Public has mixed feelings about Facebook ahead of IPO, poll shows

WASHINGTON -- As Facebook Inc. readies its initial public offering, average Americans and investors aren't quite sure they want to hit the "like"...

Cargo traffic surges at Port of L.A. as Long Beach sees a drop

The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — which together constitute the nation's busiest seaport complex — reported very different...

Congress approves legislation to reauthorize Export-Import Bank

WASHINGTON — Overcoming objections from conservatives, Congress gave final approval to legislation to reauthorize the nation's Export-Import...

Retail sales are soft in April; inflation eases

Add slowing retail sales to the story of the payback for the warm winter weather.

Avon shares fall after Coty drops $10.7-billion takeover bid

Shares of Avon Products Inc. fell almost 10% on Tuesday after the smaller beauty products maker Coty Inc. dropped its $10.7-billion takeover bid.

Los Angeles Times to discontinue LA, its Sunday magazine

The Los Angeles Times said its Sunday magazine, facing tough challenges, will cease publication.

Relational Investors takes $600-million stake in PepsiCo

Activist investor Ralph Whitworth said his firm has taken a $600-million stake in PepsiCo Inc., a move that could ramp up pressure on the company to...

J.C. Penney reports loss and plummeting sales in first quarter

J.C. Penney Co. reported a larger-than-expected loss in the first quarter largely because customers were turned off by the retailer's new plan to...

Home Depot profit benefits from warmer weather

Home Depot Inc. said its first-quarter net income climbed nearly 28% as an unseasonably warm winter and increased business from contractors boosted...

Dow Jones average continues slide

Europe's latest political impasse cast a gloom over financial markets Tuesday. The euro plunged, and the Dow Jones industrial average extended a slide...

Rebekah Brooks, five others to be charged in phone-hacking case

Rebekah Brooks, the former chief of News International and confidante of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is to be charged with obstructing justice in...

A new frontier for space travel

For the last half-century, space flight has been the domain of the world's superpowers.

Interim Yahoo CEO Ross Levinsohn straddles tech and media worlds

When Ross Levinsohn joined Yahoo Inc. in 2010, he moved into a spacious corner office that had stood vacant since the departure of its last occupant:...

After slamming brakes on growth, China reaches for stimulus

BEIJING — After months of careful tinkering aimed at slowing China's supercharged economy, Chinese officials may have gotten more than they...

Don't trust JPMorgan chief's spin machine

In a rational world, a corporate chairman who presided over a huge unexpected loss would be raked over the coals at his next...

JPMorgan CEO may lose chairman post amid trading loss fallout

NEW YORK — Jamie Dimon faces his toughest personal challenge yet in the aftermath of the bank's $2-billion trading loss — JPMorgan Chase...

Odd couple of music execs have a forward-thinking strategy

Lucian Grainge and Scott Braun couldn't be more different.

It's time to serve up some big incentives to curb obesity

Americans eat too damn much. And we all pay a rising cost for this gluttony in the form of higher insurance premiums and lost productivity.

California gasoline prices jump average of 15.4 cents in one week

Average gasoline prices in California jumped 15.4 cents in just a week, according to the Energy Department.

Best Buy chairman resigns after probe of former CEO's conduct

Best Buy Co. founder Richard Schulze has resigned as chairman of the electronics giant after an internal probe found that he knew of former Chief...

Dish Network ad-skipping feature Auto Hop irks network TV execs

NEW YORK — Satellite broadcaster Dish Network Corp.'s new Auto Hop feature, which makes it easier for viewers to avoid watching commercials,...

News Corp. agrees to buy 19.9% stake in China's Bona Film Group

BEIJING — 20th Century Fox parent News Corp. has agreed to acquire a 19.9% stake in Beijing-based Bona Film Group, the latest attempt by...

Groupon reports narrower loss

Groupon Inc. narrowed its loss in the first quarter as revenue grew nearly 90%.