finance

President Barack Obama summoned Democrats to "answer the call of history" Saturday as the House pushed toward a vote on a landmark health care bill holding out the promise of coverage for tens of millions who lack it.

It hurts more to be unemployed now than the last time the jobless rate hit 10 percent.

If holiday travelers on the same plane compare what they paid to fly, they're likely to find quite a spread, depending on when they bought their tickets.

With the technology industry looking on, the Supreme Court on Monday will explore what types of inventions should be eligible for a patent in a pivotal case that could undermine such legal protections for software.

Finance officials from rich and developing countries have pledged to maintain emergency support for their economies until recovery is assured, but failed to reach a clear agreement to bear the cost of fighting climate change.

For months he had warned it was coming but that didn't ease the political shockwaves for President Barack Obama when unemployment topped 10 percent.

Here is a comparison of the three health care bills before Congress, including one by House Democrats and an alternative by House Republicans.

A bipartisan coalition sought to impose stricter abortion limits on insurance sold under a new health care bill Saturday, hoping to leave their imprint on legislation otherwise crafted largely by more liberal lawmakers.

China's premier stressed Saturday that his country's push to boost already burgeoning trade ties with Africa was "sincere and selfless," as the Asian powerhouse battled criticism its quest for natural resources was at the expense of the poverty-ravaged continent.

Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California, bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on loans.

As unemployment in the United States edges above 10 percent, anxious investors will look to earnings reports from major retailers for signs of life in the beaten-up consumer.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Saturday stressed the necessity of keeping global economic stimulus in place until recovery is assured and opposed the utility of a tax on financial transactions as a way to dampen risky bank behavior.

Britain urged world governments on Saturday to consider a levy on banks to fund future bailouts, departing from long-held opposition, though there was little sign of the consensus needed to make it fly.

Wall Street firms are in a quandary about getting involved with a planned public offering of Russian aluminum producer UC RUSAL because its founder has been barred from getting a U.S. visa on account of allegations that he is connected to organized crime, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturda.

Freddie Mac , the second largest provider of U.S. residential mortgage funding, on Friday posted a loss of $5 billion in the third quarter and predicted it would need more government support amid a "prolonged deterioration" in housing.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc on Friday said quarterly earnings tripled, as rising stock markets boosted its investment holdings and a quiet hurricane season contributed to higher insurance profit.

Bank regulators closed Gateway Bank of St. Louis, in St. Louis, Missouri, and Prosperan Bank, of Oakdale, Minnesota, on Friday, the 118th and 119th U.S. bank to fail this year.

Corruption costs developing nations $20 to $40 billion each year, while emerging markets and financial centers are increasingly havens for stolen assets, a top World Bank official said Saturday.

Bank regulators closed Home Federal Savings Bank, of Detroit, on Friday, the 117th U.S. bank to fail this year as deteriorating loans continue to take their toll on financial institutions.

The U.S. jobless rate unexpectedly jumped to 10.2 percent last month, a 26-1/2-year high, adding to pressure on the Obama administration to do more to tackle unemployment even as signs of recovery mount.

Amid job uncertainty, more people are finding online employment sites and social media a way to take control of their own careers.

Airlines are continuing to take delivery of new planes and finding ways to finance them, making production cuts at Airbus unnecessary for now, Louis Gallois said.

The ailing insurer will sell the life insurance subsidiary, which is based in Taiwan, for $2.15 billion to raise cash.

The New York Times has decided not to sell The Boston Globe.

A developer announced the record sale just hours after Hong Kong’s chief executive warned that the city might be facing a real estate bubble.

Two victims of Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme sued the Securities and Exchange Commission saying that the agency’s failure to detect the fraud contributed to their losses.

National Amusements, the Redstone family movie theater company that also serves as a vehicle to control Viacom and CBS, said it would sell nearly $1 billion worth of shares in the two media companiesto pay down its large debt load.

The troubled 80-year-old title will continue to be a weekly print publication, rechristened Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

The pension fund said that the inquiry focuses on payments of more than $50 million that outside managers made over a five-year period.

The back-to-back typhoons that struck the Philippines have devastated small entrepreneurs.

And it wields a mean new lightsaber.

A private equity giant is selling investments, does that mean you should run for the hills?

CSX displays the real face of recovery.

PepsiCo's latest app is a sexist misstep.

It's crucial to take on some new tasks during the three to five years before you retire.

Outages happen. Why not make money from them?

Barrick's purchase of El Morro is just the tip of the iceberg.

Your grandparents' portfolio may have looked better than yours.

Can you spot it when you see it?

You decide.

Big cities aren't the only places people drive high-end vehicles.

One of the greatest success stories of our time just found failure in a big new market.

A new study shows how Americans manage life's daily hassles.

Cargo transport executive John Connolly's Kabul.

Why free people and free markets are the best answer in today's economy.

Some companies crank out vaporware. Apple outsources that job to the press.

The club of ultra-exclusive sports cars is about to get a little more diverse.

Businesses are buying more sports tickets again.

BID Trading CEO Tim Mahoney argues the merits of dark pools.

In the search for blame, why not Moore's Law?

6 Recommendations

President Barack Obama summoned Democrats to "answer the call of history" Saturday as the House pushed toward a vote on a landmark health care bill holding out the promise of coverage for tens of millions who lack it.

6 Recommendations

Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California, bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on loans.

4 Recommendations

For months he had warned it was coming but that didn't ease the political shockwaves for President Barack Obama when unemployment topped 10 percent.

4 Recommendations

Freddie Mac's losses narrowed to $6.3 billion in the third quarter, but the government-controlled mortgage finance company didn't need a federal cash infusion.

2 Recommendations

With the technology industry looking on, the Supreme Court on Monday will explore what types of inventions should be eligible for a patent in a pivotal case that could undermine such legal protections for software.