finance

Stocks gave up early gains as investors, seeing a brighter employment picture as a sign of economic strength, worry about higher interest rates.

A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month raised hopes Friday for a sustained economic recovery.

General Motors Co. Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr. urged the troubled automaker's employees to forget their old bureaucratic culture, telling them Friday not to fear being fired for taking risks.

Kraft Foods Inc. took its $16.3 billion hostile takeover offer for Cadbury PLC straight to shareholders of the British candy company on Friday.

Pharmaceutical executives laid out plans Friday to prevent the misuse of prescription painkillers, under pressure from regulators trying to stop hundreds of fatal overdoses each year.

Orders to U.S. factories unexpectedly rose in October, the sixth gain in the past seven months. It was further evidence that the manufacturing sector is beginning to recover, which will help support the overall economy.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission culture that allowed the Madoff fraud scandal to go undetected for nearly two decades may not change and the agency isn't doing enough to support investor protection proposals in Congress, according to a top state regulator.

Oil prices fell Friday as an unexpectedly large drop in the nation's unemployment rate boosted the dollar.

The Treasury Department said Friday that it received $146.5 million for the warrants of Capital One Financial Corp. in the first auction of warrants the government received as part of the $700 billion financial system bailout.

The Dow dipped and the S&P 500 clung to a tiny gain on Friday as investors wrestled with the prospect that the Federal Reserve might have to raise interest rates after data showed the economy shed far fewer jobs than expected last month.

U.S. employers cut far fewer jobs than expected last month in the best showing for the labor market since the recession began, lifting the beleaguered U.S. dollar as investors bet a sustainable recovery was building.

Inventories at U.S. factories increased for the first time in more than a year in October, while factory orders also rose an unexpected 0.6 percent, the Commerce Department said on Friday, in signs the manufacturing sector is returning to health.

General Motors Co Chairman and Chief Executive Ed Whitacre announced a broad shake-up of the automaker's senior leadership on Friday, tightening his grip on the company three days after replacing its CEO.

Kraft Foods posted its offer to Cadbury shareholders with terms unchanged on Friday, triggering a two-month takeover fight for the chocolate maker and a frosty response from Britain.

In a sharp move three days after replacing Chief Executive Fritz Henderson, General Motors Co Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ed Whitacre is expected to announce a management shake-up on Friday that includes reassigning Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Bank of America Corp's board is scheduled to meet next Tuesday and may discuss the appointment of a new chief executive, a bank spokesman said.

B.J. Kang may be the most feared man on Wall Street.

(Reuters) - Federal prosecutors investigated Galleon Group hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam on suspicions of insider trading more than a decade before he was charged with securities fraud, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing legal filings.

Closeout retailer Big Lots Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, aided by lower freight costs, and raised its outlook for the holiday fourth quarter, sending its shares up more than 14 percent.

In the strongest jobs report since the recession began, the government reported that the jobless rate fell to 10 percent, as the nation’s employers all but stopped shedding jobs in November.

The monthly survey by the Institute for Supply Management suggests that the 10.2 percent unemployment rate in October was the peak.

Europe’s broadcasting association intends to coordinate donations of programming from wealthy member nations to broadcasters of nations less well-off.

Citigroup is the last of the Wall Street giants to remain tethered to government support, putting the struggling bank at a further disadvantage.

Under fire from both parties, Ben S. Bernanke conceded that “I did not anticipate a crisis of this magnitude.”

More than 90 percent of Tandberg shareholders have accepted its share offer, and it will buy out remaining shareholders, Cisco said.

How people watch TV on demand will be a critical issue for Comcast, which is set to become a co-owner of Hulu.

The White House says a trip to Allentown, Pa., is part of a series of events intended to help the president talk to ordinary Americans about the economy.

Longyuan Power Group and China Shipping Industry plan initial public offerings in Hong Kong and Shanghai, testing the appetites of investors strained by a glut of recent listings.

After a law forced a cut in transaction fees, some merchants and banks added new charges for customers that were, sometimes, higher than the old ones.

A nice licensing deal, but the stock was too high to begin with.

Reports of the airplane makers' demise are ... exaggerated.

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How to navigate the market's still-troubled waters.

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The long-term effects of outsourcing technology are unknown, but it's certainly not a new concept.

Adelson's China Sands makes a disappointing debut.

Dubai's sand castles shake the gold markets.

Bill O'Brien, CEO of Direct Edge, on the happier asects of flash orders and dark pools.

Russell Ackoff revolutionized the way companies handle management.

By all means, we should let Congress audit our central bank.

You can get a better return off the money you have at a bank. But you have to take some risk to get it.

A fully consolidated system of indirect taxation is still a long way off.

Wall Street opens sharply lower as traders worry over bank exposure to potential Dubai World default.

The wobbly holiday retail outlook in North America and Europe.

32 Recommendations

General Motors Co. Chairman Ed Whitacre Jr. urged the troubled automaker's employees to forget their old bureaucratic culture, telling them Friday not to fear being fired for taking risks.

12 Recommendations

General Motors Co. and its main Chinese partner announced a venture Friday to sell vehicles in India, uniting in the two fastest-growing car markets in a deal that reflects GM's reduced status as a global automaker.

11 Recommendations

General Motors and Chrysler will reconsider decisions to close thousands of dealerships as part of a compromise meant to stave off federal legislation that would require them to keep showrooms open.

4 Recommendations

Oil prices fell Friday as an unexpectedly large drop in the nation's unemployment rate boosted the dollar.

3 Recommendations

A surprising drop in the unemployment rate and far fewer job losses last month raised hopes Friday for a sustained economic recovery.