Pfizer rises as analyst expects dividend increase
12:00
Shares of Pfizer Inc. rose Wednesday after a Credit Suisse analyst said the world's largest drugmaker is likely to raise its dividend up to 20 percent later this month, less than a year after slashing its payout. ...
Trinity Industries declares quarterly dividend
12:00
Trinity Industries Inc. has declared a regular quarterly dividend of 8 cents. The dividend is payable Jan. 29 to stockholders of record on Jan. 15, the company said Tuesday. Trinity Industries is a diversified company...
Continental official downplays merger prospects
11:57
A top Continental Airlines official is downplaying the benefits of airline mergers when carriers can instead form partnerships that let them work together on prices and schedules. Treasurer Gerry Laderman says everyone...
Stocks turn mixed as weak buck lifts commodities
11:57
The stock market is mixed as concerns about mounting debt levels around the world eat into gains in shares of energy and materials companies. Stocks are zigzagging Wednesday as investors worry about government debt in...
Dollar Thrifty: 4Q, '09 results to top last year
11:55
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group Inc., a car rental company, said Wednesday it expects its fourth-quarter and 2009 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization would be in positive territory after...
Daimler reaches labor deal at Sindelfingen plant
11:42
German carmaker Daimler AG has reached an agreement that gives job security until the end of 2019 to 37,000 employees at its biggest plant in Germany, a spokesman said Wednesday. Layoffs will be ruled out under the...
BioMed Realty Trust says tender offer expired
11:41
BioMed Realty Trust Inc. said Wednesday that the tender offer by BioMed Realty LP for outstanding exchangeable senior notes due 2026 has expired. Approximately $61.3 million of the notes were validly tendered and have...
Novavax closes offering for 6.8 million shares
11:39
Biotech drug developer Novavax Inc. said Wednesday it closed a public offering for 6.8 million shares of common stock. The company announced the offering, at $3.30 per share, Nov. 20. At the time, it was a 12 percent...
Public meeting set on W.Va. coal-to-gas project
11:38
West Virginia regulators will hold a public meeting Thursday on a draft air pollution permit for a planned coal-to-gasoline facility in Mingo County. Representatives of the state Division of Air Quality will accept...
$583M contract awarded for Hudson tunnel project
11:36
NJ Transit's board on Wednesday unanimously approved the first tunneling contract for an $8.7 billion rail tunnel between New Jersey and Manhattan. Barnard Construction Co. of Pompton Plains and Judlau Contracting of...
Hi-Tech's 2Q profit surges on generic drugs
11:34
Hi-Tech Pharmacal Co. said Wednesday its fiscal second-quarter profit surged due to strong sales of generic drugs. Hi-Tech said its profit rose to $7.4 million, or 60 cents per share, for the quarter ended Oct. 31....
Obama, congressional leaders sit down to talk jobs
11:27
President Barack Obama is meeting with a bipartisan delegation from Congress, following up on his call for additional government action to improve the nation's employment numbers. Congressional leaders met with Obama...
Oil prices up as crude in storage falls
11:21
Oil prices climbed above $73 a barrel Wednesday, tugged higher mostly by a rising stock market and a falling dollar. Benchmark crude for January delivery added 67 cents to $73.29 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. In...
UK slaps tax on bankers' bonuses ahead of election
11:19
The British government slapped a one-time tax of 50 percent on fat bank bonuses on Wednesday as it tried to win over recession-weary voters ahead of a looming general election. But Treasury chief Alistair Darling's...
Mont. board OKs hail insurance refunds for farmers
11:18
The state Board of Hail Insurance has approved a refund of 30 percent of the hail insurance premiums paid by Montana farmers. The state Department of Agriculture issued 1,996 hail insurance policies covering 1.6...
FairPoint hearing on customer rebates put on hold
11:15
A bankruptcy court hearing has been put on hold on a motion by FairPoint Communications asking that it not be forced to give rebates to its Maine customers. The hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York was...
