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UConn: Merger with Hartford Hospital not feasible

University of Connecticut officials say a plan to merge the UConn Health Center in Farmington with Hartford Hospital is unlikely to win official approval.President M...

Monsanto aims to stop leaks at Idaho mine dump, John Miller

Monsanto Co. is installing a water management system at an Idaho phosphate mine the company depends on to make its Roundup weedkiller to stop the leakage of selenium and he...

Publisher says buyer emerges for Ariz. paper

The publisher of the East Valley Tribune in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa said Friday that a buyer has made an offer that would keep the paper and its Web site in business.13 charged in $19M Central Oregon bank fraud, William Mccall

The collapse of a Bend real estate development company has resulted in charges against 13 people in what prosecutors say is the largest Oregon fraud case to emerge from the...

Moody's downgrades Liberty Media LLC ratings

Moody's Investors Service downgraded ratings for Liberty Media Corp. subsidiary Liberty Media LLC on Friday. The changes come shortly after shareholders approved the format...

"Going Rogue" is going big

"Going Rogue" is going big.Publisher HarperCollins said Friday that Sarah Palin's memoir sold 300,000 copies its first day, among the best openings ever for a nonfic...

Southwest Airlines changes board election rules

Southwest Airlines Co. said Friday it will require uncontested candidates for its board of directors to win a majority among shareholder votes cast to be elected, instead o...

Pricey gift: MLB offers Series film set for $2,229

Major League Baseball has the perfect gift to bust a budget in a recession.A 20-DVD set of World Series films can be bought for $2,299, and it contains authenticated...

Wyoming challenges Yellowstone snowmobile rules, Ben Neary

The state of Wyoming has filed a new federal lawsuit seeking to block the National Park Service from restricting snowmobile numbers in Yellowstone National Park.The ...

West Virginia regulators approve gas rate increase

West Virginia's Public Service Commission has approved a 5 percent rate increase for Hope Gas Inc.The $8.78 million increase approved Friday is substantially smaller...

La. businessman indicted in alleged Ponzi scheme, Michael Kunzelman

A Louisiana businessman was charged Friday with engaging in a Ponzi scheme to defraud about 160 investors — mostly elderly people — out of roughly $19.5 million and usi...

Former Iowa slaughterhouse manager seeks acquittal, Nigel Duara

A former kosher slaughterhouse manager convicted of financial fraud has asked for an acquittal or new trial, saying prosecutors unfairly brought in evidence of immigration ...

Nasdaq notifies Overstock it violated listing rule

Overstock.com Inc. said Friday that it received a listing rule violation letter Thursday from the Nasdaq Stock Market related to the recent filing of its third-quarter repo...

Colo. billboard links Obama with jihadists, Kristen Wyatt

A billboard showing President Barack Obama wearing a turban has sparked a lot of attention at the suburban Denver used car dealership that put it up.The sign, comple...

Small Florida bank shuttered, 124th this year, Marcy Gordon And Daniel Wagner

Florida banking regulators on Friday shut down Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida, marking the 124th U.S. bank to succumb this year to the struggling economy and rising loa...

Fla. commissioner OKs Citizens Property rate hikes, Brent Kallestad

More than 15,000 mobile home owners insured by state-backed Citizens Property insurance Corp. will see an 11 percent increase on their insurance policies in 2010.Flo...

How the major stock indexes fared on Friday

Stocks fell for a third straight day Friday as a disappointing outlook from computer maker Dell Inc. suggested that an economic recovery could be uneven. The market, which ...

Americans save more but earn less as rates fall, Stevenson Jacobs

The U.S. is finally becoming a nation of savers. Now if only we could get something for our money.Interest rates are sinking to near zero for the first time since la...

TD Ameritrade offering $1.25B in senior notes

Online retail brokerage TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. said Friday that it will sell $1.25 billion in senior unsecured notes in a public offering and use proceeds to retire de...

New Hampshire AG seeks bankruptcy for mortgage co.

The New Hampshire attorney general's office wants to force a mortgage company that closed suddenly into bankruptcy.Financial Resources Management of Meredith closed ...

Movers roundup: Dress Barn, Hibbett Sports

Among the stock activity stories for Friday, Nov. 20, from AP Financial News:SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Shares of Dress Barn Inc. climbed a day after the company raised ...

Huntington Bancshares to buy $338.9M in notes

Huntington Bancshares Inc., parent company of Huntington National Bank, said Friday that it will pay $338.9 million for subordinated bank notes tendered for an offer that e...

Texas high court agrees to rehear Exxon case, John Mcfarland

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday said it will again hear arguments in the nearly 15-year legal battle over accusations that Exxon Mobil Corp. loaded abandoned wells with j...

More ethics rules issued for NC treasurer workers

State Treasurer Janet Cowell unveiled new rules Friday banning employees from taking gifts from companies that do substantial business with the agency and setting a limit o...

Business Highlights

More states add jobs, but many for temporary staffWASHINGTON (AP) — In a sharp improvement, more than half of U.S. states added jobs in October, though economists ...

Treasury bond market at a glance

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Treasury prices fall, yields inch off lows, Stephen Bernard

Treasury prices mostly fell Friday, pushing their yields higher. Yields on short-term bills hovered near their lows of the year.The yield on the three-month T-bill, ...

St. Louis Cardinals announce season ticket pricing

St. Louis Cardinals season ticket prices are increasing an average of 3 percent next year.The baseball club said Friday that nearly one-third of season ticket holder...

Sun-Times Media names John Barron group publisher

Sun-Times Media Group, which was recently sold out of bankruptcy to an investor group, said Friday it named John Barron to the newly created group publisher position and as...

Regulators shut small Florida bank

Florida banking regulators have shut down Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida, marking the 124th U.S. bank to succumb this year to the struggling economy and rising loan def...

Minn. House tells court governor abused budget law

Lawyers for the Minnesota House spell out in a 34-page brief why they believe Gov. Tim Pawlenty misused a state law to enact budget cuts without legislative consent....

Mo. governor: Community colleges to freeze tuition, Chris Blank

Community colleges have joined Missouri's four-year colleges and universities in agreeing to freeze tuition next school year if state officials promise to nick and not slas...

