All Economy
Staples speeds up store closures, focuses onlineStaples is speeding up plans to close stores in the US and elsewhere, planning to invest more in online and mobile efforts. Staples says the moves are part of a strategy to better serve customers and accelerate growth.
Home prices lift in JulyThe latest release of the S&P/Case-Shiller home price indices for July 2012 reported that the non-seasonally adjusted Composite-10 price index increased 1.52 percent since June.
NFL referee debacle costs everyone, except the NFLNFL replacement referees cost the Green Bay Packers a win Monday night, and frustrations are reaching a boiling point. But while fans, players, and coaches are paying a price, the NFL itself isn't losing anything but the public relations battle.
Home prices rise in 20 major cities as housing market climbs backHome prices rose across the United States in July, buoyed by better sales and fewer foreclosures. Though home prices are still well below their 2006 peak, it's a positive sign of further recovery for the housing market.
Tesla 'superchargers' up the ante for green technologiesTesla Motors has debuted a network of Superchargers, fast-charging stations for electric cars. The new green technology is about twice as powerful as previous fast-charging stations, according to Green Car Reports.
Toys R US: more holiday hiring than in 2011Toys R Us to hire 45,000 seasonal workers, up nearly 13 percent from last year. Some of the increase is to handle new online shipping options from Toys R Us.
Frugal relationships: Why money can't buy loveSpending money to impress a partner or potential partner rarely works over the long term, Hamm writes.
American Airlines: Let's talk. Pilots: Put it in writing.Although American officials say they want to resume contract talks, its pilots are taking a wait-and-see approach. Bankruptcy has allowed American to change pilots' pay and work rules, but since then more of its flights have been canceled.
Discover: The card that pays you back after you overpayDiscover Bank agrees to reimburse $200 million to consumers it pressured to buy credit-monitoring and other costly credit-card add-ons. Discover will also pay a $14 million fine.
Five ways big banks' Libor scandal affects you London, this year's host of the Olympics, is also home to a bank scandal that threatens to rock the financial world as much as the Games influence the world of sports. Here's why: Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) is a global benchmark for interest rates that reaches deep into the international financial system. Allegations that banks rigged those rates means that everyone from mortgage-holders and indebted students to cities and mutual funds may have had their interest rates unnaturally altered. Already tainted by other scandals, banks are under investigation because of charges that they profited illegally from their rate-rigging scheme. The mess further taints big banks and puts more strain on the credibility of the global financial system. Here are five ways the Libor scandal could affect you:
Gas prices dip, but are still pretty high. Should Obama be worried?Suburban commuters are considered an important constituency this election year, analysts say, and high gas prices are on their list of complaints. Belatedly, they could be beginning to fall.
Mitt Romney: A warrior for the wealthy?MItt Romney represents an unprecedented concentration of wealth and power that’s undermining our economy and destroying our democracy, Reich writes.
Toyota unplugs electric car hypeToyota decides to scale back its electric minicar plans and scraps plans for a second electric vehicle.
Stocks waver as confidence falls in EuropeStocks closed down modestly after opening low and recovering in the afternoon. Stocks had risen strongly in recent weeks as traders anticipated, then received, help from the Federal Reserve.
New home data shows jump in pricesAs of late-July, home prices have increased 4 percent above the level seen in July 2011, according to a home price index by Radar Logic.
Apple iPhone sales fall short, but sales potential intactWhile Apple iPhone 5 sales don't hit target of optimists, it's manufacturing capacity – not potential sales – that are the limiting factor, says analyst Brian Marshall. It should take three weeks for Apple to built its 7 millionth iPhone 5.
Economists' surprising election-year request: Raise taxes, please!In a survey of economists who work mostly for banks and businesses, a majority said some additional tax revenue is needed, along with spending cuts, to reduce the federal budget deficit.
Salmonella outbreak spurs peanut butter recallSalmonella outbreak in 18 states has possible link to Trader Joe's Valencia Salted Peanut Butter. Trader Joe's issues recall as officials investigate 29 cases in salmonella outbreak.
- Euro crisis spurs Italy's 'big baby' boom: grown children living with parents
New research says that a third of adult Italians – and more than 60 percent of young adults – live with their parents. Experts say that hard economic times have exacerbated the cultural phenom.
Toyota plans 21 new hybrids by 2015Toyota's vice chairman told reporters in a press conference that Toyota was planning to release 21 new or full-model-change hybrids, Read writes.
