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Reuters - Stocks rose for a second day on Wednesday as investors flocked to shares of Coke and other companies that hold up well in recessions following another round of disappointing economic data and corporate outlooks.
Reuters - All options were on the table on Wednesday as congressional committees scrutinized auto company restructuring proposals and an urgent appeal for $34 billion in aid ahead of make-or-break hearings.
Reuters - Private employers cut 250,000 jobs in November, an unexpectedly large number and the biggest in seven years, while the service sector, which powers most of the economy, posted its worst slump on record.
Reuters - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is weighing whether to ask Congress for the remaining $350 billion of the financial bailout fund, with White House aides approaching President-elect Barack Obama's transition team about the idea, an Obama aide said on Wednesday.
Reuters - Online retail spending rose 15 percent on the all-important Monday after Thanksgiving from a year earlier, sounding a positive note in an otherwise bleak holiday season.
AFP - Stock markets in the Gulf region closed higher on Wednesday in very quiet trading as investors began preparing for a long Muslim holiday ending in Eid Al-Adha.
AP - Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates in an effort to stabilize the housing market.
AP - Federal regulators on Wednesday adopted new rules designed to stem conflicts of interest and provide more transparency for Wall Street's credit-rating industry, widely faulted for its role in the subprime mortgage debacle and ensuing credit crisis.
AP - Like their counterparts at the malls, online merchants finally got some relief with the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, spurred by a bevy of deals and free shipping offers. But the stronger-than-expected bump in online sales Monday couldn't cancel out a lackluster November.

TIME.com Top Business Stories
Business News, Personal Finance News, Technology News on TIME.com
It is hard to find any silver linings in GM's clouds

Exploration cutbacks could lead to much higher prices down the road

Warren Buffett and other busy CEOs fly corporate jets because, duh, it's good for shareholders.

November car sales collapse, adding urgency to the Big Three appeal for aid.

TIME Senior Writer Bill Powell has known the newly nominated Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner since the early '90s. Geithner was then with the U.S. Treasury in Tokyo, and Powell was a correspondent

The CEO of Women's World Banking, the largest network of microfinance institutions, talks about the credit crisis and how it will effect the world's poorest entrepreneurs

Fearing Washington's proposed $25 billion rescue plan could give struggling U.S. carmakers an advantage, European policymakers look for ways to support their own automotive industry

As Detroit's head honchos make their way to Washington, D.C., a look at the proposals they're carrying on how to save the struggling American auto industries

Governor Crist scrambles to sign on banks for a ninety day moratorium on home foreclosures

Facing anxious consumers, Web retailers hope to boost today's sales with generous deals

You can buy these long-shuttered mutual funds. But should you?

Shoppers hit stores early, but appear to be steering clear of big ticket items

Hundreds of thousands of supplier jobs are at risk if a big automaker goes under

The recession is putting legions of upper-income executives out of work




Business News: CBSNews.com
Top Business News from CBSNews.com
United Auto Workers President Ron Gettelfinger said that the union is willing to change its contract and will delay billions of dollars in payments to a union-run health care trust in an effort to help the struggling Detroit Three automakers.

Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates in an effort to stabilize the housing market.

Wall Street withstood another stream of bad economic readings, closing sharply higher as investors shuttled between pessimism about the recession and hopes that the nation might start seeing relief soon.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, preparing for his final round of economic talks with China, said Beijing must keep letting its currency rise in value against the dollar to help ease trade tensions with the United States.

Detroit's financial crash is like a chain-reaction collision for the entire country, because so many businesses, communities and workers depend on car and truck sales for their livelihoods, Ben Tracy reports.

President-elect Barack Obama says it appears that the heads of the automakers are coming back to Congress with a "more serious set of plans." Mr. Obama also named New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary.

General Motors plans to lay off 30,000 employees by 2012. CBS News talked with GM employees from the assembly plant in Orion, Mich., where pink slips could be handed out soon.

Local United Auto Workers leaders from across the U.S. will hold an emergency meeting in Detroit to discuss concessions the union could make to help auto companies get government loans.

Detroit's automakers appealed to Congress with a retooled case for a huge bailout, pledging to slash workers, car lines and executive pay in return for federal aid. GM said it wouldn't last till New Year's without an immediate $4 billion.

European stocks rose Tuesday, helped by mild early gains on Wall Street - which still only recovered a fraction of Monday's sharp losses. Asian markets closed lower.

Boeing Co. engineers and technical workers have voted to ratify new contracts, ensuring four years of labor peace at the company's commercial airplane operations.

They'll park some corporate jets, cut executive pay and serve up concessions from the United Auto Workers, but Ford, GM and perhaps Chrysler will also have to address massive debts to persuade a skeptical Congress to loan them money.

Confirmation that the nation is in a recession and signs pointing to a prolonged downturn sent Wall Street plunging once again, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down nearly 680 points.

A panel of the National Bureau of Economic Research says the U.S. economy fell into a recession last year.

Retailers who saw Thanksgiving holiday sales drop off as the weekend progressed stepped up online promotions on the day known as "Cyber Monday" to try to get consumers tired of the crowds at stores to keep shopping.