Louisiana sees decline in initial jobless claims

First-time claims for jobless benefits in Louisiana fell last week after a spike attributed to a temporary layoff in the transportation equipment industry.The Louisi...

Medidata shares fall on offering announcement

Medidata Solutions Inc., a maker of software and services for clinical development of drugs and medical devices, said Friday it plans a public offering of 4.5 million share...

Asian carp may have breached electronic barrier, John Flesher

Asian carp may have breached an electronic barrier designed to prevent the giant invaders from upsetting the ecosystem in the Great Lakes and jeopardizing a $7 billion spor...

Figures on government spending and debt

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Ala. jobless rate rises to 10.9 percent in October, Bob Johnson

Just two years after hitting a record low, the unemployment rate in Alabama climbed to 10.9 percent in October, the highest it has been in more than 25 years, state officia...

D.R. Horton, J.M. Smucker, Dell are big movers

The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Friday on the New York Stock Exchange:NYSE:Dillard's Inc., up $1.38 at $15.66...

Kings owner will no longer operate WNBA franchise, Janie Mccauley

The Sacramento Monarchs folded on Friday, a shocking and disappointing development for the WNBA and one of its original eight franchises.The decision was largely bas...

Early votes on W.Va. table games already top 1,300

More than 1,300 people have already voted on whether to let the Charles Town Races & Slots put table games in its casino.Early voting in Jefferson County began N...

Judge strikes down Tennessee guns-in-bars law, Lucas L. Johnson Ii

Tennessee's new law allowing people with handgun permits to be armed in bars and restaurants that serve alcohol is unconstitutionally vague, a judge ruled on Friday....

Pa. residents sue gas driller over polluted wells, Michael Rubinkam

Pat Farnelli says there's something in the water at her house. The last time she drank it, she says she vomited four times. It's made her children sick, too.Like her...

Report: Hershey may launch bid for Cadbury

Hershey Co. may make a $17 billion bid for UK candy company Cadbury PLC, topping the recent $16.5 billion hostile offer by Kraft Foods Inc., the Wall Street Journal reports...

Gold ekes out small gain, other metals hold steady, Sara Lepro

Gold prices finished higher for a sixth straight day Friday, rising even as the dollar strengthened.The December contract added $4.90 to settle at $1,146.80 an ounce...

UC students occupy buildings to protest fee hike

Students barricaded themselves inside buildings on University of California campuses to protest a 32 percent increase in student fees and budget cuts that have led to slash...

Fitch raises rating outlook for Flowserve

Fitch Ratings boosted its rating outlook for Flowserve Corp. on Friday citing the pump making and fluid handling company's low leverage, good operating performance and othe...

Gephardt pushes for investment in health research, Mike Glover

Former U.S. Rep. Richard Gephardt pushed Friday for Iowa to expand its focus on public health, arguing the state has the medical infrastructure in place to make it a leader...

Flurry of IPOs signals IPO rebound to continue, Tali Arbel

The flurry of initial public offerings this week is confirmation that this fall's rebound in the market wasn't a fluke and sets the stage for more companies to raise money ...

Calif. launches probe into scam targeting churches, Robert Jablon

California is investigating several companies suspected of bilking churches nationwide of hundreds of thousands of dollars through fraudulent computer leasing schemes, auth...

Senators seek more info on dealer closures, Stephen Manning

Senators are calling on General Motors and Chrysler to release more details on ongoing talks over the automakers' plans to close thousands of auto dealerships as part of th...

Holiday travelers waited longer to book this year, Joshua Freed

Holiday travelers waited a little longer to book their flights this year, likely holding out for better deals and waiting to see if they would still have a job. And some ar...

Ky. court upholds $6M verdict in strip search case, Brett Barrouquere

A Kentucky appeals court upheld a $6.1 million award to a former fast food worker who was forced to strip in a McDonald's restaurant office after someone called posing as a...

UPS sets new rates for 2010, Harry R. Weber

UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, is hiking 2010 rates for ground packages by an average of 4.9 percent.The company, based in Atlanta, said Friday ther...

Becton Dickinson buys test maker HandyLab

Becton Dickinson and Co. said Friday it bought molecular diagnostic test maker HandyLab Inc. for $275 million.The company first announced the acquisition in October....

Dollar and precious metals at a glance

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Business events scheduled for the coming week

WASHINGTON — National Association of Realtors releases existing home sales for September, 10 a.m.WASHINGTON — Ken Feinberg, Special Master for Executive Compensa...

Public to vote on South Dakota's smoking ban law

The state has decided not to appeal a judge's decision that allows South Dakota's new smoking ban law to be referred to a public vote in the 2010 election.The decisi...

TRW Automotive completes private debt offering

Car parts maker TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. said Friday that it completed a previously announced private debt offering.The offering was for $259 million worth of 3...

Verigy shares rise on better-than-expected 4Q

Shares of Verigy Ltd. rose Friday after the maker of chip testing equipment turned in a stronger-than-expected performance in the fourth quarter.Late Thursday, Verig...

Colo. to review taxpayer-paid lobbyists practice, Steven K. Paulson

At a time of budget cuts, Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter's administration last year paid employees and outside contractors $1.1 million to lobby Colorado lawmakers on legislat...

West Virginia lawmakers end special session, Lawrence Messina

West Virginia's Legislature ended its special session Friday with tweaks to the gas tax and state energy policy among the final bills to pass.Party-line debates and ...

Chase drops arbitration from card contracts

JPMorgan Chase & Co. said Friday it is dropping a clause from its credit card contracts that required disputes with customers to be handled through binding arbitration,...

Agriculture futures trade mixed on the CBOT

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Ariz. lawmakers may have December special session, Paul Davenport

Arizona legislators are still struggling to conclude their special session on the state's budget troubles but already are working on ideas for another one that could be hel...

SC jury finds '3 Hebrew Boys' guilty in scam, Meg Kinnard

Three South Carolina men have been found guilty of bilking thousands of investors out of more than $80 million.A federal jury of four men and eight women deliberated...

Maine governor orders $63M in department cutbacks, Glenn Adams

Gov. John Baldacci ordered Maine state departments Friday to curtail spending by $63 million to make sure the budget is balanced.Baldacci issued the order for the fi...

