Stocks edge higher after jobs, housing reports

NEW YORK — Stocks edged higher Thursday after reports on housing, manufacturing and jobs indicated the economy continues to grow, albeit slowly.

Dell cedes data-storage maker 3Par to HP

Dell said Thursday it won't match HP's offer to pay $33 per share for 3Par, or about $2.07 billion. Dell's decision came barely an hour after 3Par...

Burger King agrees to $3.26B buyout by 3G Capital

Burger King Holdings Inc., America's perennially No. 2 hamburger chain, said Thursday that it is selling itself to little-known private equity firm 3G...

Kia recalling Soul, Sorento autos for wiring fix

Kia Motors is recalling about 35,000 Soul and Sorento vehicles to fix wiring in the interior lighting panels that could lead to fires.

Man accused of fraud may get life in prison under California's three-strikes law

Timothy Barnett spent nearly five years in state prison for a 1990s foreclosure rescue scam in which he conned homeowners out of tens of thousands...

Apple to offer 99-cent TV show rentals on revamped box

Apple is taking a bite out of online TV rental prices, in part to try to revive its Apple TV product that never caught on with consumers.

U.S. sues former execs of failed credit union WesCorp, alleging fraud

A federal agency is accusing two former executives of a giant failed credit union in Los Angeles County of fraud for their roles in adding millions of...

Allergan to pay $600 million to settle Botox case

Allergan Inc., the Irvine maker of anti-wrinkle drug Botox, has agreed to pay the federal government $600 million to settle civil and criminal...

Occidental chief's likely departure is a victory for activist investors

Occidental Petroleum Corp.'s Ray R. Irani has wooed the international potentates of petroleum. But his extravagant pay and the same succession fears...

U.S. auto sales tumble in August

Without the hugely popular cash-for-clunkers program from a year earlier, automakers saw sales dive in August — and they don't see much to...

Restaurants get another serving of declining sales

Nearly half of the nation's restaurants said their business dropped in July as consumers cut back spending in the still-rough economy.

Fastest job growth is in low- and middle-wage industries

Low- and middle-wage jobs have grown the fastest this year, indicating that even if employers pick up the pace in job creation, robust consumer...

KB Home says SEC investigation over

Shares of Los Angeles-based KB Home soared on Wednesday after the home builder said an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into...

New mortgage applications at a trickle

The number of applications for loans to finance housing purchases remained unusually low last week despite record-low interest rates, suggesting no...

Two Hallmark TV channels go dark for 2.5 million AT&T U-verse customers

About 2.5 million AT&T U-verse television service customers lost their access to the Hallmark channels Wednesday, the latest dispute in a high-...

Major investor drops out of Miramax deal

Morgan Creek Productions founder James Robinson, who had been in negotiations to become a major investor in the acquisition of Miramax Films along...

Music industry executive's long career is still on track

Jac Holzman, who founded Elektra Records 60 years ago with $600 — half from his bar mitzvah money — should by all rights be sipping mai...

Judge appoints mediator in Tribune bankruptcy case

The judge in Tribune Co.'s stalemated bankruptcy case appointed a mediator Wednesday, hoping an independent third party could finally broker peace...

Ex-Lehman CEO blames government for firm's collapse

The former chief executive of Lehman Bros. came out swinging at federal officials Wednesday, blaming them for failing to give the beleaguered...

2011 Kia Sportage EX: Sharp-looking crossover has undeniable German influence

Kia should check the security cameras at its offices.

Stocks surge amid signs of growth in manufacturing

After a difficult August, Wall Street began September with a big rally thanks to encouraging news about the manufacturing sectors in the United States...

California's safety-net health insurance premiums rise

As state leaders blast giant health insurers for raising rates, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration has quietly allowed hefty increases for...

Rumors swirl as Apple gets set to release new products

With the unveiling of a new set of Apple Inc. products — likely to include music-related devices, but also the possible major upgrade of a TV...

Battling salmonella squeezes egg farmers

Amid a rolling landscape of browning chaparral and battered trailers, Alan and Ryan Armstrong's metal henhouses line up like military barracks....

Bank profits surge but the outlook is uncertain

The economic recovery has been paying off on the bottom line for the country's banks, but the forecast for the industry remains cloudy.

Oxy chief executive may leave post in 2011

Amid an investor backlash against his high pay, Occidental Petroleum Chief Executive Ray Irani will announce next month at a board meeting that he...

Airline fees keep arriving, nonstop

Labor Day is nigh and we're heading into the last big surge of vacation travel of the summer.

Hollywood is all aboard Union Station

It's a sweeping romantic moment set against the grandeur of New York's Grand Central Terminal, venue to countless poignant moments of tearful...

Reports of steering problems in 2011 Hyundai Sonata prompt NHTSA investigation

Federal safety regulators have opened an investigation into reports of steering problems in the hot-selling 2011 Hyundai Sonata sedan.

About 2,000 employers qualify for federal subsidies for retiree healthcare

The Obama administration announced Tuesday that nearly 2,000 businesses, labor unions and state and local governments have qualified for federal...