World News Center

EU suspends WTO dumping sanction bid against US (AFP)

September 8, 2010

AFP - The European Union said Wednesday it had suspended a request at the World Trade Organization for the right to impose sanctions on Washington over a controversial US anti-dumping calculation.

Tight inventories hurt Talbots sales (Reuters)

September 8, 2010

Reuters - Women's clothing retailer Talbots Inc posted lower-than-expected quarterly sales and its shares fell 11.6 percent as efforts to keep inventory lean and preserve margins left it short of items to sell.

Summary Box: Mortgage lending falls 1.5 pct (AP)

September 8, 2010

AP - MORTGAGE APPLICATIONS SLIP: Applications for home loans dipped last week as mortgage rates ticked up slightly from the lowest level in decades, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

BP report blames itself, others for oil spill (AP)

September 8, 2010

AP - In an internal report released Wednesday, BP blames itself, other companies' workers and a complex series of failures for the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the drilling rig explosion that preceded it.

How to Play It Safe With Muni Bonds (U.S. News & World Report)

September 8, 2010

U.S. News & World Report - Defaults in the municipal bond market can happen, as some investors recently discovered. Municipal bonds, which are generally some of the safest investments, are issued by states, municipalities, or counties, and are usually exempt from federal, state, and local taxes. Muni defaults--such as those on bonds issued this year in Jefferson County, Ala., and Harrisburg, Pa.--are not common, but in an era of budget cuts and lower revenues, it's important for investors to be aware of the risks. Here are a few general rules for muni investors to follow:

Kia names new top executive after recalls (AP)

September 8, 2010

AP - KIA CEO: South Korean automaker Kia Motors named Lee Hyoung-keun to its top executive job Wednesday.

S&P 500 rises 1 percent (Reuters)

September 8, 2010

Reuters - The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose more than 1 percent in afternoon trading on Wednesday, while the Dow and Nasdaq added to gains as worries about Europe's banking system decreased, easing risk aversion.

Fed report shows widespread signs growth easing (Reuters)

September 8, 2010

Reuters - The economy has shown "widespread signs" of slowing over recent weeks, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday in a report suggesting the recovery was faltering along the East Coast and in the Midwest.

BP blames contractors for U.S. oil spill (Reuters)

September 8, 2010

Reuters - A BP Plc investigation of the Gulf of Mexico disaster played down the company's role in the world's worst offshore oil spill, seeking to share the blame with its contractors.

Google seeks to speed up Web searches (Reuters)

September 8, 2010

Reuters - Google Inc unveiled a set of enhancements to its Internet search engine on Wednesday that predict search queries as users type, promising to speed up the time it takes to find information online.