Maryland officials reach port agreement

Maryland officials have entered into a 50-year contract with Ports America to operate Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal.Officials said Friday the deal will bring a...

Officers behind junk fax scam face Kan. sentencing, Roxana Hegeman

The president of a Florida consulting firm convicted in a massive fax blast scam blinked back tears Friday as he was sentenced to 68 months in prison for his role in defrau...

WHO investigating Norway swine flu mutations

The World Health Organization said Friday it is investigating samples of variant swine flu linked to two deaths and one severe case in Norway, but that so far the significa...

$6M verdict upheld in McDonald's strip search case, Brett Barrouquere

A Kentucky appeals court upheld a $6.1 million award to a former fast food worker who was forced to strip in a McDonald's restaurant office after someone called posing as a...

Real estate agents see return of foreign buyers, Adrian Sainz

Canadian investor Arthur Wong is buying condos in Las Vegas and Phoenix like a shopper at Costco: In bulk, with slashed prices.Wong, president of Optimus U.S. Real E...

Medidata files shelf registration for offering

Medidata Solutions Inc., a maker of software and services for clinical development of drugs and medical devices, said Friday it plans a public offering of 4.5 million share...

Fuel-efficient Goodyear tire available on Toyota

Goodyear said Friday the 2010 Toyota Prius now includes its fuel-efficient tire, Assurance Fuel Max, as standard equipment.The Assurance Fuel Max features a fuel-sav...

Flowers Foods names Allen L. Shiver president

Bakery goods company Flowers Foods Inc. on Friday said its board elected Allen L. Shiver president, effective Jan. 1.George E. Deese, Flowers Foods' chairman of the ...

Toys R Us subsidiary closes $725M notes offering

Toys R Us said Friday that one of its subsidiaries has completed an offering of $725 million in senior secured 8.5 percent notes due in 2017.Its Toys R Us Property C...

D.R. Horton sees 26 perecent spike in 4Q orders, Alex Veiga

Homebuilder D.R. Horton Inc., saw new home orders spike 26 percent from a year ago in the latest quarter as buyers raced to close deals and take advantage of a federal tax ...

James River Coal closes $172.5M note offering

James River Coal Co. on Friday said it closed its $172.5 million convertible senior note offering.The company said its 4.5-percent convertible senior notes were sold...

More states add jobs, but many for temporary staff, Christopher S. Rugaber

In a sharp improvement, more than half of U.S. states added jobs in October, though economists said many of the gains likely occurred in temporary employment.That's ...

Boeing breaks ground for historic SC plant

Work has officially started on building Boeing's $750 million aircraft assembly plant in South Carolina — the largest industrial investment in state history.Multip...

Flowers Foods names David V. Singer to board

Bakery goods company Flowers Foods Inc. on Friday said its board elected David V. Singer, president and chief executive officer of Lance Inc., to the board.The move ...

Nebraska ethanol plant fire produces lawsuit

The owners of a Lexington ethanol plant and their insurer are suing a subsidiary of a Houston-based natural gas provider they say is responsible for an explosion and fire t...

Treasury prices drop, yields inch off lows, Stephen Bernard

Treasury prices fell Friday, pushing their yields higher. Yields on short-term bills hovered near their lows of the year.The yield on the three-month T-bill, conside...

Dress Barn shares rise after co. raises forecast

Shares of Dress Barn Inc. climbed Friday, a day after the company raised its yearly profit estimate above analysts' forecasts.The stock rose $1.25, or 6.1 percent, t...

Hedge fund to boost stake in Agilysys

A New York hedge fund wants to increase its ownership stake in Agilysys Inc. but is not seeking to control the company.MAK Capital One LLC, the investment manager of...

W.Va. considers tax flexibility for localities, Tom Breen

West Virginia's tax modernization project is back on, but that doesn't mean businesses and individuals should necessarily expect lower taxes in the near future."Tax ...

Judge orders settlement meeting in Cintas case, Justin Juozapavicius

Cintas Corp. and the widow of a former employee who is suing the company will have another chance to settle her 2007 wrongful death lawsuit against the nation's largest uni...

B&N Nook sells out, too late for holiday orders

Consumers who haven't yet ordered Barnes & Noble's electronic book reader, the Nook, won't see one before Christmas.The earliest that anyone who orders the $259 ...

Survey suggests improving but weak Plains economy

Business appears to be slowly improving in rural areas of 11 Midwest and Plains states, but the economy there remains weak, according to a new survey of bankers."The...

P&G says it's still interested in acquisitions, Dan Sewell

Procter & Gamble Co. is still interested in buying, and says size doesn't matter.Jon Moeller, the Cincinnati-based company's chief financial officer, Friday told...

Ex-Vivendi CEO: I made mistakes but never misled

Former Vivendi CEO Jean-Marie Messier told a jury Friday he made mistakes in his troubled bid to turn the French water company into a global media giant, but he never misle...

Nebraska governor signs budget-cutting package, Nate Jenkins

Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law $334 million in budget reductions on Friday, after lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the cuts during an emergency session in whi...

13 charged with mortgage and loan fraud in Oregon

A federal grand jury in Eugene has indicted 13 people on mortgage and loan fraud charges arising from the collapse of a central Oregon development company.Acting U.S...

Natural gas plunges 12 percent this month, Chris Kahn

Natural gas prices have dropped by more than 12 percent in the past month as the country continues to sip at its energy reserves and a balmy November allowed homeowners to ...

Hibbett Sports gains after boosting 2010 forecast

Shares of sporting goods retailer Hibbett Sports Inc. rose Friday, a day after its third-quarter results beat Wall Street expectations and it raised its 2010 profit forecas...

Earnings Preview: Hormel Foods Corp., Emily Fredrix

Hormel Foods Corp. reports results for its fiscal fourth quarter on Tuesday before the market opens. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion rela...

Pfizer's Geodon gets expanded FDA approval

Pfizer Inc. said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved Geodon as a part of a combination maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder in adults.The new appr...

Earnings Preview: Tyson Foods Inc., Emily Fredrix

Tyson Foods Inc., the world's largest meat producer, is scheduled to report results for its fiscal fourth quarter on Monday before the market opens. The following is a summ...

