All Economy
Holidays to cheer: Retailers plan to increase hiring this seasonGood back-to-school sales and rising consumer confidence are leading many retailers to add more seasonal jobs than they did last year 鈥� and many could become permanent.
Candidates indulge in China-bashing. But it's a distraction, not a solution.Every presidential election seems to create a foreign bogeyman. But China in 2012 is no more a threat than NAFTA in 1996.聽
New mortgage data shows slight rise in home pricesHome prices increased 0.2 percent since June, according to the latest house price index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Home prices rose 3.90 percent above the level seen in July 2011.
The best gifts in life are freeThink about the special gifts you've received in your life. Chances are, Hamm writes, the ones you remember the most didn't cost a penny.
Apple products popular targets for thievesApple gadgets like iPads and iPhones are common targets for theft. The NYPD reports that Apple thefts are up 40 percent from last year, and police are suggesting聽that people keep their iPhones and iPads hidden whenever they're out in public.聽
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.聽
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. 聽
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.聽
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.聽
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.聽
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聽unprecedented concentration of wealth and power that鈥檚 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.聽
Stocks waver as confidence falls in EuropeStocks closed down modestly after opening low and recovering in the afternoon.聽Stocks聽had risen strongly in recent weeks as traders anticipated, then received, help from the Federal Reserve.聽
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.