FOXNews.com
FOX News Channel - We Report. You Decide.
Home Depot is testing a warm-and-fuzzy approach to selling hammers, lighting and garage doors that targets female shoppers.
Pandemic, BioWare to change ownership, join 'Madden' team.
Disney plans to sell a line of products called Disney Garden.
Online encyclopedia to move cross-country in January to hub of tech world.
Retailers' sales rose 0.6 percent last month and gasoline stations turned in their biggest jump in sales since May.
The business software maker confirmed today it offered BEA Systems $17 per share, a 25 percent premium over Thursday's closing price of $13.62.
AT&T Inc. said on Thursday that the head of its wireless unit, Stan Sigman, was retiring, and it appointed Ralph de la Vega as his successor.
State Treasurer Richard Moore has asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate the timing of stock sales made by the chief executive of mortgage lender Countrywide Financial Corp.

ABC News: Money
Autoworkers pitch in with savings as Detroit carmakers hit DC looking for cash.
Two of big three indicate they need bailout to make it to new year.
A handful of CEOs earn $1 in salary but make millions elsewhere.
President-elect Obama selects fmr. rival Gov. Richardson for cabinet position.
Holiday spenders could see their limits lowered without warning.
Consumer group's study finds one in three toys tested had dangerous substances.
Once considered the mark of rebels, shoppers can now get tattoos in a mall.
State governments are cutting services and raising taxes to make ends meet.
The dismal economy has created more deals in the front of the plane.
GM, Ford and Chrysler unveil rescue plans.

ABC News wants to hear from you: share your tales of holiday party hijinks.
Beneath the neon lights, Sin City struggles through tough times.
Pressures facing consumers may contribute to an uptick in violence at stores.

Reuters: Business News
Reuters.com is your source for breaking news, business, financial and investing news, including personal finance and stocks. Reuters is the leading global provider of news, financial information and technology solutions to the world's media, financial institutions, businesses and individuals.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks rose for a second day on Wednesday as investors flocked to shares of Coke and other companies that hold up well in recessions following another round of disappointing economic data and corporate outlooks.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - All options were on the table on Wednesday as congressional committees scrutinized auto company restructuring proposals and an urgent appeal for $34 billion in aid ahead of make-or-break hearings.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Private employers cut 250,000 jobs in November, an unexpectedly large number and the biggest in seven years, while the service sector, which powers most of the economy, posted its worst slump on record.

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is weighing whether to ask Congress for the remaining $350 billion of the financial bailout fund, with White House aides approaching President-elect Barack Obama's transition team about the idea, an Obama aide said on Wednesday.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Online retail spending rose 15 percent on the all-important Monday after Thanksgiving from a year earlier, sounding a positive note in an otherwise bleak holiday season.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Billionaire Carl Icahn opposes selling part of Yahoo to former AOL Chief Executive Jonathan Miller or anyone else because it is undervalued, he told CNBC on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Economic activity has weakened across the United States since early October, while price pressures have eased with declines in retail and energy prices, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Legg Mason's Bill Miller, a celebrated value investor but whose stock picking is far off the mark this year, said on Wednesday the "bottom has been made" in U.S. equities, and forecast opportunities for strong gains once markets rally.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Panasonic Corp has raised its buyout offer for Sanyo Electric Co Ltd by 10 yen to 130 yen per share in the hope of closing a deal this week, the Nikkei financial daily reported, without citing sources.

PARIS/NEW YORK (Reuters) - French power company EDF unveiled a plan to pay as much as $6.5 billion for 50 percent of Constellation Energy Group Inc's nuclear business and other assets in an attempt to torpedo a rival offer from investor Warren Buffett.


msnbc.com: Business
Msnbc.com is a leader in breaking news and original journalism.
Financial industry lobbyists are urging the Treasury Department to take steps to lower mortgage rates in an effort to stabilize the housing market.
Wall Street absorbed more bad economic news, closing higher as investors shuttled between pessimism about the recession and hopes that the nation might start to see some relief soon.
The United Auto Workers said Wednesday it is willing to change its contracts with U.S. automakers to do its part to help the struggling companies secure $34 billion in loans.
Auto industry experts have a wide range of ideas on how to fix the problems facing the Big Three, ranging from higher gas taxes to bankruptcy. Here is a sampling of their views.
The country's economic picture has darkened further as Americans hunkered down heading into the holidays, forcing retailers to ring up fewer sales and factories to cut back on production.
Krugman: $700 billion bailout 'not enough'
President-elect Barack Obama signaled a clear desire Wednesday to use a significant portion of $700 billion in financial bailout funds to stanch foreclosures.
Worker productivity slowed in the summer to the smallest advance since late last year while wage pressures increased.
Mortgage applications surged by the largest amount on record last week as a new Federal Reserve program pushed interest rates down to their lowest level in more than 3 years.
Federal regulators on Wednesday adopted new rules designed to stem conflicts of interest and provide more transparency for Wall Street?s credit-rating industry.
The economic meltdown is hitting the golf industry hard. More courses are scheduled to close in the U.S. this year (nearly 100) than the 80 expected to open.
The U.S. service sector contracted dramatically in November as slower spending hurt insurers, retailers and hotels.
France's state-controlled power company challenged a proposed takeover by Warren Buffett of Constellation Energy Wednesday.
Pope Benedict XVI says one of the primary objectives of banks is to support the weakest in society while also spurring productivity.
Online merchants finally got some relief with the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, spurred by a bevy of deals and free shipping offers.