The current happenings of the business world

• On Wednesday, March 28th, Annie’s Inc. (makers of the popular organic pasta and mac & cheese) saw stocks soar 89% to close at $35.92.  Their IPO, which was the day before, raised $95 million with about 5 million shares sold at $19.

• Bank of America’s Chief Executive Officer Brian Moynihan made $8.1 million in total compensation last year, up from $1.9 million in 2010, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, March 28. Moynihan’s 2011 pay included $6.1 million in performance-based stock that vests only if the bank meets a certain return on assets measure by the end of 2015.

• Facebook Inc. (FB) is stopping the trading of its shares on secondary markets as it prepares for its IPO in May. Facebook, which filed with the SEC in February to raise $5 billion, is currently traded on secondary markets, including SharesPost Inc. and SecondMarket Inc. The halt gives the company time to account for its shareholding base and would end price fluctuations as Facebook works to determine its IPO price.

• The penny, which is 2.5 percent copper and the rest zinc, costs 2.41 cents to make. That’s up from 1.23 cents in 2006, when the cost of making a penny first crossed the threshold of an actual penny. The nickel? It now costs 11.18 cents to make that coin — which is composed of 25 percent nickel and the rest copper — up from 5.73 cents in 2006.

• Despite rising gas prices, the Consumer Confidence Index has held for March at 70.2, according to a private research group, The Conference Board.  A rating of 90 (or above) indicates a healthy economy—which the Index hasn’t been near since late 2007.  This is much higher than the 30 in October 2011, or the lowest ever in February 2009: 25.3.