Stocking stuffer: Card good for eye, dental visit
8:52
Health care providers are rolling out a different sort of stocking stuffer: Gift cards that can be used to pay bills and insurance premiums or for specific services at eye doctors and dentist offices. Blue Cross Blue...
World markets up again on US economic hopes
8:48
World stock markets rose Wednesday amid mounting optimism about the speed of the U.S. economic recovery after further solid economic data. In Europe, the FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was up 49.51 points, or...
Management buys $5M in ChinaCast Education shares
8:24
For-profit business school operator ChinaCast Education Corp. on Wednesday said its senior management team will buy $5 million in company shares. In a deal dated Monday, Chairman and CEO Ron Chan Tze Ngon, Chief...
Compugen signs development deal with Pfizer
8:24
Israeli drug developer Compugen Ltd. said Wednesday it signed a collaboration deal with Pfizer Inc. on three potential drug targets for an undisclosed amount. Compugen said the collaboration involves its therapeutic...
Greenhill closes sale of merchant banking assets
8:22
Boutique investment bank Greenhill & Co. on Wednesday said it closed the sale of some of its merchant banking businesses, a step taken as part of its planned shift to focus exclusively on its advisory business. The...
Top SC prosecutor, others probing health care deal
8:22
The top prosecutors in seven states are probing the constitutionality of a political deal that cut a funding break for Nebraska in order to pass a federal health care reform bill, South Carolina's attorney general said...
MSC Industrial Direct board declares dividend
8:21
MSC Industrial Direct Co. said Wednesday its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of 20 cents. The company is a direct marketer and distributor of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operation...
Power goes out twice at Alaska air traffic control
8:21
Power systems failed twice at the air traffic facility at Stevens Anchorage International Airport that guides planes via radar and caused a handful of flight delays. Larry Lescanec, Alaska vice president of the air...
Yellowstone bison conservation program in limbo
8:16
An effort to divert some Yellowstone National Park bison from government-sponsored slaughter is in limbo after the program's permit expired and criticism emerged over moving some of the animals onto Ted Turner's private...
American Greetings returns to profit in 3rd qtr
8:15
American Greetings Corp. said Wednesday that it returned to a profit in the third quarter, as a hefty impairment charge weighed down the prior-year period. The greeting card company earned $29.7 million, or 75 cents...
Hollywood's domestic box office tops $10 billion
8:10
Hollywood is crossing a new milestone as domestic revenues top $10 billion for the first time. Box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com projected that 2009 receipts would pass that mark Tuesday. The box...
Report: Campaign finance laws full of loopholes
8:04
Politicians across the country keep finding ways to skirt campaign-finance laws, using ballot-measure committees and other avenues to raise millions of dollars in unregulated contributions, according to a report issued...
Buffett's company continues cutting Moody's stake
8:00
Billionaire Warren Buffett's company is continuing to reduce its stake in credit ratings firm Moody's Corp., but Berkshire Hathaway Inc. still controls about 13 percent of Moody's stock. Berkshire sold 87,992 Moody's...
Rage Against the Machine humbles Simon Cowell
7:57
A grass-roots Facebook campaign has spoiled American Idol mogul Simon Cowell's Christmas by denying one of his new acts the prestigious Christmas No. 1 spot in Britain. Thanks to a Facebook campaign that capitalized on...
Smurfit-Stone Chairman, CEO Moore plans to retire
7:34
Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. Chairman and CEO Patrick Moore plans to retire within a year of the company's emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The containerboard and corrugated packaging producer said...
Buffett and Paulson to talk about economy in Omaha
7:11
Billionaire Warren Buffett will sit down with former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson to talk about the economy at an Omaha event next year. Buffett, who is CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and Paulson, who led the...
Pain before gain in health care overhaul
6:55
The costs of health care reform being pushed through Congress by Democrats will be felt long before the benefits. Proposed taxes and fees on upper-income earners, insurers, even tanning parlors, take effect quickly. So...