Intuitive Surgical's da Vinci S approved in Japan

Robotic surgical device maker Intuitive Surgical Inc. said Friday its da Vinci S system received regulatory approval in Japan.Da Vinci systems are used in heart surg...

Cloud Peak Energy units price $600M senior notes

After its public debut on Friday, Cloud Peak Energy Inc. said its subsidiaries priced two senior note offerings with a total value of $600 million.The U.S. coal prod...

ADC Telecommunications falls on lower Q1 outlook

Shares of ADC Telecommunications Inc. fell Friday after the company posted a net loss in the fourth quarter and warned that first-quarter earnings will come in lower than e...

GE, Vivendi talks over NBC Universal stretch on, Deborah Yao And Greg Keller

A deal for Comcast Corp. to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal and create one of the most powerful media companies in the world is taking longer than expected as the ...

Moody's: Inaction on deficit could hurt NY rating, Michael Gormley

New York's stable credit rating could be hurt if the Legislature fails to heed Gov. David Paterson's calls to cut spending and eliminate a $3.2 billion deficit, Moody's Inv...

Pacquiao's PPV numbers add to megafight momentum, Tim Dahlberg

Manny Pacquiao proved he can be a box office hit. Now it's up to Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. to see what they can do together.Pacquiao's big win over Miguel Co...

Aruba Networks shares fall after 1Q report

Shares of Aruba Networks Inc. fell Friday after the company reported fiscal first-quarter results above analyst expectations, but it may not have been as much of a beat as ...

Flu season, ailing economy aiding Mich. drug maker, James Prichard

Record profits. Job openings. Shareholders making money. It's not what you might think in Michigan, home to the country's highest unemployment rate, but a century-old compa...

With fuel demand week, refineries shutting down, Randall Chase

Refineries from New Mexico to New Jersey are under severe economic pressure because of falling demand for fuel, with a number of facilities shutting down in recent months.<...

Investors sue Fla. lawyer in fraud probe for $100M, Curt Anderson

Investors claiming they were fleeced by a high-profile South Florida attorney filed a $100 million lawsuit Friday contending that the lawyer orchestrated a massive Ponzi sc...

Imperial Sugar, 2 others to build cane sugar plant

Imperial Sugar Co. said Friday it has entered a three-way joint venture to build a cane sugar refinery next to its existing factory in Gramercy, La.The joint venture...

Harley's Pa. plant thought likelier to stay now, Marc Levy

A tentative labor agreement distributed Friday to workers at Harley-Davidson's plant in south-central Pennsylvania makes it appear likely that the motorcycle maker will kee...

Nevada jobless rate dips to 13 percent in October, Sandra Chereb

Nevada's unemployment rate dipped in October, but economists cautioned Friday that while the figures are encouraging, they're more a reflection of a shrinking job market th...

RI jobless rate dips to 12.9 percent in October

The unemployment rate in Rhode Island has fallen for the first time in nearly three years, dropping slightly to 12.9 percent in October.The state Department of Labor...

AirTran giving double rewards for Milwaukee travel

Discount carrier AirTran Airways, a unit of AirTran Holdings Inc., said Friday that it will offer double reward credits to all of its frequent flier club members when they ...

Colo. jobless rate dips to 6.9 percent in October

A shrinking labor force and about 1,000 new jobs have helped put Colorado's latest seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for October at 6.9 percent, a slight decrease from ...

Fla. jobless rate climbs to 11.2 percent in Oct., Bill Kaczor

Florida's unemployment rate continued its steady upward climb in October to 11.2 percent — a mark last seen in the 1970s and a tenth of a percentage point higher than Sep...

Dillard's rises as analyst upgrades to 'Buy'

Shares of department store retailer Dillard's Inc. rose on Friday after an analyst upgraded the stock to "Buy" and said efforts to cut costs and improve merchandise are pay...

Emergency Medical prices $386.5 million in stock

Ambulance and physician services company Emergency Medical Services Corp. on Friday priced a public offering for about $386.5 million in common stock.The company wil...

Report: 20-somethings can go 2 years between Paps, Lauran Neergaard

First mammograms. Now — in an apparent coincidence — Pap smears.New guidelines by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say most women in their...

US rig count this week up 12

The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week has risen by 12 this week to 1,113.Houston-based Baker Hughes Inc. said Friday th...

Just 2 years to go: Let's start missing Oprah!, Frazier Moore

NEW YORK — Is it too soon to begin missing Oprah?Why put it off? In less than two years, she will vanish from sight as a five-hours-weekly broadcast TV fixture. Ho...

Kansas jobless rate dips to 6.4 percent in October, John Milburn

Kansas' unemployment rate declined to 6.4 percent in October, though a state labor analyst cautioned Friday that the job market remains weak.The new report revealed ...

Economists: Mich. will keep losing jobs in 2010, Kathy Barks Hoffman

Michigan's economy will improve in 2010, but only in comparison to what has been "one of the most brutal years in a generation," University of Michigan economists said Frid...

Global Cash Access agrees to pay $1M in settlement

Global Cash Access Holdings Inc., which provides cash access services at casinos, has agreed to pay $1 million in a settlement after Arizona authorities initially refused t...

Indiana's jobless rate hits 9.8 percent in October, Deanna Martin

Indiana's unemployment rate was almost unchanged from September to October, but officials said it's too early to tell whether the stability marks a long-awaited awaited reb...

Goldman Sachs to take out garbage at Thanksgiving, Verena Dobnik

The Salvation Army plans to serve 10,000 free dinners across the city this Thanksgiving — meals planned by a star chef, cooked by one of New York's ritziest caterers and ...

A look at economic developments around the globe

A look at economic developments and activity in major stock markets around the world Friday:___LONDON — World stock markets fell amid mounting concerns abou...

Freedom exec: Buyer still sought for EV Tribune

A Freedom Communications executive says the company still hopes someone will buy the East Valley Tribune in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa.Chief financial officer Mark M...

Nebraska unemployment rate unchanged at 4.9 pct

Nebraska's unemployment rate held steady at 4.9 percent in October even as the national rate crept up to 10.2 percent.The figures released Friday show the Nebraska u...

Ohio unemployment rises to 10.5 pct in Oct

Ohio's unemployment rate has gone up for the first time in three months, to 10.5 percent in October from 10.1 percent in September.The Ohio Department of Job and Fam...

