Ford says it is closing its two Australian auto plants and ending production in the country in 2016 amid soaring manufacturing costs and plummeting sales. Ford Australia President Bob Graziano announced ...

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Wednesday a novel measure aimed at protecting companies from so-called patent trolling, the practice of making deceptive claims of patent infringement in the ...

House Republicans pushed through a bill Wednesday to bypass the president to speed approval of the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. Democrats criticized the legislation as a blatant attempt ...

The lawyer for an 87-year-old woman who accuses Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal told jurors in Chicago on Wednesday that he was personally repulsed because he felt the "Apprentice" ...

New Mexicans qualifying for extended unemployment benefits starting next month will have their payments reduced by 25 percent because of federal spending cutbacks, state officials announced Wednesday. ...

While discussing her efforts to turn around Hewlett-Packard Co. in a Wednesday conference call, CEO Meg Whitman assured analysts she is determined to outmaneuver rivals such as Dell Inc. "These are ...

Canada's prime minister has announced a new package of development aid for Peru that environmentalists are viewing warily because it is closely tied to Canadian mining investments in the South American ...

Argentina's president announced a $3.2 billion annual increase in cash handouts for the poor, students and pregnant women Wednesday, saying the programs will reach nearly 700,000 additional children, pay ...

Voters approved a law limiting the number of medical pot shops in Los Angeles after politicians failed for years to corral the blossoming industry. The winning ballot measure on Tuesday caps the number ...

Twenty-nine bars and restaurants, nearly half of them TGI Fridays, filled premium brand liquor bottles with lower-quality booze and sold it to patrons who thought they were buying the good stuff, authorities ...

At the center of a political storm, an Internal Revenue Service supervisor whose agents targeted conservative groups swore Wednesday she did nothing wrong, broke no laws and never lied to Congress. Then ...

MIXED BAG: Hewlett-Packard Co.'s latest quarterly report showed the company's earnings are holding up better than management and analysts anticipated, even as the world's largest personal computer maker ...

Hewlett-Packard is still scrambling to meet the growing demand for more versatile and less expensive mobile devices as a slump in its personal computer sales deepens, but the company's cost-cutting measures ...

General Motors Co. is recalling more than 27,000 Cadillac SUVs worldwide because the wheels can fall off. The company says the recall affects the 2013 Cadillac SRX with 18-inch wheels. Canadian safety ...

A North Dakota advertising agency is suing the creators of a Cartoon Network show, alleging that they copied a state marketing campaign. H2M, a Fargo-based advertising and marketing agency, filed the lawsuit ...

LyondellBasell Industries NV said Wednesday that it will buy back shares, increase its dividend and update its board. The company, which refines oil and makes chemicals and plastics used in manufacturing ...

Tesla Motors, which makes a highly acclaimed $70,000 electric car, has paid off a startup loan from the U.S. government nine years early. The Palo Alto, Calif., company said it wired in a $451.8 million ...

Software maker Synopsys Inc. said Wednesday that its net income more than tripled in the fiscal second quarter compared with a year ago, when costs tied to an acquisition weighed down profit. The Mountain ...

Student activists at more than 200 colleges are trying a new tactic in hopes of slowing the pace of climate change: They are asking their schools to stop investing in fossil fuel companies. The Fossil ...

The cruise industry said Wednesday that it's adopting a passenger bill of rights that guarantees the "safety, comfort and care" of guests. The bill of rights promises, among other things, full ...

In line with decades of opposition to casinos, the House turned aside lobbying by the governor and arguments that New Hampshire should compete with Massachusetts for gambling dollars to vote down yet another ...

CEO pay has been going in one direction for the past three years: up. The head of a typical large public company made $9.7 million in 2012, a 6.5 percent increase from a year earlier that was aided by ...

L Brands Inc., which owns stores including Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works, reported Wednesday that its fiscal first-quarter net income increased 14 percent and nudged up its outlook for the ...

A co-founder of exotic juice maker XanGo LLC — one of Utah's most successful brands — has filed a lawsuit claiming his partners are looting the company for exotic vacations and luxury gifts. The lawsuit ...

A look at the 10 biggest volume gainers on Nasdaq at the close of trading: Cleantech Solutions International Inc. : Approximately 13,393,600 shares changed hands, a 10,656.6 percent increase over its 65-day ...

A look at New York Stock Exchange 10 most-active stocks at the close of trading: Bank of America Corp. fell 1.0 percent to $13.31 with 171,804,400 shares traded. Boston Scientific Corp. fell 1.1 percent ...

A look at the 10 biggest percentage decliners on Nasdaq at the close of trading: AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc. fell 10.7 percent to $22.40. Canadian Solar fell 10.5 percent to $7.52. Knightsbridge Tankers ...