Novartis to buy US firm Corthera for $120 mln
6:52
Swiss pharmaceuticals maker Novartis AG said Wednesday it will buy U.S. biopharmaceutical company Corthera Inc. for $120 million, giving it the right to develop a new drug against heart failure. The acquisition of San...
China central bank says recovery still weak
6:44
China's central bank warned Wednesday that the country's economic recovery is still weak despite improving conditions and said changes in its development model are urgently needed. In a quarterly report, the People's...
Ahead of the Bell: Fall in crude reserves expected
6:35
The Energy Department will likely report a 2 million-barrel draw in crude oil reserves on Wednesday for the week ended Dec. 18, according to a survey by Platts, the energy information arm of McGraw-Hill Cos. The Energy...
Louisiana rice may rival Thai jasmine grain in US
3:13
NEW ORLEANS _ The U.S. rice industry is making way for the Jazzman. It's a new variety of aromatic rice developed at Louisiana State University and being sold under several folksy-sounding labels _ and it could become...
Abortion looms as possible health bill deal killer
3:08
Democrats are close enough to taste victory in their quest to remake the nation's health care system, but differences between the House and Senate on abortion could still blow it all up. The House health care bill...
Wal-Mart to give it another try in Portland
2:21
Wal-Mart is going to give it another try in Portland. The mega-retailer announced plans Tuesday to build a second Portland store on the northern edge of the city where it could draw business from across the river in...
Flight misses Jamaica runway; no injuries reported
12:25
An American Airlines spokesman says a flight from Miami has overshot the runway in Kingston, Jamaica, but came to a safe stop. He says there are no reports of injuries or fatalities. Charley Wilson says all passengers...
CA grocer free after guilty plea on minor count
11:26
The founder of a Southern California grocery chain who was once convicted on racketeering and other felonies is free after pleading guilty to a lesser count. George Torres admitted Monday to one count of failing to...
Senate passes trade bill stalled by custody fight
10:48
The Senate has unanimously approved a trade bill that benefits more than 130 countries exporting thousands of goods into the United States after the legislation briefly became entangled with a New Jersey man's legal...
BB&T Corp. to pay 1Q dividend of 15 cents
10:09
The board of directors of BB&T Corp. has declared a first-quarter dividend of 15 cents per share. The holding company for Branch Banking and Trust Co. said the dividend will be paid Feb. 1 to shareholders of record...
Mission West to pay 15-cent dividend
10:07
Mission West Properties Inc. said its board of directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per common share. The owner of research and development properties said the dividend is payable on...
Liberty Property to pay 47.5-cent dividend
10:03
Liberty Property Trust said its board has declared a cash dividend of 47.5 cents per share for the fourth quarter. The office and industrial properties owner said the dividend will be payable on Jan. 15 to shareholders...
LNB Bancorp to pay 1-cent quarterly dividend
9:55
The board of directors of LNB Bancorp Inc. has declared a fourth-quarter cash dividend of a penny per share. The holding company for Lorain National Bank said the dividend is payable on Jan. 1 to shareholders of record...
Iberiabank to pay 34-cent quarterly dividend
9:53
The board of directors of Iberiabank Corp. has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 34 cents per share. The financial holding company said the dividend is payable on Jan. 29 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 31. ...
AvalonBay to pay 89.25-cent 4Q dividend
9:50
AvalonBay Communities Inc. said its board of directors declared a fourth-quarter dividend of 89.25 cents per common share. The apartment buildings owner said the dividend is payable Jan. 15 to stockholders of record at...
Aircastle declares 4Q dividend of 10 cents
9:46
Aircastle Ltd. said its board of directors has declared a fourth-quarter cash dividend of 10 cents per share. The company, which leases and sells commercial jets to airlines, said the dividend is payable on Jan. 15 to...
Atlantic Tele-Network declares 20-cent dividend
9:44
Atlantic Tele-Network Inc. said its board of directors has declared a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share. The telecommunications company said the dividend is payable on Jan. 11 to stockholders of record at Dec....