Fitch boosts outlook on Bon-Ton Stores

Fitch Ratings raised its outlook for Bon-Ton Stores Inc. on Friday from "Negative" to "Stable," citing the department store operator's reworked credit agreement.The ...

NC jobless rate bumps up to 11 percent in October, Emery P. Dalesio

North Carolina's unemployment rate rose slightly to 11 percent in October, a fraction off its historic peak earlier this year and the ninth straight month in double digits,...

Web sites cater to for-sale-by-owner home sellers, Alex Veiga

Selling a home without a real estate agent can save thousands of dollars in commission fees, but it can also be a painstaking, confusing task.Foregoing an agent, how...

Petters says he planned to tell gov't about fraud, Steve Karnowski

A Minnesota businessman accused of running a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors out of billions of dollars said Friday that a 2008 raid by federal agents on his company ...

SC unemployment rises to 12.1 percent for October, Meg Kinnard

The unemployment rate in South Carolina rose nearly half a percentage point in October, returning to a record level of 12.1 percent set earlier this year, the state agency ...

California unemployment rate hits 12.5 percent

California's unemployment rate rose to 12.5 percent in October to set another modern record, even though more than 25,000 Californians found jobs, the state Employment Deve...

Agriculture futures mostly fall, livestock higher

Agriculture futures were mostly lower early Friday on the Chicago Board of Trade.Wheat for December delivery lost 5.5 cents to $5.57 a bushel, while December corn sh...

Mass. finance chief criticizes 'risky' budget move, Glen Johnson

The top budget official in Massachusetts says the Legislature has taken a "risky" approach by adjourning for the remainder of the year without closing a projected $125 mill...

Texas jobless rate up, but so is number of jobs

Texas' unemployment rate inched up to 8.3 percent in October while the state bucked a yearlong trend by adding jobs, officials said Friday.The state's jobless rate r...

South Dakota red meat production falls in October

The U.S. Agriculture Department says commercial red meat production for South Dakota totaled 77.6 million pounds during October, down 22 percent from a year ago and down 1 ...

Bill: Harley-Davidson as official Wis. motorcycle

Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson would become the official Wisconsin motorcycle under a bill proposed in the Legislature.Milwaukee Democratic Rep. Leon Young says the...

Steel of West Virginia to lay off 53 by Nov.'s end

More than 50 Steel of West Virginia Inc. workers will be out of work by the end of November.President Tim Duke said the layoffs of 53 workers will leave the company ...

Idaho gets $115,000 from Sanofi-Aventis settlement

Idaho's Medicaid Division is getting nearly $115,000 as its share from a nationwide settlement with French drug giant Sanofi-Aventis.Attorney General Lawrence Wasden...

Griffon Corp. turns 4th-qtr profit of $12.4M

Griffon Corp., a communications and electronic information, building products and specialty plastics business, said it posted a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $12.4 millio...

Feds seek $631K verdict against ex-Steeler Blount

Federal attorneys want a judge to declare that Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Famer Mel Blount owes more than $631,000 in back taxes, interest and penalties.The Interna...

Dr. Pepper Snapple board OKs $200M buyback

Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc. said Friday that its board has approved the repurchase of up to $200 million of its outstanding shares over the next three years.The be...

Wilton wind farm in North Dakota doubles in size

The Wilton Wind Energy Center north of Bismarck, N.D., has doubled in size.Basin Electric Power Cooperative says the last of 33 additional wind turbines began operat...

Fed funding to help study wind speeds in Michigan

Michigan State University will receive $83,806 to measure wind speeds in five areas around the state.The state says in a release Thursday that the project is designe...

J.M. Smucker 2nd-quarter profit soars on coffee, Sarah Skidmore

J.M. Smucker Co. nearly tripled its profit in the second quarter as the addition of Folgers coffee gave a jolt to its lineup and lower commodity prices for coffee beans and...

7 charged in alleged securities and mortgage scam

State and federal prosecutors have charged seven people in an alleged securities scam that cheated dozens of people out of $17 million.The Riverside County district ...

Met-Pro 3Q profit plunges as markets remain weak

Met-Pro Corp., which makes pollution control technologies, said Friday its third-quarter profit plunged two-thirds on weak markets, surprising Wall Street.Net income...

Microsoft offers about 24K training vouchers in NC

Microsoft Corp. is giving away nearly 24,000 vouchers to North Carolina residents who want to improve their computer skills so they can improve their lot in the work force....

Yahoo jumps on Twitter bandwagon to improve search, Michael Liedtke

Yahoo Inc. is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon in its latest attempt to get people to use its Internet search engine more frequently.Beginning Thursday, Yahoo will m...

Stocks fall for 3rd day as dollar strengthens, Stephen Bernard And Tim Paradis

Investors can't shake their fears that the economy isn't keeping up with the stock market.Stocks fell for a third straight day Friday as a disappointing outlook from...

Charity study shows 6M seniors at risk of hunger

A new study by the Meals on Wheels Association of America shows roughly six million seniors are at risk of being hungry.The charity says in the study that poverty al...

ALL BUSINESS: Economics 101, by way of toy hamster, Rachel Beck

In a world full of economic indicators, the best one during the holiday season may prove to be a furry toy hamster.Zhu Zhu Pets are the must-have hit for the holiday...

Alaska's jobless rate jumps to 8.9 pct in October

Alaska's unemployment rate jumped to 8.9 percent last month.State labor officials on Thursday said that's 0.6 percentage point increase over the adjusted rate of 8.3...

NM considers scaling back Medicaid coverage, Barry Massey

Gov. Bill Richardson's administration is proposing to overhaul Medicaid and scale back health care services to some lower-income New Mexicans to cope with a projected budge...

Conn. jobless rate jumps to 8.8 percent in October

The Connecticut Labor Department says the state's unemployment rate increased slightly to 8.8 percent, even though employers added 1,000 jobs in October.The gain ann...

Vt. nuke critics renew campaign against relicense, John Curran

Hoping to sway lawmakers, two of the state's most famous residents and one of its former governors joined groups opposed to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in announ...

F1 Williams sells minority stake to Austrian group, Chris Lines

Frank Williams says he is not preparing to relinquish control of the Williams Formula One team despite selling a minority stake on Friday.Williams and co-founder Pat...

