Category: Business

By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch outlined plans to split the media conglomerate’s publishing and entertainment operations into two publicly traded companies,…

By Tyler Dukes, McClatchy Newspapers – QUESTION: I have been getting the Windows notification for an update called “Security Update for Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package (KB2538242).” I run…

By John Boudreau, San Jose Mercury News – SAN JOSE, Calif. — It wasn’t long ago families squabbled over who was hogging the TV remote control. Now they face off over who’s hogging…

By Chris O’Brien, San Jose Mercury News – When Facebook first announced an ambitious initiative last September to induce us to share even more stuff on the social network, I was pretty enthusiastic….

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Prospective home-buyers signed the most contracts to buy existing homes last month in more than two years, according to new data from the…

By Thomas Lee, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – MINNEAPOLIS — The board of Best Buy has decided to collectively pay the company’s four top executives $2 million in cash to cement their ties to…

By Alana Semuels, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — “Uncertainty” has been the buzz word in the struggling economy, as business leaders say they don’t want to hire until a few national…

By David Sarno and Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times – SAN FRANCISCO — Google isn’t just flirting with consumer electronics anymore; it’s diving headlong into it. With the kind of dramatics that are…

Rick Smith, The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa – CEDAR RAPIDS — Local private interests are conducting a phone survey to measure interest in a gaming casino in Cedar Rapids even as they…

By Andrew Tangel, Los Angeles Times – NEW YORK — Barclays Bank PLC has agreed to pay more than $450 million to settle charges it attempted to manipulate key interest rates. The London-based…

By Jeremy C. Owens, San Jose Mercury News – SAN JOSE, Calif. — Microsoft Corp. announced Monday that it will purchase San Francisco enterprise social-networking company Yammer for $1.2 billion in cash, confirming…

By Scott J. Wilson, Los Angeles Times – Summer internships offer an opportunity for young people to try out a profession and for employers to evaluate possible future hires. If you’re hoping to…

By Shan Li, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Like most guys, Eric Lugo wants to look handsome. But he doesn’t want to be caught applying makeup. So the 26-year-old uses skin-care…

By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — A federal judge in Massachusetts has denied Netflix Inc.’s request to throw out a lawsuit brought by the National Association for the…

By Jeff Gelles, The Philadelphia Inquirer – PHILADELPHIA — A spectrum exchange between Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA would improve T-Mobile’s service in some areas, enhance both carriers’ national networks, and erase T-Mobile’s…

By Alejandro Lazo and Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Sales of newly built single-family homes rose last month to their highest level in more than two years, adding to…

By Liz Reyer, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – QUESTION: My company moved and downgraded its workspaces from offices to small cubes for everyone in my grade level. I’m not thrilled, especially with the loss…

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — It’s the consumer version of June gloom: Americans this month are the most down and out they’ve been in five months, as hiring…

By Dawn C. Chmielewski and Meg James, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — News Corp. is contemplating what once was unthinkable — splitting its entertainment and publishing operations into separate companies. The…

By Kate Gibson, MarketWatch – NEW YORK — U.S. stocks rose Tuesday, with consumer discretionary and energy companies gaining on signs of stabilization in housing but investors still on shaky ground ahead of…

By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — A key index of home prices in American cities turned positive in April, signaling that the housing slump may be turning a corner…

By Scott Wilson, Los Angeles Times – Use of reloadable prepaid cards—which can be used like credit and debit cards yet require no bank account or credit check — is surging. But…

By Jim Puzzanghera, Los Angeles Times – WASHINGTON — Some consumers might be in for a surprise if they take their banks to court over checking or credit card disputes: A provision…

Jason Grotto, Chicago Tribune – The debt from 10 Chicago-area pension plans swelled more than 600 percent to $27.4 billion between 2001 and 2010, according to a study released Monday by the…

Patrice Hill, The Washington Times – The Federal Reserve on Wednesday afternoon signaled its concern about the weakening of the U.S. economy and extended a program aimed at holding down long-term interest…

By Paul Brand, Star Tribune (Minneapolis) – QUESTION: I leased a new Scion xD for 36 months, and the lease ends in November. The value of the vehicle at the beginning of…

By Gregory Karp, Chicago Tribune – Plastic soda bottles, old carpet, out-of-date phone books and lint from the clothes dryer are typical items you might find in any American’s trash or recycling…

By Gregory Karp, Chicago Tribune  – CHICAGO — United Airlines reportedly expects to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane in September. United, which will be the first North American…

By Lauren Beale, Los Angeles Times – DENVER — What’s considered normal in light of the housing downturn? Home price appreciation of 3 percent to 5 percent, 1.6 million household formations a…

By Susan Carpenter, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — The “girl” bike has long been a put-down for motorcycles so diminutive and underpowered that no “real” bikers would be caught riding…

By Nathan Bomey, Detroit Free Press – DETROIT — General Motors is recalling its 2011 and 2012 model-year Chevrolet Cruze compact sedans to fix a problem with the engine shield that could…

By Jessica Guynn, Los Angeles Times – SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook is signing on to an effort from California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris to make app makers more accountable for how…

By Kate Gibson and Myra P. Saefong, MarketWatch – NEW YORK — U.S. stocks closed higher Friday, lifting the Nasdaq Composite Index back into the black for the week, after the European…

Elaine Walker, The Miami Herald – The King is back on Wall Street. Burger King returned to the New York Stock Exchange on Wednesday, less than two years after 3G Capital purchased…

Tim Devaney, The Washington Times – That iPhone you bring to work to keep busy at the office could be setting up your company for big trouble. Forget wasting company time with…

By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel – FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Although there’s still room to improve, major airlines are doing a better job of satisfying their passengers this year, according to a…

By Ryan Faughnder, Los Angeles Times – LOS ANGELES — Investors in Facebook Inc. may finally be getting a break. The social media giant’s stock closed Wednesday at $31.60, about a 16…

By Troy Wolverton, San Jose Mercury News – SAN FRANCISCO — Struggling to keep pace with Apple and Google, Microsoft on Wednesday unveiled a new version of its mobile phone operating system…