Boeing declares 42-cent quarterly dividend
9:42
Boeing Co.'s board of directors has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 42 cents per share. The jet maker said the dividend is payable March 5 to shareholders of record at Feb. 5. ...
Farmer Bros to pay 11.5-cent dividend
9:18
Farmer Bros. Co. said its board of directors has approved payment of an 11.5-cent dividend on Feb. 8 to stockholders of record on Jan. 22. Farmer Bros. Co. operates a direct store delivery business for coffee and...
Southern Union to pay 15-cent quarterly dividend
9:16
The board of directors of Southern Union Co. has approved a regular quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents on the company's common stock. The natural gas pipeline operator said the dividend is payable on Jan. 8 to holders...
International Game Tech declares 6-cent dividend
9:13
International Game Technology said its board of directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 6 cents per share. The maker of computerized gaming machines said the dividend is payable Jan. 15 to shareholders of...
Hatteras Financial sets $1.20 4Q dividend
9:11
The board of directors of Hatteras Financial Corp. has declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per common share for the fourth quarter of 2009. The real estate investment trust said the dividend will be paid on Jan. 22...
Entertainment Properties declares 4Q dividend
9:08
Entertainment Properties Trust said its board has declared a cash dividend of 65 cents per common share for the fourth quarter of 2009. The dividend is payable Jan. 15 to shareholders of record on Dec. 31. It...
Spill occurs at Prudhoe Bay oil field
8:37
A new spill has occurred in Alaska's Prudhoe Bay oil field, the Department of Environmental Conservation said Tuesday. The spill was discovered Monday by a BP oil field operator doing a routine inspection at a drill...
General Dynamics wins $7M contract modification
7:35
General Dynamics Co.'s National Steel and Shipbuilding unit won a $7 million modification to a previously awarded U.S. Navy contract for work on its mobile landing platform program, the Defense Department said Tuesday. ...
Lockheed Martin wins Air Force contracts
7:26
Lockheed Martin Corp. won two Air Force contracts worth a total of $25.1 million for services and IT training support, the Defense Department said Tuesday. Lockheed Martin won a $14.5 million contract for operations...
Raytheon unit wins $57.4M contract from Air Force
7:24
Raytheon Missile Systems Co. won a $57.4 million contract for a laser-guided bomb system from the U.S. Air Force, the Defense Department said Tuesday. The contract is for the 750 Paveway III GBU-24A/B laser-guided bomb...
Roper Industries prices offering of 2.3M shares
7:23
Roper Industries Inc., which makes products for water and energy companies, on Tuesday priced a public offering of 2.3 million shares of its common stock at $53.15 each. After expenses, net proceeds of the offering are...
Idearc could emerge from bankruptcy by year-end
7:22
Yellow Pages publisher Idearc Inc. said Tuesday the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Dallas has confirmed its reorganization plan. The decision positions the company, which was spun off from Verizon in 2006, to emerge from its...
Harris gets $311.4M increase in radio contract
7:10
The Defense Department said Tuesday the ceiling on a Navy contract with Harris Corp.'s RF Communications Division has been increased by $311.4 million to $897.9 million. The contract is for radios for soldiers, as well...
GE gets contract for Navy helicopter engines
7:07
The Defense Department said Tuesday that General Electric has been awarded a contract worth up to $160.4 million to repair and replace T700 engines on some Navy helicopters. The engines are on the Navy's H-60...
Raytheon gets new Air Force order for 500 missiles
7:05
The Defense Department announced Tuesday that it is awarding a $171.2 million Air Force contract to Raytheon Missile Systems Co. for 500 AGM-65 infrared-guided Maverick air-to-surface missiles. The order includes 200...
Geithner: There will be no 'second wave' crisis
7:03
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday the Obama administration is confident it will prevent a repeat of last year's financial crisis, the worst to hit the country in seven decades. "We are not going to have...