Hunter plans bargaining meeting with Stern soon, Brian Mahoney

NBA players' association director Billy Hunter plans another negotiating session soon with commissioner David Stern, and here's something that might come up.The unio...

Global Defense Technology shares little changed

Global Defense Technology & Systems shares were little changed after its initial public offering priced below expectations.The McLean, Va., defense contractor so...

W.Va.'s Capito troubled by EPA response on permits

Rep. Shelley Moore Capito says she's troubled by what she heard in a meeting with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson.The West Virginia Republ...

Dem slams Ariz. gov's absence as session falters, Paul Davenport

A Democratic legislative leader criticized Republican Gov. Jan Brewer for being out of state while efforts to close out a special legislative session focused on Arizona's b...

Banned director brings romance film to Hong Kong, Min Lee

A prominent mainland Chinese director banned by Beijing from making movies brought his new gay romance film to Hong Kong on Friday for what is likely the last of a handful ...

New York lawmakers head home, no deal on deficit, Michael Gormley

New York lawmakers headed home Thursday without agreement on how to address the state's fiscal crisis.The Legislature was in session all week — at a cost of about ...

Pfizer gets FDA approval for intravenous Revatio

Drug developer Pfizer Inc. said Friday the Food and Drug Administration approved an intravenous version of its high blood pressure drug Revatio.The drug was already ...

Ohio moderates' budget fix meets immovable forces, Stephen Majors

A few moderate Ohio senators trying to craft a compromise to fix Ohio's budget gap are being thwarted by two opposing forces: the majority of Republican senators who adaman...

Federal immigration officials target Vermont farms, Lisa Rathke

Federal immigration officials are cracking down on Vermont dairy farmers as part of a national effort, asking them to provide records to prove their workers are legal.<...

Ohio AG sues credit agencies for public pensions

The three major credit ratings agencies gave mortgage-backed securities unjustifiably high ratings in return for lucrative fees, losing at least $457 million for five Ohio ...

Eminem says 'Relapse 2' now will come out in 2010

Eminem's comeback year of 2009 was expected to include the release of two new albums.That turned out to be only partially true."Relapse," the Detroit rapper's...

New Orleans eyes December sale for $40M bond sale, Becky Bohrer

The city plans to hold its first bond sale in two years next month though the outcome of three high-stakes meetings with rating agencies could push it back again.May...

Natural gas plunges 15 percent this month, Chris Kahn

Natural gas prices have dropped by more than 15 percent in the past month as the country continues to sip at its energy reserves and a balmy November allowed many homeowner...

NYC model who married doorman sues upscale co-op

A foot model in New York City is suing her upscale apartment building, claiming the co-op board is trying to force her out because she married its former doorman.Chr...

US carriers' passenger revenue down in October

Passenger revenue among U.S. airlines fell 15 percent in October compared to the same month last year, an industry trade group said Friday.The Air Transport Associat...

Conseco subsidiary reaches reinsurance agreement

Conseco Inc. said Friday that a subsidiary has reached a reinsurance agreement with Wilton Reassurance Co. covering about 237,000 life insurance policies.Wilton Re w...

Wesley Snipes appeals 3 tax convictions in Georgia

Actor Wesley Snipes is set to ask a federal appeals panel to overturn his three federal tax convictions.The actor was sentenced last year to three years in prison on...

Stem-cell debate unlikely to fade after Neb. vote, Margery A. Beck

The University of Nebraska's governing board was expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would limit stem-cell research at the university system's facilities to rules ...

'2012' a home run with patriotic fans in China, Chi-chi Zhang

When the apocalypse comes, China will save the world.Or at least that's how Chinese audiences are interpreting "2012," Hollywood's latest blockbuster disaster movie....

Covidien says FDA extends Exalgo review

Health care company Covidien PLC said Friday the Food and Drug Administration will take longer than expected to review the potential opioid pain drug Exalgo.The agen...

Dendreon's Provenge gets FDA review date

Biotechnology company Dendreon Corp. said Friday the Food and Drug Administration will make a regulatory decision on the potential prostate cancer vaccine Provenge by May 1...

Valero shuts refinery as conditions worsen, Randall Chase

Valero Energy says it is permanently closing its Delaware oil refinery, where 550 workers will lose their jobs.The company said Friday it must close the Delaware Cit...

Antigenics pulls European Oncophage application

Biotechnology company Antigenics Inc. said Friday it will not seek approval for a potential kidney cancer treatment after a European advisory committee recommended against ...

Archipelago shares leap in 1st day of trading

Shares of Archipelago Learning are rising Friday after its initial public offering priced near the top of its expected range, raising $103.1 million.The Dallas compa...

Tiny Iowa town has the chargers, awaiting drivers, Melanie S. Welte

Hoping to see the USA in your Chevrolet Volt or Nissan Leaf? The tiny Iowa town of Elk Horn will have plenty of electric charging stations and no wait — if you can get th...

W.Va. coalfields residents criticize blasting

A group of Coal River Valley residents is speaking out about a Massey Energy Co. mining operation near Whitesville.Five residents from the region plan to air their c...

Merck fertility drug gets European recommendation

Drug developer Merck & Co. said Friday a European advisory committee recommended approval for the company's fertility drug Elonva.The Committee for Medicinal Pro...

7 Days Group Holdings soars in 1st trading day

Shares of 7 Days Group Holdings Ltd. soared on Friday after the discount lodging chain's initial public offering priced at the high end of an expected range.The stoc...

Dollar keeps gaining as traders pare risk exposure

The safe-haven dollar further strengthened Friday and Treasury yields hovered around their lows for the year as worries about the economy in 2010 diminished traders' appeti...

NYC stamp auction raises $3.2 million for museum

A New York City gallery has auctioned over 200 rare postage stamps to raise $3.2 million for the Smithsonian National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.Wall Street mo...

US envoy pans media coverage of Obama China visit, Christopher Bodeen

Washington's ambassador to Beijing hit out Friday at negative U.S. media coverage of President Barack Obama's visit to China, saying it failed to take into account importan...

BioCryst prices stock offering at $9.75 per share

Flu drug developer BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. priced its 5 million common stock share offering at $9.75 per share.On Thursday after the markets closed the company...

