Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Lockheed Martin Corp., the world’s largest defense contractor, dropped plans to issue layoff notices in anticipation of across-the-board defense spending cuts set to begin Jan. 2.

Stocks rose, following the biggest weekly decline since June in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, after a measure of manufacturing beat economists’ forecasts and concern about Europe’s debt crisis eased.

A typical middle-income family making $40,000 to $64,000 a year could see its taxes go up by $2,000 next year if lawmakers fail to renew a lengthy roster of tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, according to a new report Monday

Chairman Ben Bernanke offered a wide-ranging defense Monday of the Federal Reserve's aggressive policies to stimulate the still-weak economy.

With the presidential election less than six weeks away, and Mitt Romney trailing President Barack Obama in the swing states needed to secure 270 electoral votes, the Republican nominee’s best hope is an “October surprise.”

Global regulators have a peculiar way of assessing the soundness of big banks: ask bankers how risky their investments are, then figure out if they have enough capital to absorb the potential losses.

Hard as it may be to believe, the new U.S. Supreme Court term is already upon us. In the balance first is the future of human rights litigation in U.S. courts — and whether torture committed by foreigners abroad is any of our business.

Manufacturing unexpectedly expanded in September after three months of contraction, reflecting stronger orders that ease concern the economy will slow further.

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer gave birth to a boy late Sunday, shining a spotlight on her ability to steer the struggling Internet company in a new direction while adjusting to the challenges of being a first-time mother.

A Brooklyn Bowl entertainment venue, a Yard House beer bar and an Asian-themed food and art marketplace are among anchor tenants coming to a master-planned complex being built at the base of a big new Las Vegas Strip observation wheel, Caesars Entertainment Corp. officials announced Monday.

The price of oil is higher Monday after a report showing U.S. manufacturing activity rose in September for the first time in four months.

U.S. manufacturing grew for the first time in four months, buoyed by a jump in new orders and more jobs. The increase is a hopeful sign that the economy may be improving after a weak stretch.

U.S. stock futures are rising as investors cautiously welcome the result of stress tests of Spain's banks and a slight improvement in a survey of the eurozone's manufacturing sector.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Crude slipped from the highest close in a week in New York as manufacturing contracted unexpectedly in China, raising speculation that fuel demand may decline in the world’s second-biggest crude consumer.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Gold was seen declining for a second day in New York on speculation some investors will sell the metal after its biggest quarterly rally in more than two years.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Copper fell in New York, paring a second monthly gain, on signs East Asian economies are struggling to reverse slowdowns amid the global economic slump that has sapped export demand.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- European gasoline gained as Cargill Inc. bought barges. Gasoil declined as Brent crude fell on the ICE Futures Europe exchange in London.

Unemployment across the 17 countries that use the euro remained at its record high rate of 11.4 percent in August, official data showed Monday, renewing concerns that efforts to slash debts have sacrificed jobs.

A New Mexico company has expanded its recall of peanut butter and almond butter to include cashew butters, tahini and blanched and roasted peanut products.

The traffic begins long before dawn in Nigeria's largest city. The poor crowd onto benches welded inside dented, clattering buses. The middle classes sit behind the steering wheels of used imports. As the first sunbeams cut through the exhaust fumes, the wealthy thumb tablet computers in cars with blaring sirens, chauffeured by moonlighting policemen.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Realogy Corp. is soothing bondholders waiting for the real estate brokerage controlled by private- equity firm Apollo Global Management LLC to return to profit by wiping out $2.8 billion of debt with a stock sale.

Workday Inc. said Monday it expects shares of its planned initial public stock offering to price at $21 to $24 each, valuing the company at about $3.61 billion.

Hertz Global Holdings Inc. said one of its subsidiaries plans to sell $1.2 billion in senior notes in a private offering to help fund its acquisition of fellow rental car company Dollar Thrifty.

A former fugitive suspected of running a $100 million cross-country scam collecting donations for Navy veterans has been identified as a Harvard-trained attorney wanted on unrelated fraud charges since 1987, authorities said Monday.

Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie plans to give an update on the state's efforts to meet the requirements of President Barack Obama's federal health care overhaul.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised a $560.1 million collateralized loan obligation for Och-Ziff Capital Management Group, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.

Shares of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions Inc. continued to rise Monday as Wall Street evaluated a report that the electronic health records company may sell itself to a private buyer.

Molson Coors Brewing Co. said Monday that it will combine its European businesses into a single unit.

