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General Motors Co posted a 2.2 percent drop in U.S. sales in November from a year earlier, weighed down by brands it plans to divest or close, and said it would raise production in North America by about 75 percent in the first quarter.
Sales totaled 151,427 vehicles in November, down from 154,877 a year […]

Retail sales fell in September after a popular program aimed at boosting auto sales ended, but the drop was smaller than economists had expected, government data showed Wednesday.
The Commerce Department said total retail sales fell 1.5% last month, down sharply from an increase of 2.7% in August, when overall sales were boosted by […]

As thousands of jobless Americans lose their weekly unemployment checks every day, Congress is still debating who should qualify for a benefits extension.
Two weeks after the House passed an extension, Senate Democrats Thursday introduced a bill to lengthen unemployment insurance by up to 14 weeks in all states. Those living in states with unemployment […]

Stocks gained Wednesday, pushing Wall Street to its highest level in a year, with a rise in industrial production and a spike in commodity prices and equities fueling the advance.
The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) gained 108 points or 1.1%, closing at the highest point since Oct. 6, 2008. The S&P 500 (SPX) index […]

More than 1,000 emergency loans have been granted to struggling companies since the Small Business Administration launched the much-anticipated America’s Recovery Capital program in mid-June, according to a lending tally released this week. While the list confirms that the program is likely to hit its goal of making 10,000 loans by the time it […]

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Friday proposed clamping down on dealers in freewheeling markets for little-understood derivatives, the complex securities that helped create a crisis in U.S. and world financial markets.
In testimony at a joint hearing by two congressional panels that will play a role in writing legislation on derivatives, Geithner set out proposals […]

Apple is hopeful that the new iPhone 3G S, which was launched Friday, will help it fend off the increasing competition in the smartphone world.
It worked the last time. After Apple released the iPhone 3G in July 2008, its share leapt from 7.4% in the second quarter of last year to 30.1% in the […]

The U.S. trade deficit likely widened for a second straight month in April, driven by rising energy costs, according to a Reuters poll.
The survey of 68 economists forecast the trade gap swelled to $29 billion from $27.6 billion in March, when the shortfall increased for the first time in eight months. Analysts said this […]

More evidence emerged Friday that the recession is easing, with output by the nation’s factories, mines and utilities falling at the slowest pace in six months.
At least one area of the economy is flat, but that’s welcome news. Consumer prices were level in April after a slight dip the prior month.
[…]

Advocating preventive care and streamlining administrative costs are among the steps being promised by the health care industry to help cut $2 trillion in health care expenses over the next decade.
A number of leading industry trade groups — including those representing insurers, doctors, health care workers and drugmakers — made that pledge to […]