http://www.salemnews.com en-us Copyright CNHI All Rights Reserved. 5 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:21:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327112113.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327112113.html LONDON (AP) and mdash; World markets rose sharply Monday amid further hopeful signs about the economic recovery. Commodity stocks led the charge, particularly in London, after gold hit another record high. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:20:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327112007.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327112007.html KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) and mdash; Are you going to be ready for retirement? Retirement-plan ratings firm Fiduciary Benchmarks on Monday unveiled a new index that measures how well 401(k) plans for thousands of companies are preparing their employees. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:20:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327112037.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327112037.html BEIJING (AP) and mdash; Regulators ordered Chinese banks on Monday to control lending and manage risks better amid concern that a rapid, stimulus-fueled credit boom this year might affect the industry's health. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:17:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327111736.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_327111736.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; Home sales far exceeded expectations last month, surging to the highest level in 2 1/2 years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of an expiring tax credit. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that home resales rose 10.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.1 million in October, from a downwardly revised pace of 5.54 million in September. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:22:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092225.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092225.html LONDON (AP) and mdash; Chocolate makers The Hershey Co. and Ferrero International SA confirmed Wednesday they are considering a possible offer for Cadbury PLC, which is already the target of a hostile bid by Kraft Foods Inc. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:21:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092120.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092120.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; Ford, Subaru and Volkswagen lead the insurance industry's annual list of the safest new vehicles, according to a closely watched assessment used by car companies to lure safety-conscious consumers to showrooms. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:21:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092154.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092154.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; Consumer prices edged up slightly faster than expected in October, driven higher by another increase in energy prices and the biggest jump in new car prices in 28 years. Still, prices are lower than they were a year ago and inflation is expected to remain subdued as the economy struggles to emerge from a deep recession. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:20:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092026.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322092026.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; Construction of new homes unexpectedly plunged last month, as builders waited to see whether lawmakers would extend a tax credit for homebuyers. The results underscore how much the housing market has been relying on government support for its fledgling recovery. The tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time owners was due to expire on Nov. 30, but Congress voted to extend it earlier this month and expand it to more buyers, after intense pressure from real estate agents and homebuilders. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:19:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322091946.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_322091946.html Oil prices extended gains to near $80 a barrel Wednesday, supported by a weaker dollar and as a report showed an unexpected drop in U.S. crude supplies, suggesting demand could be improving. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for December delivery was up 70 cents to $79.84 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 24 cents to settle at $79.14 on Tuesday. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:14:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_320131422.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_320131422.html ATLANTA (AP) and mdash; UPS Inc., the world's largest shipping carrier, expects to deliver roughly 22 million small packages on its busiest day this year and mdash; projected to be Dec. 21. UPS, based in Atlanta, said Monday that's about a 40 percent increase over normal daily delivery volumes. Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:14:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_320131500.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_320131500.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; Retail sales rose more than expected in October due largely to a big rebound in auto sales. But broader consumer spending remains under pressure, raising questions about the durability of the recovery. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:05:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_301110505.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_301110505.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; The House Financial Services Committee has voted to set new rules for credit rating agencies, which lawmakers say misled investors by giving high marks to risky securities tied to subprime mortgages. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:04:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_301110429.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_301110429.html WASHINGTON (AP) and mdash; Sales of new homes dropped unexpectedly last month as the effects of a soon-to-expire tax credit for first-time owners started to wane. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that sales fell 3.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 402,000 from a downwardly revised 417,000 in August. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a pace of 440,000. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:03:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_301110350.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_301110350.html AMSTERDAM (AP) and mdash; Reaching a final global warming treaty will be impossible this year, but the principles of a deal must be settled at a conference in December, the U.N.'s top climate official said Wednesday. Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:39:00 +0000 http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_295154001.html http://www.salemnews.com/business/etgtntsnbusiness_story_295154001.html NEW YORK (AP) and mdash; Sparked by a cold snap in the northeast, home heating fuels are getting more expensive even though supplies are well above normal for this time of year. Heating oil futures spiked with crude oil contracts last week. Retail prices followed, surging an average of 10.2 cents per gallon for residential customers on Monday, according to an Energy Information Administration report released Thursday.