The White House is acknowledging an attempt to infiltrate its computer system, but says it thwarted the effort

The Federal Trade Commission is releasing an updated version of its green marketing guidelines that aim to hold companies to truthful standards in touting the environmental friendliness of their products.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Oil advanced to a one-week high as U.S. manufacturing unexpectedly expanded and Spanish banks’ capital deficit dropped in September from June.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Research In Motion Ltd., the struggling maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, would be more likely to recover if it finds a strategic partner to help defray expenses, Canadian billionaire Terry Matthews said.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Intel Corp.’s delayed delivery of software that conserves computer battery life is holding up development of some tablets running the latest version of Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system, a person with knowledge of the matter said.

Boeing Co.'s union of engineers and technical workers is expected to reject the aerospace giant's first contract offer when mail-in ballots are counted Monday evening.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Google Inc. has surpassed Microsoft Corp. to become the world’s second-largest technology company as computing over the Internet reduces demand for software installed on desktop machines.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Fifth & Pacific Cos., the owner of fashion labels including Kate Spade and Lucky Brand, fell as much as 15 percent in late trading after cutting its profit forecast because of sliding sales of its Juicy Couture line.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- GAIL India Ltd. will buy natural gas from Russia’s OAO Gazprom for two decades at a price linked to oil, adding to contracts to buy the fuel from GDF Suez SA and Gas Natural Fenosa this year.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Spanish government bonds rose for a third day after stress tests of the country’s banking system showed a smaller deficit than earlier estimated, spurring optimism the region’s debt crisis is being contained.

An official inquiry into the killings of dozens of people near a South African platinum mine began Monday even as labor unrest continued with workers at other mines as well as truck drivers continuing protests over pay.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- MSCI’s benchmark emerging-market stock index pared losses as shares from Russia to South Africa rallied on improved confidence in Spain’s banking system and better-than-expected European manufacturing data beat.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabia’s banks are set to report higher third-quarter profit after they extended loans to real estate and petrochemical projects, and helped arrange record Islamic bond sales.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- The following is a selection of the most important news affecting the oil market.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- India’s rupee climbed to the highest level in more than five months as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s measures to attract investments lured foreigners to the nation’s assets.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Speculators cut wagers by the most in 16 weeks as commodities capped the first monthly loss since May on mounting concern that central bank stimulus measures won’t be enough to halt slowing economic growth.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Overseas funds bought a net 13.6 billion rupees of Indian equities on Sept. 28, taking their investment in local stocks this year to 836.9 billion rupees, or $16.4 billion, according to the nation’s market regulator.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Sweden’s krona is becoming the new Swiss franc for investors seeking higher interest rates in a growing economy that has a trade surplus and falling debt load.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Car and van sales in Turkey may fall 9.2 percent this year, a steeper drop than forecast earlier, because of a sales-tax increase imposed last month, the head of the country’s main auto-dealer trade group said.

Global markets rose Monday as investors cautiously welcomed the result of stress tests of Spain's banks and upbeat U.S. economic data and looked past the threat that Moody's might downgrade the country's debt rating to junk status.

The Supreme Court won't hear a Michigan man's attempt to challenge the use of full body scanners at airports.

The Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from a national anti-gay marriage group that tried to thwart Maine's campaign disclosure law requiring it to release its donor list.

Tredegar, which makes plastic films and aluminum extrusions, said Monday it bought aluminum extrusion maker AACOA Inc. for about $50.8 million.

a sign that business owners are becoming more confident about the economy.

Office products maker 3M is buying ceramic components maker Ceradyne for approximately $847 million in cash, saying it will complement existing businesses in the transportation, energy and defense sectors.

Europe's commissioner for monetary affairs, Olli Rehn, said Monday that Spain had as not yet asked for a bailout package and added that he was confident the recession-strapped country would meet its stated deficit reduction goals.

Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of the pro-Western government of President Mikhail Saakashvili.

A southern Ohio church has drawn a standing-room crowd for the dedication of a towering roadside Jesus statue that replaced one destroyed two years ago in a lightning fire.

A court in Moscow ruled Monday that an anti-Islam film that has sparked violent demonstrations around the world can no longer be shown in Russia.

The rooftop pool at Nairobi's newest high-rise hotel juts out over the edge so swimmers can peer through the glass bottom eight stories down. A new champagne bar sits nearby. IPads with detailed wine descriptions serve as menus.

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- There may be only one impediment to President Barack Obama maintaining his small lead in the U.S. election over the next week: arrogance.

Republican Mitt Romney is arguing America needs new foreign policy leadership, using President Barack Obama's handling of the Middle East as an opening to criticize the incumbent before Wednesday's first presidential debate.

A historic New York City music club that nurtured Bruce Springsteen's early career is closing.