updated Tue October 30, 2007

Under Pressure, Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O'Neal Retires; Company Begins Search for Replacement

NEW YORK (AP) -- The unfolding credit crisis has claimed its biggest corporate casualty so far: Merrill Lynch CEO Stan O'Neal.The announcement Tuesday that O'Neal is retiring immediately came after the world's ...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Bank of China Q3 Net Profit Up 23 Percent

HONG KONG (AP) -- Bank of China Ltd., one of China's four largest banks by assets, said Tuesday its third-quarter net profit rose 23 percent from a year earlier on higher net interest income and fee income. The...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Weyerhaeuser Restructuring Continues As Company Prepares to Report 3Q Results

NEW YORK (AP) -- Weyerhaeuser Co. reports results for the third quarter on Wednesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst opinion related to the period.OVERVIEW: Weyerhaeuser, which produ...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Bracco Diagnostics to Buy E-Z-EM Inc. for $21 Per Share in Cash, or About $230.5 Million

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. (AP) -- E-Z-EM Inc., which makes gastrointestinal radiology products, said Tuesday it has agreed to be bought by Bracco Diagnostics Inc. for $21 per share in cash.Based on the roughly 11 mill...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Aon Seen Posting 3rd-Quarter Profit of 59 Cents Per Share Amid Tough Competition

NEW YORK (AP) -- Insurance broker Aon Corp. is scheduled to report results for the third quarter after Wednesday's market close. Following is a summary of key developments and analyst commentary related to the ...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Wheat, Soybean and Corn Prices Fall Back on Chicago Board of Trade, While Oats Trade Flat

CHICAGO (AP) -- Agriculture futures retreated Tuesday on the Chicago Board of Trade, with the sharpest declines in wheat.Wheat for December delivery fell 12.5 cents to $8.16 a bushel; December corn fell 3 cents...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Applebee's Shareholders Approve $1.9B Sale to Pancake House Operator IHOP

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) -- Shareholders of Applebee's International Inc. on Tuesday approved a $1.9 billion offer by pancake house operator IHOP Corp. to buy the casual dining chain.The sale, which also includ...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Oil Prices Fall From Record High As Worries Ease About Partial Disruption in Mexican Output

VIENNA, Austria (AP) -- Oil prices dropped Tuesday from the previous day's record high on a growing perception that the partial disruption in Mexico's oil output is only temporary.Still, a weak dollar and a bel...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Taiwan's Quanta Says Quarterly Profit Jumps 36 Percent

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) -- Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc., the world's largest contract manufacturer of notebook computers by revenue, said Tuesday its third-quarter net profit rose 36 percent.Net profit for the Jul...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Wall Street Falls Ahead of Fed Rate Move; Merrill Lynch CEO Retires, Consumer Confidence Dips

NEW YORK (AP) -- Wall Street pulled back Tuesday as investors already uneasy ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision grew more concerned about the economy after a drop in consumer confidence. Afte...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Pitney Bowes Tumbles After 3rd-Quarter Profit Drop, Lowered 4th-Quarter Guidance

NEW YORK (AP) -- Shares of Pitney Bowes Inc. sank Tuesday after the mail and document-management company said its third-quarter profit fell 14 percent and fourth-quarter results will miss Wall Street expectatio...

updated Tue October 30, 2007

Actuate Shares Jump After 3rd-Qtr Profit Beats Wall Street Forecasts, Analyst Upgrades Stock

SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) -- Actuate Corp. shares surged Tuesday, after the business software maker reported that third-quarter earnings jumped 83 percent to beat Wall Street expectations, leading an analyst to up...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Toy Train Makers Lionel and MTH Close to Ending Legal Battle That's Lasted More Than 70 Years

COLUMBIA, Md. (AP) -- The nation's two largest makers of toy trains are nearing a conclusion to a seven-year-old, multimillion-dollar lawsuit.Columbia-based MTH Electric Trains had sued Lionel, a century-old br...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

AT&T Scales Back Plan for Citywide Wi-Fi in St. Louis; Now Just Downtown Will Get Signal

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- AT&T Inc. has scaled back its plan to blanket the city's 62 square miles with Wi-Fi signals, the wireless Internet service now found in airports and coffee shops.Instead, AT&T said Fri...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Woodstock Museum to Open in Bethel, N.Y., Next Year Despite Loss of Federal Funding

BETHEL, N.Y. (AP) -- A museum dedicated to Woodstock will rock on even though the federal government pulled $1 million in funding for the memorial to the famous hippie fest.Officially, the Woodstock museum is k...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

UAW Members Narrowly Approve 4-Year Contract With Chrysler Despite Significant Dissent

DETROIT (AP) -- Despite significant dissent among some of its workers, United Auto Workers members narrowly passed a four-year contract agreement with Chrysler LLC on Saturday, leaving Ford Motor Co. as the las...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Leonardo Da Vinci's 'Last Supper' Goes Online in High Definition

MILAN, Italy (AP) -- Can't get to Milan to see Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece "The Last Supper?" As of Saturday, all you need is an Internet connection. Officials put online an image of the "Last Supper" at 16...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Earnings Roundup: Wendy's 3Q Earnings Off, but Beats St. View; First Bancorp Profit Up 31 Pct

Among the earnings stories for Friday, Oct. 26, from AP Financial News:COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Wendy's International Inc. said changes at its restaurants are paying off, but that a decision about the possible sa...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Earnings Roundup: Countrywide Posts Huge 3Q Loss, but Outlook Bright; Escalade 3Q Sales Down

Among the earnings stories for Friday, Oct. 26, from AP Financial News:LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Countrywide Financial Corp. lost $1.2 billion in the third quarter, but its shares soared Friday after the nation's lar...

updated Sun October 28, 2007

Federal Appeals Court Calls LNG Appeal Premature

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) -- A federal appeals court refused Friday to halt a plan to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on the Taunton River, saying the project already faces significant hurdles and is too pr...