Paula Deen: Don't let the budget kill the party
11:14
TV cooking star Paula Deen's holiday dishes may be rich, but they're not costly to prepare. Her Southern-style comfort food _ down-home and traditional _ is a natural fit for the season too. It works out for anyone on...
Dollar rally pauses amid worry over gov't finances
11:14
The dollar weakened slightly from 5-week highs Wednesday. It's been gaining steadily since the start of the month. On Wednesday, the 16-nation euro rose to $1.4733 in morning trading in New York from $1.4685 late...
Geithner: bailout program extended to October
11:13
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told Congress Wednesday that the administration will extend the government's financial bailout program until next fall, saying it's needed to protect against fresh economic shocks. ...
Sanofi-Aventis in research pact with CalTech
11:13
French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis said Wednesday it is entering a research collaboration with the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., focusing both on therapeutic and diagnostic products. Terms of the...
NM AG asks for Qwest rates to be held steady
11:10
New Mexico Attorney General Gary King has asked state regulators to hold the line on rate increases sought by Qwest Communications International Inc. King claims Qwest's proposed rate increases hit those least able to...
Crews respond to explosion at Houston area-plant
11:09
A fiery explosion Wednesday at an industrial plant in the Houston area shook nearby homes and generated black smoke seen for miles. No injuries were immediately reported. Dispatcher Christine Peregrino of the Pasadena...
Mont. won't publish phone directory to save money
11:04
Gov. Brian Schweitzer says Montana will not print a state telephone phone directory this year, saving taxpayers about $20,000. The 2010 directory will be available online in January at !a...
October wholesale inventories rise unexpectedly
11:03
Businesses unexpectedly added to inventories at the wholesale level in October, breaking a record string of 13 straight declines. It was a hopeful sign that companies will begin restocking depleted store shelves,...
Sangamo says early data from ALS study is positive
11:02
Sangamo Biosciences Inc. said Wednesday that early data from a clinical trial shows its Lou Gehrig's disease drug candidate improved patients' muscle function. Patients who were injected with the drug SB-509 were about...
San Antonio-owned utility board chair to resign
11:01
The board of trustees for San Antonio-owned CPS Energy will need a new leader because the chairwoman is resigning. The announcement from Aurora Geis came as the utility is facing a multibillion-dollar hike in the...
Agriculture futures, livestock prices mixed
11:00
Agriculture futures traded mixed Wednesday on the Chicago Board of Trade. Wheat for March delivery dropped 0.75 cent to $5.39 a bushel, March corn added 1.75 cents to $3.8675 a bushel; January soybeans inched up 0.5...
Cantel Medical fiscal 1Q profit rises 85 percent
11:00
Cantel Medical Corp., which makes products to prevent infections, said Wednesday its fiscal first-quarter profit grew 85 percent as swine flu concerns drove sales of disinfectants and face masks. Cantel reported net...
Dubai's Emaar calls off merger with ruler's cos.
10:59
The Dubai developer building the world's tallest skyscraper said Wednesday it is calling off a planned merger with property companies controlled by the city-state's ruler, raising fresh questions about Dubai's debt...
Hanover Insurance increases stock buyback program
10:59
The Hanover Insurance Group Inc. said Wednesday its board increased the size of a share repurchase program by $100 million, and at the same time agreed to repurchase $100.6 million in common stock. Hanover Insurance's...
Democratic health care coalition survives deal
10:59
After agreeing tentatively to jettison a key liberal priority _ a full-blown government-run insurance option _ Senate Democrats woke up Wednesday to find that the fragile coalition backing President Barack Obama's...
Obama directs $600M to health centers, med records
10:58
President Barack Obama is spending almost $600 million to build community health centers and to make medical records easier to find. The White House on Wednesday painted the spending _ part of the $787 billion stimulus...
Do-it-yourself holiday gifts cost less, mean more
10:58
If ever there has been a year to give a homemade holiday gift, this is it. The economy's in the dumps and budgets are tight. Gift-givers have to be more creative than ever if they want to delight their friends and...