Shares of some top utilities companies were down at the close of trading: American Electric Power Co. fell $.77 or 1.6 percent, to $48.59. Consolidated Edison Inc. Holding Co. fell $1.26 or 2.1 percent, ...

Shares of some top railroad companies were down at the close of trading: CSX fell $.38 or 1.5 percent, to $25.76. Canadian National Railway Co. fell $.87 or .8 percent, to $102.17. Canadian Pacific Railway ...

Shares of some top leisure companies were down at the close of trading: Carnival fell $.52 or 1.5 percent, to $33.04. Las Vegas Sands Corp. fell $.80 or 1.3 percent, to $58.68. MGM Resorts International ...

Shares of some top gold companies were up at the close of trading: Barrick Gold Corp. rose $.13 or .7 percent, to $19.50. Gold Fields Ltd ADS rose $.08 or 1.4 percent, to $5.86. GoldCorp. rose $.51 or ...

Shares of some top education companies were down at the close of trading: Apollo Group fell $.87 or 4.1 percent, to $20.61. Career Education Corp. fell $.11 or 3.6 percent, to $2.94. DeVry fell $.37 or ...

Shares of some top credit card companies were down at the close of trading: American Express Co. fell $.67 or .9 percent, to $74.44. Capital One Financial Corp. fell $.57 or .9 percent, to $61.54. Discover ...

A look at the 10 biggest volume gainers on New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading: Baltic Trading Ltd. : Approximately 1,721,200 shares changed hands, a 1,709.6 percent increase over its 65-day ...

Shares of some top banks companies were mixed at the close of trading: Bank of America Corp. fell $.13 or 1.0 percent, to $13.31. Citigroup Inc. fell $.66 or 1.3 percent, to $51.00. Goldman Sachs fell ...

A look at the 10 biggest volume decliners on New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading: BRT Realty Trust : Approximately 500 shares changed hands, a 91.6 decrease from its 65-day average volume. ...

Shares of some top airlines companies were mixed at the close of trading: Delta Air rose $.05 or .3 percent, to $18.18. JetBlue Airways Corp. fell $.11 or 1.7 percent, to $6.26. Southwest Airlines Co. ...

A look at the 10 biggest volume decliners on Nasdaq at the close of trading: ASB Bancorp Inc. : Approximately 100 shares changed hands, a 97.7 decrease from its 65-day average volume. The shares fell $.01 ...

A look at the 10 biggest percentage gainers on New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading: Zale Corp. rose 22.2 percent to $6.60. Saks Inc. rose 13.4 percent to $15.50. Rex Amer Resources rose 12.6 ...

A look at the 10 biggest percentage decliners on New York Stock Exchange at the close of trading: SolarWinds Inc. fell 13.7 percent to $41.34. Tempur-Pedic International Inc. fell 9.0 percent to $43.28. ...

Shares of some top staffing companies were mixed at the close of trading: Kelly Services Inc. class A fell $.35 or 2.0 percent, to $17.31. Korn/Ferry International Inc. fell $.13 or .7 percent, to $17.59. ...

Shares of some top silver companies were up at the close of trading: Hecla Mining Co. unchanged at $3.37. Pan American Silver Corp. rose $.09 or .7 percent, to $12.37. Silver Standard Resources Inc. rose ...

Shares of some top telecom companies were down at the close of trading: AT&T Inc. fell $.32 or .9 percent, to $36.62. Sprint Nextel fell $.09 or 1.2 percent, to $7.30. Verizon Communications Inc. fell ...

Shares of some top supermarkets companies were down at the close of trading: Kroger fell $.71 or 2.0 percent, to $34.12. Safeway fell $.92 or 3.8 percent, to $23.39. Supervalu fell $.34 or 5.0 percent, ...

A look at Nasdaq 10 most-active stocks at the close of trading: Cisco Systems Inc. fell 2.8 percent to $23.34 with 44,965,400 shares traded. Clearwire Corp. fell .6 percent to $3.38 with 44,777,800 shares ...

Shares of some top specialty retail companies were mixed at the close of trading: Autozone Inc. fell $10.12 or 2.4 percent, to $417.72. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. fell $.27 or .4 percent, to $68.27. Best Buy ...

A look at the 10 biggest percentage gainers on Nasdaq at the close of trading: Cleantech Solutions International Inc. rose 159.4 percent to $9.70. Transcat Inc. rose 16.9 percent to $7.60. MannKind Corp. ...

Shares of some top restaurant companies were down at the close of trading: Brinker International Inc. fell $.67 or 1.6 percent, to $40.93. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. fell $6.38 or 1.7 percent, to $371.05. ...