PURCHASE, N.Y., May 3 (UPI) — Soft drink brand Mountain Dew said Friday it cut ties with U.S. hip-hop artist Lil Wayne because one of his lyrics defiled civil rights icon Emmett…
Category: Business
The NorthIowaToday.com Business Section. Business stories and a directory of top North Iowa businesses.
Judge approves $2.43 billion Bank of America settlement
NEW YORK, May 4 (UPI) — A federal judge in New York approved a $2.43 billion settlement to end claims Bank of America misled shareholder when it purchased Merrill Lynch & Co….
Chrysler to recall 4,783 cars in China
BEIJING, May 4 (UPI) — U.S. automaker Chrysler is preparing to recall 4,783 Compass and Patriot model cars in China due to fuel tank problems, a Chinese government agency said. The General…
U.S. Cellular joins the iPhone crowd
CUPERTINO, Calif., May 4 (UPI) — U.S. Cellular is the latest cellphone company to carry the Apple smartphone, and analysts say two other major providers may soon offer the iPhone as well….
Robert Downey Jr. earned $50 million for ‘The Avengers’
HOLLYWOOD, May 4 (UPI) — U.S actor Robert Downey Jr. said he earned approximately $50 million after box-office bonuses for his role as Iron Man in last year’s “The Avengers.” Downey confirmed…
Toyota headlamps too bright, on recall
WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) — Japanese automaker Toyota said it would recall 11,489 FJ Cruiser SUVs due to headlights that could temporarily blind oncoming drivers. The recall involves 2007-13 Cruisers with “Auxiliary…
Iraq: Shell’s $17 billion gas project ‘a milestone’
BAGHDAD, May 3 (UPI) — Iraq has inaugurated a $17 billion natural gas project run by Royal Dutch Shell that the Financial Times hails as a “milestone” in the country’s postwar recovery,…
Amtrak getting states to pick up cost of unprofitable routes
NEW YORK, May 3 (UPI) — Amtrak is chugging along with its efforts to get U.S. states to pick up the cost of subsidizing unprofitable routes, officials said. Amtrak is trying to…
Department of Defense looking to allow Apple, Samsung devices
WASHINGTON, May 3 (UPI) — BlackBerry may lose favor with a big customer — the U.S. Defense Department — as department officials say they’re considering Apple and Samsung alternatives. Following a review…
Microsoft says Outlook.com accounts reach 400 million
REDMOND, Wash., May 3 (UPI) — Microsoft says it has finished transferring Hotmail.com users to Outlook.com and has 400 million active Outlook.com accounts as a result. Microsoft on Thursday announced the completion…
App will let Google Glass wearers snap photos by blinking
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 2 (UPI) — A U.S. developer for the Google Glass wearable computer says he’s written an app called Winky that will let users snap photos by just blinking…
Poll: Workers appear more anxious about their jobs
NEW YORK, May 2 (UPI) — Concern among U.S. workers about income, benefits and job security is on the rise, research firm Harris Interactive said Thursday. “American workers are increasingly worried about…
Couple get prison for stealing GM trade secrets
DETROIT, May 2 (UPI) — A Michigan woman who once worked for GM as an engineer and her husband have received prison terms for conspiring to sell hybrid-vehicle technology to China. Shanshan…
Markets recover previous session’s losses
NEW YORK, May 2 (UPI) — U.S. stocks headed higher Thursday after the European Central Bank lowered its lending rate to 0.5 percent, a historic low. The Dow Jones industrial average added…
University of Iowa embarks on $1.7 billion fundraising campaign
IOWA CITY – On Thursday at the Old Capitol on the campus of the University of Iowa, university leadership, students, and donors announced For Iowa. Forever More: The Campaign for the University of…
Mortgage activity rises with rates mostly lower
WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) — U.S. mortgage activity rose modestly last week as long-term interest rates were mostly lower, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. The association said mortgage activity rose 1.8…
Employees report improved hiring activity
PRINCETON, N.J., May 1 (UPI) — Survey firm Gallup said its monthly U.S. job creation index was positive in April, coming in at the high end of an established, long-term trend. The…
Fed leaves monetary policy in place
WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) — The U.S. Federal Reserve said Wednesday it will keep its monetary policy intact, leaving security purchases and interest rates where they are for now. The Fed, wrapping…
Windows 8 market share not measuring up to Windows 7 history
SAN FRANCISCO, May 1 (UPI) — Windows 8 is advancing in the desktop operating system market but has yet to match the milestone Windows 7 had reached at the same stage, a…
Mozilla says spyware sold to governments masquerading as Firefox
REDMOND, Wash., May 1 (UPI) — Mozilla says it has sent a cease-and-desist letter to a British company it alleges sells spyware disguised as its Firefox browser to governments. A report by…
NASA extends Lockheed support contract
HOUSTON, May 1 (UPI) — NASA has exercised a $168 million contract option with Lockheed Martin for facilities development and operations. Services under the one-year option will be performed at Johnson Space…
Manufacturing growth slows to a crawl
TEMPE, Ariz., May 1 (UPI) — U.S. manufacturing activity expanded in April but at a slower pace than March, a research firm reported Wednesday. “Business can be described as flat at best,”…
Construction spending declined in March
WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) — Construction spending dropped 1.7 percent from February to March, the U.S. Census Bureau News reported Wednesday. Total construction spending in February was revised lower to $871.2 billion….
