China offers Africa more trade, investment

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN

China is offering to abolish import duties on some commodities from Africa and make sure Chinese exports to the continent are safe as part of a package to boost already thriving economic ties, China's commerce minister said in an article published Saturday.

Nov 07, 2009 | 5:45 am

South Korean workers protest gov't labor policy

Tens of thousands of South Korean workers rallied Saturday to protest the government's plan to begin implementing contentious labor laws.

Nov 07, 2009 | 4:40 am

Banks in Ga., Mich., Minn., Mo., Calif. closed

By IEVA M. AUGSTUMS and MARCY GORDON

Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California, bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on loans.

Nov 06, 2009 | 8:10 pm

Berkshire Hathaway says 3Q profit triples to $3.2B

By JOSH FUNK

Paper gains on derivative contracts helped Berkshire Hathaway Inc. triple its third-quarter profit as its insurance businesses did well, but Warren Buffett's company said Friday that many of its other operating businesses struggled.

Nov 06, 2009 | 6:30 pm

Oil settles lower after US unemployment report

By CHRIS KAHN

Oil prices tumbled Friday after the government said the U.S. unemployment rate topped 10 percent for the first time since 1983.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:40 pm

Consumer borrowing drops $14.8B in September

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

Consumers borrowed less for a record eighth straight month in September amid rising unemployment and tight credit conditions. Economists worry the declines in borrowing will drag on the fledgling recovery.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:40 pm

Freddie Mac loses $6.3B in 3Q

By ALAN ZIBEL

Freddie Mac's losses narrowed to $6.3 billion in the third quarter, but the government-controlled mortgage finance company didn't need a federal cash infusion.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:35 pm

What recovery? Unemployment shoots past 10 percent

By JEANNINE AVERSA and CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER

Just when it was beginning to look a little better, the economy relapsed Friday with a return to double-digit unemployment for only the second time since World War II and warnings that next year will be even worse than previously thought.

Nov 06, 2009 | 4:40 pm

Stocks post modest gains as job losses slow

By SARA LEPRO and TIM PARADIS

Investors undaunted by a surprisingly weak jobs report found enough positive news to nudge stocks higher Friday.

Nov 06, 2009 | 4:10 pm

GM says Europe chief Forster to leave post

By TOM KRISHER and GEORGE FREY

Carl-Peter Forster, the chief executive of General Motors Europe who runs its struggling Opel unit, will leave the company, GM said Friday.

Nov 06, 2009 | 1:05 pm

New `Call of Duty' could set entertainment record

By BARBARA ORTUTAY

This holiday season's biggest entertainment blockbuster likely will be a sequel to a popular franchise, with jarring depictions of war and an intricate story of good versus evil. It could easily rake in more than last year's record $155 million opening weekend for "The Dark Knight."

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:55 pm

AIG posts 2nd consecutive quarterly profit

By STEPHEN BERNARD

AIG said Friday it was profitable for the second straight quarter as its core insurance operations continue to stabilize after the company's bailout by the government last year.

Nov 06, 2009 | 12:55 pm

EBay settles lawsuit filed by Skype founders

By RACHEL METZ

EBay Inc. has settled a legal skirmish with the founders of Skype that threatened to complicate eBay's plans to sell most of the Internet phone service to a group of investors for $2 billion.

Nov 06, 2009 | 11:40 am

Wholesale inventories fall, sales grow in Sept.

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

Businesses cut inventories at the wholesale level for a record 13th consecutive month in September, but sales rose for a sixth straight time.

Nov 06, 2009 | 8:15 am

Activision posts 3Q profit, backs 2009 outlook

By BARBARA ORTUTAY

It's been a rough year for the video game industry, but Activision Blizzard Inc. reported a profit for its third quarter because of lower costs and a good response for games such as "Guitar Hero 5" and "World of Warcraft."

Nov 06, 2009 | 7:50 am

Report: Fla. investment agency under investigation

The Florida agency that manages $132 billion in pension and local government investments is under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Nov 06, 2009 | 5:25 am

British Airways posts H1 loss of $346 million

By ROBERT BARR

British Airways PLC on Friday reported a net loss of 208 million pounds ($346 million) in the six months ending in September as the global economic downturn continued to take its toll on revenues.

Nov 06, 2009 | 4:35 am

China criticizes US over pipe duties

By JOE McDONALD

China criticized Washington for imposing anti-dumping duties on Chinese-made steel pipes and launched a probe Friday of imported U.S. autos, adding to trade tensions two weeks before President Barack Obama visits Beijing.

Nov 06, 2009 | 4:25 am

Royal Bank of Scotland posts $3 billion Q3 loss

Government-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland Group PLC on Friday reported a net loss of 1.8 billion pounds ($3 billion) despite an improvement in underlying profits and said lending to small- and medium-sized companies increased 5 percent.

Nov 06, 2009 | 4:00 am

Congress votes for more aid to jobless, homebuyers

By JIM ABRAMS

Congress took further steps to right the staggering economy by expanding a popular tax credit for homebuyers and extending unemployment checks for the growing legions of people running out of benefits with few job prospects.

Nov 06, 2009 | 1:40 am

South Korea OK's India free trade agreement

By KELLY OLSEN

South Korea on Friday ratified a free trade deal with India that promises to slash tariffs on goods and services between two of Asia's biggest economies.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:15 pm

Taxpayers risked trillions at height of crisis

By DANIEL WAGNER

Government officials put trillions of taxpayer dollars on the line to guarantee risky bank assets _ a strategy that could cause permanent and costly market distortions, a government watchdog says.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:10 pm

World unemployment up despite economic recovery

By GREG KELLER

Despite signs of an economic revival gathering pace around the globe, the millions of people laid off during the worst recession in 70 years are unlikely to see relief any time soon as joblessness is still climbing in many of the world's largest economies.

Nov 05, 2009 | 10:10 pm

CBS show sales help offset drop in 3Q ad revenue

By RYAN NAKASHIMA

The sale of popular TV shows partly offset a drop in third-quarter advertising revenue at CBS Corp. but the company said ad trends are improving in the final three months of the year.

Nov 05, 2009 | 6:40 pm