This year's back-to-school season isn't as big a bust for retailers as they feared _ or as last year's _ but it's not great either. Americans are spending only when the item and price are just right, according to August reports that major chains released...



Christmas and holiday season - Weather - Business - Retail - United States

Oil prices ended higher Thursday after an initial retreat as investors put a positive spin on reports about jobs, manufacturing and home sales. Benchmark oil for October delivery rose $1.11 to settle at $75.02 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange....



Price of petroleum - Manufacturing - New York City - Economy - New York Mercantile Exchange

Wheat prices advanced Thursday after Russia extended its export ban on the crop until next year's harvest, nurturing hopes of more robust U.S. sales of the grain to other countries. Wheat for December delivery rose 5 cents Thursday to settle at $7.1375 a...



Russia - Wheat - United States - Agriculture - Cereal

Burger King's new ruler could help its empire expand. Burger King Holdings Inc. sealed a deal Thursday to sell itself for $3.26 billion to 3G Capital, an investment firm with strong ties to Latin America. The fast-food chain's chairman and CEO, John Chidsey,...



Burger King - Private equity - Business - Financial Services - Venture Capital

Billionaire financier Ron Burkle said Thursday he will appeal the dismissal of his lawsuit against bookseller Barnes & Noble over its shareholder rights plan. The Delaware Court of Chancery in August rejected Burkle's claim that the company's "poison pill"...



Barnes & Noble - Delaware - Delaware Chancery Court - Ronald Burkle - Ron Burkle

The dollar fell against other major currencies Thursday ahead of a key U.S. jobs report. The euro rose after the European Central Bank raised its forecast for the region's growth. In late trading in New York, the euro rose to $1.2812 from $1.2798, while the...



United States - European Central Bank - New York - Currency - New York City

Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that its August sales in China and India rose 37 percent, reflecting the rapid growth in those regions for the U.S. automaker. Ford sold 7,925 vehicles in India, a 220 percent gain over the year-ago August. Sales in China from...



India - Ford Motor Company - China - Asia - Ford Motor Co

Frank McCourt says his estranged wife wanted no part in the risk associated with buying the Los Angeles Dodgers six years ago. McCourt testified at his divorce trial Thursday that his wife and former Dodger CEO Jamie McCourt told him repeatedly she wanted her...



Los Angeles Dodgers - Jamie McCourt - Divorce - Los Angeles - Frank McCourt

A man accused of bilking elderly South Los Angeles residents out of their homes in a foreclosure scam is facing a potential life sentence in a rare use of California's three-strikes law for a white-collar crime. Timothy Barnett is charged with 23 felonies,...



California - Three strikes law - Life imprisonment - Los Angeles - United States

Verizon Communications Inc. said Thursday it is hiking its quarterly dividend by 1.25 cents, or 2.6 percent, to 48.75 cents per share. It's the fourth straight year Verizon has raised its dividend in September. Analysts have questioned the New York-based...



Verizon Communications - United States - New York City - New York - Metro Areas

Volkswagen Canada said Thursday that its 2010 sales pace means it is on track for its highest-ever annual sales results. The branch of the German automakers said it sold 3,369 vehicles in August and 30,135 year-to-date. That is higher than the 26,611 the...



German - Volkswagen - Automotive industry - Canada - United States

Stocks edged higher Thursday after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs indicated the economy continues to grow, albeit slowly. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 25 points in late afternoon trading. Broader indexes also rose. Even though the latest...



China - Australia - Business - Recession - Investing

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a panel investigating the financial crisis that regulators must be ready to shutter the largest institutions if they threaten to bring down the financial system. "If the crisis has a single lesson, it is that the too-...



Ben Bernanke - Financial crisis - Chair of the Federal Reserve - Government - Federal Reserve System

Car rental companies Avis Budget Group Inc. and Hertz Global Holdings Inc. are in a tussle to win control of Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc., with Avis raising the cash part of its cash-and-stock bid on Thursday. Here's more details on the companies...



Dollar-Thrifty Automotive Group - Avis Budget Group - The Hertz Corporation - Business - Car Rentals

Shares of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. rose Thursday after the company said it will raise the price of its consumer tires. THE SPARK: Citing rising raw material costs, Goodyear spokesman Jim Davis said the company will increase the price of its tires by 6...



Tire - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company - Business - Parts and Accessories - United States

New hobbies and exercise regimes may broaden your horizons or shrink your waistline, but they also can break the bank if you're not careful. Before your well-meaning ambition drives you to shell out hundreds of dollars for sports gear, a new musical...



Sport - Business - United States - House - Television

RECORD LOWS: Mortgage rates fell to the lowest levels in decades for the tenth time in 11 weeks, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. The average rate for a 30-year fixed loan was 4.32 percent. The 15-year fixed loan hit 3.83 percent. WORRIES ABOUT...



Mortgage - Freddie Mac - Business - Loan - Financial Services

PENDING HOME SALES RISE: The number of buyers who signed contracts to purchase previously occupied homes increased by 5.2 percent in July from June. LOWER THAN LAST YEAR: The index was still 19 percent below last year's levels, a sign that demand for housing...



Contract - Business - National Association of Realtors - Lawrence Yun - Conferences