finance

First-time buyers seized on a tax credit, combined with low mortgage rates and falling prices, to boost home sales in October to their highest level in 2 1/2 years.

Investors halted stocks' three-day losing streak Monday, sending prices higher across the market on a lower dollar and better-than-expected home sales numbers.

A lot more Americans are feeling stressed out by debt this holiday season, raising the glum likelihood they'll behave like Scrooge rather than Santa.

Tyson Foods Inc. said Monday a hefty impairment charge in its beef business left it with a loss for the fourth quarter, but said its sales rose and its chicken business was profitable for the second straight quarter.

Economists expect the joblessness that has weighed down the nation's economic recovery will start to slowly abate in 2010, but they predict consumers will continue to keep a tight rein on spending, according to a new survey.

The federal government said Monday that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.

Retail gasoline prices headed downward to begin one of the country's busiest travel weeks, with more than 33 million people expected to hit the road for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Price-conscious grocery shoppers are being choosy about what they buy to cook at home, even from the value-oriented Campbell Soup Co.

Consumers got more serious about paying down their credit card debt this summer, a time when deliquencies usually to go up.

Shares in British chocolate maker Cadbury PLC hit their highest level in at least five years Monday on reports that another rival, Switzerland's Nestle SA, may make a takeover bid.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday, with the S&P 500 on track to snap a three-day sell-off as stronger-than-expected home sales data fueled optimism about the economic recovery while a weaker dollar boosted commodity-linked stocks.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes jumped last month to their highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, but a fall in an economic activity gauge was a reminder recovery from recession would be patchy.

Twitter, the social internet firm that tracks trends through individuals' updates of events around them, may eventually go to the stock market for funding if necessary, its co-founder Biz Stone said.

Speculation about a bid battle for Cadbury among Kraft Foods and other rivals lifted shares in the British confectioner to a new high on Monday but analysts doubt whether a competing bid will emerge.

Campbell Soup Co reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday, helped by price increases and easing costs for ingredients including grains that offset a drop in sales.

Gold scaled a record high at $1,173.50 an ounce on Monday as a weaker dollar boosted buying in gold as a hedge against depreciation of paper currencies.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said on Monday its gauge of the national economy fell further into negative territory in October, in a report that suggested the economic recovery could be in trouble.

Inventor Judah Klausner filed suit against Motorola Inc and Research In Motion , alleging infringement of technology patents related to visual voicemail.

General Motors will present a plan to European governments to save struggling carmaker Opel within days, a rescue set to cost 3.3 billion euros ($4.9 billion), those involved in talks said on Monday.

Two years of economic and market turmoil mean that investors cannot ignore the chances of even the most extreme events like global depression or a killer pandemic, a leading investment consultancy said on Monday.

The owner of Sears and Kmart stores lost $127 million in the quarter, but said it did see improved business at at Kmart stores open at least a year.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Thursday delivered a cautious assessment of the global economy.

The company’s net loss for the third quarter narrowed to $127 million as comparable-store sales at its Kmart discount chain rose for the first time in several quarters.

Standard & Poor’s has joined Moody’s in withdrawing its application to supply ratings of corporate bonds and other debt-based securities to retail investors after new rules were announced this month.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development on Thursday delivered a cautious assessment of the global economy.

Asian stock markets turned in a mixed performance Thursday as signs of weakness in the U.S. economy aggravated worries about the strength of the global recovery.

At bank after bank, the coroners of the financial crisis are discovering that regulators knew lenders were engaging in hazardous practices but failed to act.

About one million laid-off workers will see their benefits end in January unless federally paid extensions are renewed.

Crossing between the men’s and women’s aisles feels right to young customers today.

Go beyond a short-term view of Bank of America’s prime assets, and Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan Chase chief and unofficial winner of the credit crisis, may need to watch his back.

The former movie-rental giant could face its end credits.

Gold continues to march higher on a strong fundamental footing.

These disruptive developments could determine the market's future.

Heelys stock never had a chance.

An online scam is being validated by some companies you know.

Growth is going great guns -- but the stock's a dud.

MFS Investment Management chairman Bob Pozen visits the Fool.

Many mutual funds may be going against investors' wishes and against what's best for American industry.

All we need is just a little patience.

It won't be a tough decision for patients to make.

He may yet head off a trade war.

Firm tied to indicted Democratic moneyman Hassan Nemazee manages $200 million for New Mexico.

Don't let the rising unemployment rate keep you out of the market. The economy is recovering.

YieldPlus cases indicate the odds are better when you hire a pro.

Can the country avoid the pitfalls other African nations have faced?

India's richest top their Chinese counterparts when it comes to the size of their fortunes.

Estimates of the cost of the reform bills wending through Congress should be received skeptically.

What the Algonquin Round Table got right.

President Obama wraps up his Asia trip in South Korea. The BlackBerryphile will be in wireless heaven.

States in New England top a new set of rankings, while the South still lags.

61 Recommendations

Economists expect the joblessness that has weighed down the nation's economic recovery will start to slowly abate in 2010, but they predict consumers will continue to keep a tight rein on spending, according to a new survey.

6 Recommendations

The federal government said Monday that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.

5 Recommendations

Oil prices rose above $78 a barrel Monday as Iran's war games, aimed at protecting its nuclear plants, deepened tensions in the oil-rich region.

4 Recommendations

Microsoft Corp has had talks with News Corp about a tie up, which would involve News Corp getting paid to take its news websites off Google Inc, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

4 Recommendations

A cutting-edge French warship sailed into St. Petersburg Monday to show off its capabilities to potential buyers in the Russian navy, whose pursuit of an amphibious assault capacity is frightening some neighboring countries.