowed smokers to purchase more expensive cigarettes. The system works.

What do you think the most successful industry in America has been in the past 100 years? A hint: it's home to the most successful company of the past 50 years.

Last month, shares in the New York Times Co. dropped below the $4 cost of a Sunday paper, and shares in Citibank fell below the cost of the bank's ATM fee.

• The seizure of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the federal government over the weekend has sent global stocks up sharply this morning. [Bloomberg]
  

• Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, is in talks to buy UST for more than $10 billion. [NYT]