Also. . .

* Honda Motor Co.’s Insight, a gasoline-electric car with two seats, received the U.S. government’s highest mileage rating for the second year in a row. Among sport-utility vehicles, which have a reputation for gas guzzling, the most fuel efficient was Toyota Motor Corp.’s RAV4 with two-wheel drive. The RAV4 model averaged 25 mpg in city driving and 31 mpg on highways, according to the U.S. list. Ford’s Range Rover four-wheel-drive model was worst among sport utilities, with 12 mpg in the city and 15 mpg on highways.

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* Steven Madden Ltd., the women’s-shoe designer whose chief executive has been charged with securities fraud, said it hired investment bank Bear Stearns Cos. to help explore alternatives. Some analysts and investors predict Steven Madden will put itself up for sale, though an outside spokeswoman for the company wouldn’t say what options are being considered.

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