Ruling delayed in fraud case for ex Neb. brokers
10:55
A Sarpy County judge has delayed his ruling on the securities-fraud charges against two former Nebraska City brokers because of a paperwork problem. Sarpy County District Judge David Arterburn says prosecutors...
Mississippi companies seek 'free port exemption'
10:51
The Delta Economic Development Center and some local industries have asked Washington County supervisors for a break on inventory taxes. The inventory tax is placed on items in storage. In 2003, the Mississippi...
UAL eyes trans-Pacific joint venture with ANA
10:51
A United Airlines executive says the carrier wants to pursue a joint venture with Continental Airlines and Japan's All Nippon Airways for flights across the Pacific. Those three carriers already sell seats on each...
NM oil and gas agency warns of fewer inspections
10:46
The state agency responsible for preventing contamination from oil and natural gas operations and reclaiming past environmental damage will have to drastically reduce its routine field inspections as New Mexico searches...
10:44
Petraeus says Afghanistan no worse off than Iraq was when he took command there in 2007. ...
USDA: Indiana's corn harvest is latest since 1972
10:43
Indiana's farmers are facing their latest corn harvest in nearly 40 years because of a long stretch of bad weather that's kept them out of their fields. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's final 2009 crop report shows...
Delta sees brighter revenue environment ahead
10:41
Delta Air Lines Inc. expects the improving revenue environment to continue in the months ahead, though sales of premium seats remain pressured. Chief Financial Officer Hank Halter told investors at a conference in New...
Crude oil stockpiles fell by 3.8 million barrels
10:39
Crude inventories fell last week, while gasoline supplies grew, the government said Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 3.8 million barrels, or 1.1 percent, to 336.1 million barrels, which is 4.4 percent above...
Pipe rupture causes leak in Alaska's North Slope
10:21
A North Slope spill of an estimated 46,000 gallons was caused when a pipeline ruptured lengthwise along the bottom, creating a 2-foot-long opening. A unified command of officials handling the spill say the rupture...
Sovereign debt fears stalk world markets
10:17
World stock markets fell Wednesday as investors worried about sovereign credit risks, particularly in Europe, in the wake of Greece's rating downgrade. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares was down 35.95...
Oklahoma Lottery sales hurt by lagging economy
10:15
Lottery ticket sales declined about $11.3 million in the past fiscal year, mainly because of a downturn in the economy, Oklahoma officials said. Powerball sales, which make up the majority of lottery sales, tumbled an...
Drug-import backers worry Obama may scuttle plan
10:14
A long-running effort to allow the import of lower-cost prescription drugs faces a new twist _ President Barack Obama's administration is raising safety concerns that could effectively scuttle it, even though Obama...
Obama using grab-bag approach to fight recession
10:10
Franklin Roosevelt, confronted with the worst economic crisis in the nation's history, wrote the book on government jobs programs. Since FDR, presidents have been less ambitious because the economic challenges they...
Wyo. delegation opposes change to Clean Water Act
10:10
The three members of Wyoming congressional delegation is among 28 Republican lawmakers who oppose changing the Clean Water Act to clarify that it applies to all surface water in the United States, not strictly navigable...
Bailout watchdog: Crisis response worked, somewhat
10:08
The government's $700 billion bailout of the financial system helped prevent an all-out panic last fall but hasn't met many of the targets Congress set out, a watchdog panel says. "Congress set goals for (the bailouts)...
La. gov't streamlining group done with 1st report
10:06
Cost-cutting recommendations that would shrink Louisiana's state work force, boost outside contracting and rework bureaucracy were offered by the Commission on Streamlining Government, which wrapped up its first report...
Dean embraces Senate compromise on health care
10:04
A staunch supporter of a public option to expand health care says he's encouraged by a Senate compromise on the troublesome issue. Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, a physician, said Wednesday he believes opening up...