Disney posts flat 1Q profit, beating estimates

The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday it made $844 million in the holiday quarter, roughly flat compared with a year earlier, as restructuring charges offset cost cutting and gains at ESPN and the Disney Channel.

New Feb 09, 2010 | 2:40 pm

Another winter blast helps boost heating oil price

By MARK WILLIAMS

Heating oil prices got a boost Tuesday as the second powerful storm in four days threatened to dump more than a foot of snow on the East Coast.

New Feb 09, 2010 | 2:25 pm

Stocks jump on hopes for Greece debt assistance

By TIM PARADIS

The Dow Jones industrial average stormed to its highest level in more than a year Monday as a falling dollar boosted prices for gold, oil and other commodities.

New Feb 09, 2010 | 2:25 pm

Paulson says nation may profit from bank bailout

By JOSH FUNK

Henry Paulson, the former Treasury chief, and billionaire Warren Buffett said taxpayers will recover every cent paid out to banks during the economic meltdown and may even turn a profit.

New Feb 09, 2010 | 2:20 pm

Job openings plunged by one-quarter last year

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER

Finding a job got much tougher last year, as the number of available openings fell by nearly one quarter.

New Feb 09, 2010 | 2:15 pm

Warner CEO sees e-book `fracas' as helping music

By RYAN NAKASHIMA

The head of Warner Music Group expressed hope on Tuesday that the recent "fracas" over the price of e-books would help give content creators such as his company more pricing power over device makers.

New Feb 09, 2010 | 2:15 pm

PayPal's India transaction block could last months

Online payments service PayPal says its suspension of certain transactions in India could last months.

Feb 09, 2010 | 1:25 pm

Google's e-mail gets social in Facebook face-off

Google is making it easier to socialize on its e-mail service. It's unveiling a new "Google Buzz" feature that sets up a face-off with Facebook.

Feb 09, 2010 | 1:25 pm

Strong overseas sales put fizz in Coca-Cola's 4Q

By EMILY FREDRIX

International sales again added fizz to Coca-Cola's fourth quarter, while sales in North America softened, to lift profit 55 percent in the last three months of the year.

Feb 09, 2010 | 12:40 pm

UBS makes Q4 profit, but withdrawals continue

By FRANK JORDANS

Swiss bank UBS AG posted a fourth-quarter profit of 1.205 billion Swiss francs ($1.12 billion) Tuesday, beating analysts' expectations partly thanks to a tax credit, but disappointing investors with news that rich clients are still withdrawing large sums of money.

Feb 09, 2010 | 12:30 pm

Online ad improvement seen in IAC's 4Q loss

By RACHEL METZ

Internet company IAC/InterActiveCorp lost $1 billion in the fourth quarter because it wrote down the value of its search business, but the results beat expectations and offered the latest indication that the online advertising market is improving.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:45 am

McDonald's sales figure rises 2.6 percent in Jan.

By MAE ANDERSON

McDonald's Inc., the world's largest fast-food chain, said Tuesday a key sales comparison rose 2.6 percent in January, as strong overseas sales more than offset a decline in the U.S.

Feb 09, 2010 | 11:10 am

Japan Airlines rejects Delta, stays with American

By TOMOKO A. HOSAKA and HARRY R. WEBER

Japan Airlines, wooed for months by Delta Air Lines with promises of cash and global reach, spurned the world's biggest carrier and opted to keep its alliance with American Airlines.

Feb 09, 2010 | 10:25 am

Google reduces fee to break Nexus One contract

By JOELLE TESSLER

Google Inc. is shaving $200 off the fee that it charges customers of its new Nexus One phone to break a service contract with T-Mobile, as federal regulators continue to probe such fees and the rationale for them.

Feb 09, 2010 | 10:00 am

Wholesale inventories cut 0.8 percent in December

By MARTIN CRUTSINGER

Businesses slashed wholesale inventories sharply in December, a much weaker showing than expected and a troubling sign that companies are still too pessimistic about the economy to begin restocking shelves on a sustained basis.

Feb 09, 2010 | 8:40 am

Pulte Homes posts loss for Q4

Pulte Homes Inc. said Tuesday its loss narrowed in its fourth quarter, as the homebuilder reported heavy charges that were partly offset by a tax gain.

Feb 09, 2010 | 6:45 am

Opel asks for billions in restructuring plan

By MATT MOORE

General Motors Co.'s Opel unit asked European governments for billions of euros (dollars) in aid on Tuesday as it formally presented a restructuring plan that will result in some 8,300 job cuts.

Feb 09, 2010 | 6:25 am

EU searches for way out of debt crisis

By AOIFE WHITE

Markets somehow expect the European Union to backstop Greece's sagging finances. But with officials denying a bailout is needed, the precise path out of the crisis for the EU's incoming new leadership remains fogged with uncertainty.

Feb 09, 2010 | 6:05 am

Nissan returns to profit in Oct-Dec quarter

By JAY ALABASTER

Japanese carmaker Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it booked a profit in the October-December quarter after a deep loss a year earlier, and now expects to be in the black for the full fiscal year.

Feb 09, 2010 | 4:35 am