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It’s the best start for stocks in 15 years.
In what was mostly a slow and steady climb, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 3.4 percent in January and the Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 4.4 percent, the best performances for both indexes to open a year since 1997.
Investors were encouraged by modest but welcome improvement […]

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U.S. stock futures are mixed, portending a cautious opening as Greece holds another round of debt-reduction with its creditors.
Dow futures are down 3 points at 12,584. The broader S&P 500 futures are down 2 points to 1,308.
The Nasdaq composite is up 5 points to 2,430. The tech-heavy index is getting a boost from solid earnings […]

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People infuriated by what they call a discriminatory ban on photography by one of Italian fashion label Dolce & Gabbana’s Hong Kong outlets have protested outside the store.
Several dozen people gathered outside the shop Sunday afternoon. They yelled for the company to apologize after news reports earlier this month said sales staff were preventing Hong […]

WASHINGTON • Fixed mortgage rates fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. But few are able to take advantage of the historic rates.
Freddie Mac said Thursday that the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.89 percent. That’s below […]

Heads of iceberg lettuce are being removed from grocery store shelves in at least seven states after salmonella was found in an Arizona field adjacent to the grower’s property.
None of the lettuce in the markets has tested positive for salmonella but the grower alerted retailers of the test results and sought a withdrawal of the […]

Italy auctioned 7 billion euros ($9 billion) of debt to bring the total raised this week to almost 20 billion euros, underscoring how the European Central Bank is helping the world

U.S. stocks surged Tuesday as concerns about the European debt crisis eased and investors welcomed signs of strength in the U.S. housing market.
The Dow Jones industrial average () rose 337 points, or 2.9%, to end at 12,103. The S&P 500 () jumped 36 points, or 3%, to 1,241. The Nasdaq () gained 80 […]

The United States will hold talks with North Korea in Beijing Thursday on the possibility of providing food aid to the impoverished country, the State Department said.
The Obama administration has been deliberating on the issue for months. The United Nations and U.S. charities say aid is badly needed, but it remains a controversial issue. North […]

The chief executive of St. Louis University Hospital says that his health system is seeking the assistance of a third-party mediator to break an impasse in contract talks with a national health insurer.
SLU Hospital Chief Executive Phillip Sowa said the hospital’s parent company, Tenet HealthCare Corp. of Dallas, faxed a letter Friday to Anthem Blue Cross and […]

Citigroup says it is cutting 4,500 jobs over the next few quarters.
CEO Vikram Pandit said the job cuts are part of the New York bank’s efforts to reduce costs. Pandit made the remarks Tuesday at a financial services conference hosted by Goldman Sachs & Co.
Citigroup Inc.’s fourth-quarter results will include $400 million in expenses related […]