Stocks fall in early trading as dollar rises, Stephen Bernard And Tim Paradis

The stock market lost ground for a third straight day as investors grew increasingly uneasy about a rising dollar and spiking demand for the safest government debt.W...

Small SC county reels from corruption scandal, Meg Kinnard

When federal officials descended on this small South Carolina town to investigate a kickback scheme that had caught up the mayor and another official, they stumbled across ...

Russian ship frees itself from ice in Antarctic

A Russian cruise ship that has been struggling through a huge mass of sea ice for days has finally reached open water off Antarctica.The Captain Khlebnikov icebreake...

Army limits media access at Palin event at NC base, Mike Baker

The U.S. Army will allow the media limited coverage of Sarah Palin's appearance at Fort Bragg, but will bar reporters from interviewing her or her supporters on the post, o...

Trichet: time to withdraw some support measures, Michael Bauer And George Frey

Although it is too early to say the crisis is over, it is time to withdraw some of the policy measures that supported the financial system through the credit crunch, the Eu...

Cloud Peak Energy falls in first day of trading

Cloud Peak Energy shares are falling in their first day of trading Friday after the U.S. coal producer's initial public offering priced below expectations.Shares fel...

Customs agents seize 316,000 bongs in LA

Customs officials say they got a surprise when they found 316,000 glass bongs disguised as Christmas ornaments at the Los Angeles harbor.U.S. Customs and Border Prot...

Eddie Cibrian sues tabloid over story

Eddie Cibrian is suing Life & Style Weekly for defamation over a recent story claiming he was cheating on girlfriend LeAnn Rimes.The "CSI: Miami" actor is seekin...

America's Car-Mart fiscal 2Q profit rises

Auto retailer America's Car-Mart Inc. reported on Friday a 61 percent higher fiscal second-quarter profit, as consumers turned to the used car market amid tighter credit re...

Stocks decline in early trading as dollar rises, Stephen Bernard

Stocks fell in early morning trading Friday as the dollar continued to strengthen, and after a week of mixed economic reports.Overseas markets declined. European Cen...

University of Calif. approves big fee hikes, Michael R. Blood

As protests resounded outside, the University of California Board of Regents approved a 32 percent fee increase for students attending the state's premier public schools.Couple charged in Phoenix airport luggage thefts

Authorities say an Arizona couple has been indicted in the theft of nearly 1,000 pieces of luggage from baggage claim carousels at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport....

US Panel sets fees for big firms, aims to slow Fed, Jim Kuhnhenn

Taking aim at Wall Street and the U.S. central bank, an important House committee voted Thursday to assess fees on large financial firms to pay for the failure of their pee...

FEC fines Fieger firm over campaign donations, Ken Thomas

A Michigan law firm has agreed to pay a $131,000 fine to resolve an investigation into donations to former Sen. John Edwards' 2004 presidential campaign.The Federal ...

Bus company: Driver in Minn. crash had aneurysm, Jeff Baenen

A tour bus driver suffered a ruptured aneurysm just before the bus veered off a southern Minnesota interstate and crashed, killing two people and injuring 20, the owner of ...

Northrop Grumman gets contract with National Guard

Security company Northrop Grumman Corp. said Friday it received a training contract with the U.S. National Guard valued at $50 million over five years.Northrop Grumm...

Warner Chilcott prices secondary stock offering

Warner Chilcott PLC, which makes women's health and dermatology products, said a secondary offering of 20 million shares priced at $22.25 per share.Late Thursday the...

Vivendi inching closer to decision on NBC

Media and entertainment conglomerate Vivendi SA is nearing a decision on whether to sell its stake in NBC Universal and clear the way for the creation of one of the most po...

Cause of huge Wyo. refinery spill happened before, Mead Gruver

A storage tank roof that sank at a Sinclair Oil refinery earlier this year and caused Wyoming's biggest spill in decades wasn't unprecedented: A storage tank roof also sank...

CSX shares slip in premarket on downgrade

Shares of CSX Corp. edged down in premarket trading Friday as an analyst downgraded the railroad, saying its share price has moved too high.Analyst John G. Larkin of...

W.Va. municipal pension relief plan wins passage, Lawrence Messina And Tom Breen

Some of West Virginia's largest cities can soon freeze and gradually pay down their daunting pension funding shortfalls, after the House of Delegates sent Gov. Joe Manchin ...

Audit: public schools lax in financial management, Barry Massey

Legislative auditors have faulted poor financial management by school districts for allowing questionable spending of public money, including the purchase of a $91,000 tow ...

Library group offers text search to 4.6M books

A group of major national research libraries says users now can search the full text of 1.6 billion pages from 4.6 million digitized volumes.Last year, the Universit...

Taleo to raise $132 million in offering

Recruitment agency Taleo Corp. said Friday a public stock offering could raise up to $131.6 million.The Dublin, Calif., company priced an offering of 6.5 million com...

Ahead of the Bell: Gap turnaround may be bumpy

Retailer Gap Inc. said its sales are improving after a tough few years, and a big advertising push this holiday season could boost sales — but analysts caution that a reb...

Arizona Senate disarray extends special session, Paul Davenport

The Arizona Legislature on Thursday unexpectedly extended its special session into a second week after the Senate narrowly rejected a bill to cut funding for schools and so...

LDK Solar completes sale of stake in Chinese plant

LDK Solar Co. Ltd., a Chinese maker of parts for solar cells, on Friday said it completed the sale of a 15 percent ownership stake in a polysilicon plant in China for about...

Ahead of the Bell: Dell shares fall on weak 3Q

Shares of Dell Inc. fell Friday after it reported weaker-than-expected revenue and profit for the third quarter as the computer maker missed out on a fledgling rebound in t...

Indian tribe sues over Calif. ranch development, Jacob Adelman

An Indian tribe has filed a lawsuit to stop the development of a 5,000-acre gated resort community on a sprawling ranch some 60 miles north of Los Angeles that it claims as...

Ky. universities expand smoking, tobacco bans, Bruce Schreiner

Kentucky's flagship public university gave the official heave-ho to tobacco on Thursday, touting the health benefits of a smoke-free policy covering all of its sprawling ca...