Caterpillar workers turn down contract proposal
MILWAUKEE, May 1 (UPI) — United Steelworkers Local 1343 in Milwaukee said its members turned down a proposed contract with Caterpillar Inc. that would have frozen wages for six years. The proposal…
Markets have an off day Wednesday
NEW YORK, May 1 (UPI) — U.S. stocks turned south Wednesday after a disappointing jobs report from Automatic Data Processing Inc. The payroll firm said the private sector added 119,000 jobs in…
Best Buy to quit doing business in Europe
RICHFIELD, Minn., April 30 (UPI) — U.S. retail giant Best Buy Co. said Tuesday it had agreed to a $775 million deal to allow it to back out of doing business in…
Cyberattacks on U.S., other banks seen to be mounting
WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) — Cyberattacks on U.S. and other financial institutions are rising amid growing discontent among bank officials over perceived government inaction or inadequate countermeasures, analysts said. Increasingly seen in…
Blackstone to hire 50,000 veterans
NEW YORK, April 30 (UPI) — Private equity firm Blackstone Group said it had set a goal of hiring 50,000 U.S. military veterans in the next five years. The target applies to…
Winnebago expands product line
FOREST CITY – Winnebago Industries, Inc. on Monday unveiled new 2014 models to the Company’s Winnebago, Itasca, SunnyBrook and Winnebago Touring Coach dealer partners at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. It…
White House: U.S. businesses have hired 290,000 vets and spouses
WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) — The White House said Tuesday U.S. businesses have hired or trained 290,000 veterans or military spouses and have committed to hiring 435,000 more by 2018. The announcement…
Stocks notch another month of gains
NEW YORK, April 30 (UPI) — The Dow Jones index notched a fifth consecutive winning month and the Standard & Poor’s 500 and Nasdaq indexes their sixth winning month Tuesday. For the…
Stocks notch another month of gains
NEW YORK, April 30 (UPI) — The Dow Jones index notched a fifth consecutive winning month and the Standard & Poor’s 500 and Nasdaq indexes their sixth winning month Tuesday. For the…
Most in U.S. know homeowner’s insurance won’t cover flood
NEW YORK, April 30 (UPI) — More than 4-in-5 U.S. adults say they know a standard homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t cover flood damage, a survey indicates. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and…
Google bans self-updating apps from its Play Store
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 29 (UPI) — Google says self-updating Android apps are being banned from its Google Play Store as potentially dangerous hotbeds of malware and hacks. The search giant says…
Markets close higher, S&P at new peak close
NEW YORK, April 29 (UPI) — U.S. stock markets jumped Monday, landing the Standard & Poor’s 500 index at its highest ever close and pushing 24 of 30 Dow components higher. Market…
Average pay for class of 2013: $44,928
WASHINGTON, April 29 (UPI) — The class of 2013 is starting their careers with a modest pay hike, an average starting wage 5.3 percent higher than 2012 U.S. graduates, a survey said….
China passes the United States as world’s biggest PC market
ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 29 (UPI) — China has surpassed the United States as the world’s biggest market for personal computers, a U.S. market research firm reports. The company, IHS, said PC shipments…
U.S. lifts ban on Italian cured meats
ROME, April 29 (UPI) — The United States has lifted a ban on the import of Italian cured meats, which could mean more than $325 million in export revenues for Italy, officials…
U.S. 1891 $1,000 treasury note sells for record $2.5 million
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., April 28 (UPI) — A $1,000 bill minted in 1891 that depicts U.S. Gen. George Meade sold at auction in Illinois for a record $2.585 million. The treasury note is…
CDC: Salmonella outbreak linked to Mexican cucumbers
ATLANTA, April 27 (UPI) — An outbreak of salmonella that has sickened at least 73 people in 18 states appears to be linked to cucumbers from Mexico, U.S. health officials say. The…