Purchases of new U.S. homes in August held close to a two-year high, further evidence of recovery in the housing market that will help sustain the economic expansion.

RadioShack said Wednesday that its CEO is leaving under an agreement with the board, the latest blow for the struggling electronics retailer.

Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Oil traded near the lowest level in almost two months after U.S. fuel demand slipped to the weakest since April amid concern the European debt crisis will worsen and derail the global economy.

Oil settled below $90 a barrel for the first time in almost eight weeks as the government reported lower oil demand and on concern the worsening European crisis will reduce consumption.

Bank of America Corp., the second-largest U.S. lender, engages in a “systemic practice” of failing to maintain foreclosed properties in minority neighborhoods, according to a nonprofit group’s complaint.

U.S. homebuilders, whose shares have more than doubled in the past year, tumbled the most since June after lower new-home sales fueled concern that the rally may have been overdone.

Sales of new homes in the United States dipped slightly in August from July but the median price of homes sold during the month rose by a record amount.

Mortgage applications in the U.S. increased last week as record-low borrowing costs spurred purchases and home refinancing.

The question of the moment at 700 pioneering McDonald's restaurants: You want TV with those fries?

A survey of U.S. chief executives shows a sharp drop in the number of large companies that plan to add jobs or hire more workers.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. stock-index futures were little changed, after a late selloff in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index yesterday, as investor optimism fueled by central-bank stimulus continued to wane.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Gold fell in New York as gains in the value of the dollar may curb demand for the metal as an alternative investment. Silver also declined.

The price of oil fell below $91 a barrel Wednesday, tracking stock markets which dropped on renewed pessimism about the outlook for economic growth.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks fell the most in two months and the euro weakened as Spain’s 10-year yields rose above 6 percent, spurring concern the debt crisis is worsening. Oil retreated for a third day, while Treasuries extended the longest rally since 2008.

A surprise ruling by a federal appeals court that lets the Army Corps of Engineers off the hook for paying compensation for Hurricane Katrina's catastrophic flooding isn't going over well on the streets of New Orleans.

Sept. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Esprit Holdings Ltd. welcomed its newest chief executive with earnings that missed estimates for the fifth straight year and the biggest plunge in the stock in a month.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Cisco Systems Inc. Chief Executive Officer John Chambers identified some of the senior managers that he and the board are considering as possible successors when he retires, a move that could come in two to four years.

Shares of Halliburton Co. dipped Wednesday and Dahlman Rose & Co. lowered its profit forecast citing a sluggish outlook for oil and gas drilling in North America.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Co., in a bid to take on the Fiat 500, is betting that a “masculine” small car called Adam will help restore interest in the Opel brand as the automaker struggles to stem losses in Europe.

An Illinois man who worked for a New Jersey-based defense contractor was found guilty Wednesday of taking trade secrets from his employer and presenting them in his native China.

Europe's carmakers could be forgiven for worrying that the slogan for this year's Paris Auto Show, “The Future, Now”, is a threat of more hardship to come rather than a promise of prosperous times.

The interior of the allroad _ yes, Audi spells the name all lowercase -- is especially well-crafted with tight-fitting trim pieces, premium materials and an upscale, business-like environment.

Shares of Texas Instruments slipped Wednesday and Oppenheimer & Co. cut its rating as the chipmaker shifts the focus of its wireless investments from smartphones and tablets to industrial and automotive customers

A Federal Reserve official who has advocated more aggressive moves on the part of the central bank to combat high unemployment says the country cannot afford timid efforts to support the economy.

Dean Foods Co. said Wednesday that it is considering a possible sale of its Morningstar dairy business, which sent its shares soaring.

Europe's fragile financial calm was shattered Wednesday as investors worried that violent anti-austerity protests in Greece and Spain's debt troubles showed that the continent still cannot contain its financial crisis.

A proxy advisory firm on Wednesday recommended that shareholders vote against a slate of board nominees for retailer Wet Seal Inc., a day after the company's board urged its investors to do the same thing.

MySpace, the once-mighty social network-turned entertainment site, is trying to stage yet another comeback with the help of Justin Timberlake.

A Las Vegas casino took an unusual step Wednesday and offered refunds to gamblers who lost money when the Seattle Seahawks beat the Green Bay Packers on a controversial touchdown at the end of Monday night's game.

Government contractor L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. will provide explosive detection equipment to help U.S. airports scan luggage.

