SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- It might not be the sexiest industry in the world, but investors foresee strong growth in the mattress industry, which generates some $14 billion in sales annually in the United States. There's intense activity both in the traditional part of the industry, dominated by a few large manufacturers and retailers, as well as in a plucky start-up sector that uses an online-sales model.

Smith Partners on State International Trade Initiative The Maryland Department of Commerce just launched a new international initiative to boost exporting by Maryland companies and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School is partnering with the agency to help.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — The Federal Reserve's decision to  raise interest rates for the first time since 2006 “has the potential to push up the cost of mortgages, slow jobs creation and curb stock prices,” says pr

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Despite its recent stock market volatility, slow growth and ranking 28th in global competitiveness, China remains the world’s second-largest economy. The country’s leaders are now keen to see China close in on Silicon Valley in terms of creating world-beating tech firms.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — Yahoo announced on Wednesday that it was reversing course on a plan to spin off its stake in the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba — shares worth more than $30 billion.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — The price of crude oil dipped below $40 for the first time since 2009 this week — a sign of the relentless pressure on oil companies caused by high global output.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- Responding to pressure from shareholders, Yahoo has dropped a plan to spin off its holdings in Alibaba, a Chinese e-commerce company.

The U.S. patent system was set up to reward and encourage innovation. But there are lots of challenges. Exponential growth in patent applications have patent examiners overwhelmed, and patent disputes clog the court system with litigation from corporations and other patent holders. In this edition of Smith Business Close-Up, host Jeff Salkin visits the Smith School to sit down with professor Joseph Bailey, a 2014 Thomas Alva Edison Visiting Scholar with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

SMITH BRAIN TRUST -- The ADP National Employment Report shows a private-sector increase of 217,000 jobs in November 2015, indicating a pace “twice that needed to absorb growth in the working age population” and signals the “economy is fast app

SMITH BRAIN TRUST — After the terrorist attacks in Paris, the Obama administration pressed major tech companies for