Downbeat Dell weighs on world markets, Pan Pylas

World stock markets fell Friday amid mounting concerns about the pace of the U.S. economic recovery following a disappointing earnings update from computer maker Dell Inc.<...

Former smoker to discuss $300 million Fla. verdict

A former smoker in Fort Lauderdale is speaking out about her $300 million verdict against Philip Morris.A jury on Thursday ordered Philip Morris to pay 61-year-old C...

Stock futures point to lower opening, Stephen Bernard

Stocks are set to continue their slide when the market opens Friday as the dollar strengthens further, and after a week of mixed economic reports. Futures are lower....

J.M. Smucker 2nd-quarter profit more than doubles

J.M. Smucker Co.'s acquisition of Folgers Coffee Co. continues to pay off for the jam maker, helping to more than double its fiscal second-quarter profit, as consumers cont...

D.R. Horton fiscal 4th-quarter loss narrows

D.R. Horton Inc. said Friday its loss in its fiscal fourth quarter narrowed despite a plunge in revenue as the homebuilder wrote down fewer costs.But the write downs...

QuinStreet plans $250 million IPO

QuinStreet Inc. plans an initial public offering of $250 million in common stock, according to a regulatory filing.The Foster City, Calif. company, which provides on...

EU extends Oracle/Sun review deadline until Jan 27

European Union regulators said Friday that they have extended until Jan. 27 a deadline to wrap up their antitrust review of Oracle Corp.'s planned $7.4 billion takeover of ...

Gap profit up 25 pct in 3Q as Old Navy recovers, Ashley M. Heher

Shoppers spent more money at low-price Old Navy stores in the third quarter, helping Gap Inc.'s profit climb 25 percent compared with last year, the retailer said Thursday....

End of an era: Oprah ending show after 25 years, Caryn Rousseau

Oprah Winfrey was set to announce Friday that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end it...

Stock futures point to modestly lower opening, Stephen Bernard

Stocks are set to continue their slide when the market opens Friday as the dollar strengthens further, and after a week of mixed economic reports. Futures are modestly lowe...

GM to release plan for European units in December, George Frey

General Motors Co. said it expects to release a full restructuring plan for its Opel and Vauxhall operations in mid December, but did not specify the amount of cuts to capa...

Oil moves down near $77 amid economic uncertainty, Barry Hatton

Oil prices edged down toward $77 a barrel on Friday after a drop in many stock markets and amid concern about the strength of the global economic recovery.By early a...

European markets push higher ahead of Trichet, Pan Pylas

European stock markets rose Friday despite a drop in Asia as investors recouped some of the previous day's hefty losses ahead of a key speech from European Central Bank pre...

Volkswagen board moves closer to Porsche merger

German carmaker Volkswagen AG said Friday its supervisory board had approved certain agreement contracts for the planned merger with German sportscar builder Porsche, takin...

SF health care a model during national debate, Juliana Barbassa

This city did not wait for Washington's health care overhaul. Most uninsured adults here are already reaping the benefits of a government-run health care program — seeing...

Sony hopes online service will build brand loyalty, Yuri Kageyama

Sony's new online service connecting the whole range of its gadgets to downloadable content like movies and games should help build brand loyalty, a top executive said Frid...

Japan warns that deflation can drag on recovery, Malcolm Foster

Japan's government highlighted the danger of deflation for the first time in three years Friday, warning that falling prices and a further worsening of the labor market cou...

China raises nonresidential electricity rates, Elaine Kurtenbach

China raised electricity rates for businesses and industries Friday, part of a long-term effort to adjust prices to reflect costs and promote energy saving as the country s...

Aruba's 1Q loss grows on legal charge

Aruba Networks Inc. posted a wider quarterly loss Thursday as one-time legal costs outweighed sales growth.The company, which makes equipment for wireless network pr...

EBay completes sale of Skype for $2 billion

EBay has completed its sale of Skype for about $2 billion to an investor group that included the founders of the Internet phone service.Last week, the online auction...

Verizon Wireless lays off former Alltel workers, Chuck Bartels

Verizon Wireless laid off more former Alltel Corp. headquarters workers Thursday, saying the jobs were redundant after its acquisition of the Arkansas-based wireless provid...

Suit over search-engine keywords tries new angle, Dinesh Ramde

A lawsuit in Wisconsin is bringing a fresh challenge to the practice of paying for keywords on Google and other search engines to boost one company's link over a rival's.Former CEO of Bricsnet indicted for embezzlement

The former head of San Francisco software company is being held without bail after a federal grand jury indicted him on embezzlement charges.Federal prosecutors say ...

Olympic lodging plan off because of rough economy

An Olympic housing plan in which thousands of visitors would have stayed on cruise ships has been called off because of the rough economy.As many as seven ships woul...

Asia markets fall as weak recovery signs pile up, Stephen Wright

Asia stock markets mostly retreated Friday following a glum session on Wall Street as evidence of a weak economic recovery continued to pile up.Benchmarks in Tokyo, ...

Taiwan firm uses recycled paper in shoemaking, Annie Huang

Confronted with an ever-growing pile of old newspapers, Taiwanese fashion designer Colin Lin came up with the idea of using them to make shoes and tote bags for her environ...

S. Korean minister nixes new US trade negotiations, Kelly Olsen

South Korea's foreign minister ruled out Friday additional negotiations with the United States over a free trade agreement, a day after presidents of the two countries vowe...

Japan's central bank keeps interest rate unchanged, Shino Yuasa

Japan's central bank kept its key interest rate unchanged at 0.1 percent Friday and upgraded its assessment of the world's second largest economy because of an improvement ...

To lower interest rates, Citi customers must spend, Candice Choi

For Citibank credit card holders, there is one way to escape the bank's rate hikes currently under way: Meet a monthly spending requirement.Those who meet the spendi...

Dell's profit, stock drop on weak quarterly report, Jordan Robertson

Some of the computer industry's biggest players — such as IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. — have wowed Wall Street this fall with stronger-than-expected ...

Oil hovers below $78 as traders eye US dollar, Alex Kennedy

Oil prices hovered below $78 a barrel Friday in Asia as investors eyed a volatile U.S. dollar and mixed economic data.Benchmark crude for December delivery was up 11...