An automaker ItalFiat SpA says it is asking a U.S. court to help determine the price for a 3.3 percent stake in Chrysler that it has agreed to buy from an autoworker's pension health care trust.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Intel Corp. Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini told employees in Taiwan that Microsoft Corp.’s Windows 8 operating system is being released before it’s fully ready, a person who attended the company event said.

Starting a business in a tough economy taught entrepreneurs Chuck Tanowitz and Todd Van Hoosear the value of time.

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Corn spreads in Chicago have collapsed from a peak in July, and buying grain for December delivery is now cheaper than for March delivery as an early U.S. harvest and record Brazil exports are boosting immediate supply.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The euro fell to a two-week low against the dollar after Spain’s central bank said gross domestic product kept dropping at a “significant pace” this quarter, stoking concern the region’s debt crisis is worsening.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a selection of the most important news affecting the oil market.

Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Copper fell in New York on concern stimulus measures by central banks from the U.S. to Japan may fail to bolster economic expansion and demand for metals.

Gov. Jerry Brown rode to Google headquarters in a self-driving Toyota Prius before signing legislation Tuesday that will pave the way for driverless cars in California.

The nation's inventories of oil and gasoline fell last week, the government reported Wednesday.

GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Theravance Inc. said Wednesday that the Food and Drug Administration expects to make a decision on their lung disease drug Breo by May 12.

A court in Sao Paulo has ordered YouTube to remove clips of the video that has sparked protests across the Muslim world.

Shares of Blyth Inc. tumbled more than 20 percent after the opening bell, after the company's ViSalus subsidiary withdrew its initial public offering, citinguncertain market conditions.

Democrats launched two ads in North Dakota on Tuesday criticizing Republican Senate candidate Rick Berg over the stalled farm bill as the party seeks to capitalize on rural voters' frustration with congressional inaction.

Tens of thousands of Greeks marched through central Athens Wednesday in the first general strike since the country's coalition government was formed in June, as the prime minister and finance minister hammered out a package of (euro) 11.5 billion ($14.87 billion) in spending cuts.

The S&P Dow Jones Indices said Wednesday that Kraft Foods Group, which is being spun off from Kraft Foods Inc., will replace Alpha Natural Resources Inc. on the S&P 500.

Italy easily raised (euro) 9 billion ($11.5 billion) in an auction of 6-month debt in which its borrowing costs dropped again.

American Greetings Corp. said Wednesday that a group led by its CEO and chief operating officer wants to buy the company and take it private in a deal that values it at about $581 million.

Germany is launching a program to help young unemployed Europeans learn German and find jobs in the continent's biggest economy.

hiring up, hiring down, a euro crisis abroad, seesawing gasoline prices at the pump, foreclosures dragging down home values.

Markets were spooked Wednesday by scenes of violent protests on the streets of Athens and Madrid, which reignited concerns over Europe's ability to implement the measures needed to deal with its big debts.

A fire that burned 11 homes and killed an elderly man who refused to evacuate was smoldering in rural San Diego County on Tuesday, but gusty afternoon winds could push it back to life, authorities said.

Pittsburgh police plan to train their officers to be fluent in social media, joining other departments nationwide, days after a man armed with a hammer and kitchen knife used a hostage's computer to post Facebook messages lamenting his troubles.

U.S. forecasters say Miriam is rapidly weakening and has been downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm well off Mexico's Baja California peninsula.

an apparent rebuke to Western calls for an end to Syrian President Bashar Assad's rule.

The Bank of Spain warned Wednesday that the country is in a deep recession, a day after clashes in Madrid between protesters and the police led to 38 people arrested and 64 injured.

A conservative super PAC has jumped back into the Indiana Senate race with a nearly $1 million ad buy highlighting Democratic nominee Joe Donnelly's support for two of President Barack Obama's policies.

Democratic Rep. Pete Stark, the longest-serving member of California's largest-in-the-nation congressional delegation, offered a taste of his trademark invective.

Slipping in states that could sink his presidential bid, Republican Mitt Romney declared Wednesday that “I care about the people of America” and can do more than President Barack Obama to improve their lives. In an all-day Ohio duel, Obama scoffed that a challenger who calls half the nation “victims” was unlikely to be of much help.

An Army brigadier general who served five combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan has been charged with forcible sodomy, multiple counts of adultery and having inappropriate relationships with several female subordinates, two U.S. defense officials said Wednesday.