All Economy
Toyota is sales king. Again.After a rough year that included an earthquake, devastating flooding, and a high-profile recall, Toyota has regained its throne as the top-selling car company in the world for 2012.
Dueling tax bills: What each Senate proposal means for youSoon, the Senate will vote on the first of two聽competing efforts to temporarily extend tax cuts聽passed between 2001 and 2010. Neither the Democratic nor Republican measures will pass in the hyper-partisan Senate, but it is instructive to see how the measures stack up.
Penn State: Insurance firm pulls ads. Will others follow?Penn State football loses State Farm's insurance ads for home games as General Motors reconsiders sponsorship deal with Penn State. Insurance firm says move was 'the best decision.'
Why America needs high-speed railsAs the US population grows, more transportation options will become vital in densely packed sections of the country. High speed rail (HSR) may be the best answer.
Falling retail sales could spell recessionIt looks like the US economy is headed into another recession. That鈥檚 what usually happens when retail sales go down for three months in a row.- Netflix stock plunges on concerns about growthNetflix stock lost 25 percent of its value Wednesday. Analysts say it's growing too slowly domestically. Netflix stock dropped precipitously after last quarter's earnings report. 聽
Bonuses for bureaucrats who help Brits off welfareIn a major push to reduce welfare rolls, the UK is offering local authorities bonuses for meeting specific targets, from reducing truancy to helping individuals find jobs.
London Olympics won't save the UK's economyThe London Olympics will bring tourism money and higher prices, but it won't be enough to ebb the tide of economic decline for Britain.- Even Senate Democrats may keep dividend taxes lowVoting this week to let tax cuts expire for the wealthy, Democratic senators are likely to make a curious exception for taxes on dividends. 聽
Big bank engineer rejects big banks. Will Obama and Romney follow?Sandy Weill, who was instrumental in Wall Street banks becoming "too big to fail," has come out in favor of breaking up the big banks. Will one of the presidential candidates take up Weill's proposal?
Facebook stock: First earnings report will be crucialFacebook stock will take center stage once again Thursday, as the social media giant unveils its first earnings report as a public company. Facebook needs a good showing after its rocky IPO two months ago, in which Facebook stock tumbled quickly.- $2.1 million tax refund? It's bogus. Scammer gets prison.$2.1 million tax refund from Oregon was flagged by auditors but got processed anyway. Woman who received the $2.1 million tax refund gets 5-1/2 year prison sentence.
- Spain bailout? Market worries eased by ECB comments.Spain bailout concerns have rattled markets in recent days. But stock markets rose after the European Central Bank hinted that it could intervene to lower the nation's borrowing costs, reducing the potential for a full-blown Spain bailout.
Ford C-Max Energi: cheapest plug-in hybrid yet (after rebate)Ford releases pricing of its 2013 plug-in hybrid. With federal rebate, Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in will cost less than $30,000 鈥 and less than a 2012 Prius. 聽聽
Middle-class tax cut extension passes Senate: Policy or politics?Senate Democrats squeak through an extension of middle-class tax cuts. Republicans deride it as damaging to the economy. And a January train wreck for spending cuts and tax increases looms even closer. 聽聽
Ron Paul's last hurrah: a big, bipartisan vote to 'Audit the Fed'Today's vote marks a high point for Paul, who is retires at the end of the year. His signature bill requires a full audit of the Federal Reserve 鈥 a move that critics, including Fed chair Ben Bernanke, dub 'nightmarish.'- Nine things that affect your car's resale valueMileage and mechanical condition count, but resale value hinges on a whole lot more.
- Wall Street ends mixedStrong and weak earnings report leave traders scrambling for direction. Dow gains as Boeing, Caterpillar earnings soar, while S&P droops on Apple's earnings miss.聽
- What are job benefits worth?Calculate the worth of jobs benefits. But don't let them stand in the way of career advancement.
- Credit card settlement: Win for retailers? Wal-Mart says no.Credit cards could be charged a retailers' fee for transactions under a $6 billion settlement for fee-fixing by Visa, MasterCard, and issuers of credit cards. But Wal-Mart says the deal won't cap rising merchant fees.聽
