Emaar Properties PJSC, the builder of the world’s tallest tower in Dubai, signed an agreement with Iraq to develop real estate projects as the Middle East country tries to meet demand for 670,000 new homes.

The full-size Ram pickup truck, revamped for 2013, still has its Hemi V-8. But a new and impressively powered V-6, with best-in-class fuel economy plus towing might, is getting all the attention.

Times are tough, so it’s hard to imagine someone actually plunking down $403,000 for a new Rolls- Royce. Right?

Consumer confidence climbed for a sixth straight week, the longest such stretch since early 2006, as Americans grew more secure about their finances.

More than a billion people now log into Facebook each month to check up on old friends, tag photos of new ones and post about politics, religion, cats or what their kids are doing.

U.S. home loan securities without government backing, the debt that sparked the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, shrank last quarter to less than $1 trillion for the first time in eight years, leaving fewer bonds to meet soaring demand as housing recovers.

The Federal Reserve wants to find a clearer way to signal to the public when it might start raising interest rates.

An encouraging report on the labor market and better sales from Costco and other retail stores helped push the stock market higher Thursday.

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages fell to fresh record lows for the second straight week. The declines suggest the Federal Reserve's stimulus efforts are having an impact.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Oil climbed the most in two months as the euro rose against the dollar and tension between Syria and Turkey fanned concern that Middle East output will be disrupted.

An invigorated Mitt Romney basked in rave reviews Thursday after his first face-off with the president, envisioning an inaugural celebration while President Barack Obama tried to rebound by accusing Romney of dishonesty on the debate stage.

Financial markets remained subdued Thursday as investors were reluctant to stake out positions ahead of key U.S. jobs data.

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney spun one-sided stories in their first presidential debate, not necessarily bogus, but not the whole truth.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Oil rebounded in New York after dropping the most in more than three months as tensions between Syria and Turkey fanned concern that exports from the Middle East may be reduced.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The number of Americans filing first- time claims for unemployment insurance payments rose last week, highlighting an uneven improvement in the labor market.

Google is expanding its plan to cut jobs from its Motorola Mobility unit outside the U.S. and will take $390 million in severance costs and other charges related to the layoffs.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi nudged Spain and its European partners to take up bank's offer of help with its borrowing costs, reassuring the country that the conditions it would need to meet to get assistance “don't need to be punitive.”

Americans slowed down their spending in September as they took a pause after wrapping up their back-to-school buying, according to monthly reports from major retailers released Thursday.

Discount retailer Stein Mart Inc. said on Thursday said that a key sales figure rose 2.4 percent in September, hurt in part by stores closing in the wake of Hurricane Isaac.

The owner of the TJ Maxx and Marshalls clothing store chains said Thursday that revenue in shops open at least a year rose 6 percent in September, beating Wall Street predictions.

Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday that sales in stores open at least one year rose 4.4 percent in September, slightly below analysts' expectations.

The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose to a seasonally adjusted 367,000, a level consistent with only modest hiring.

Department store operator Kohl's Corp. said Thursday that revenue at stores open at least a year fell 2.7 percent in September, a bigger drop than Wall Street expected, hurt by lower demand for accessories and women's clothing.

Starwood Property Trust says a public offering of 16 million shares raised about $368 million in gross proceeds.

A weekly drought report shows that conditions have worsened in some key Midwest farming states where the corn harvest is more than halfway completed.

Orders to U.S. factories fell in August, mostly because of a sharp drop in volatile aircraft orders. The decline offset an increase in orders that reflect corporate investment plans.

The U.S. Navy's newest warship will not be named for a former president, distinguished member of Congress or some historic figure from the past.

Officials say Cyprus is aiming to get a eurozone bailout of about (euro) 11.5 billion ($14.9 billion) to recapitalize its troubled banks and meet short-term fiscal needs.

Google and U.S. publishers have settled a longstanding dispute over Google's book-scanning project. A lawsuit filed by authors remains, though, leaving the project in question.

Want to leave your barista a tip? Starbucks is making an app for that.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Atwater, California, the Merced County agricultural community facing insolvency before year-end, declared a fiscal emergency as it struggles to avoid becoming the state’s fourth city to seek bankruptcy protection in 2012.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Blackstone Group LP took a majority stake in an investor group that owns a 31-property Southern California office portfolio after a debt restructuring led by SL Green Realty Corp.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Financial pros have a long history of sneering at mom and pop investors as “the dumb money,” all the while cashing in on commissions each time a sucker sells at the bottom or buys at the top.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- “I would like to say to Milton and Anna: Regarding the Great Depression. You’re right, we did it. We’re very sorry. But thanks to you, we won’t do it again.”

Investors cooled Thursday to T-Mobile USA's proposed acquisition of smaller rival MetroPCS, pulling down stock prices for both companies and previous MetroPCS suitor Sprint.

Vice President Joe Biden says Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney renounced his own tax cut during Wednesday's presidential debate.

Greek police clashed with shipyard workers protesting pay arrears Thursday after they broke into the Defense Ministry grounds, while hundreds of farmers on tractors tried to invade the country's second-busiest airport on Crete during an anti-austerity protest.

Dave & Buster's Entertainment Inc. said Thursday that it is withdrawing its proposed initial public offering because of unfavorable market conditions.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Sprint Nextel Corp. is in the early stages of evaluating a bid for MetroPCS Communications Inc. that would counter an offer from Deutsche Telekom AG, three people familiar with the situation said.

Zynga Inc., the maker “FarmVille” and other online games, expects a loss for the third quarter due to weak demand for some of its titles. It's also taking a charge related to its acquisition of OMGPop, a mobile game maker, which it bought for $183 million in March.

NEW YORK (AP) _ Cisco Systems Inc. hasn't had a president since CEO John Chambers gave up the title in 2006. Now, as the company thinks about a successor to the long-serving CEO, it's appointing two presidents -- twice the number most companies have.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- AT&T Inc. said it will start selling Nokia Oyj’s Lumia 820 and 920 in November, becoming the first U.S. wireless carrier to introduce the Finnish phone manufacturer’s new Windows Phone 8 devices.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Tesla Motors Inc., the maker of electric cars led by Elon Musk, said it’s making its first payment early on U.S. Energy Department loans the California startup used to engineer and produce the Model S sedan.

Honda says it is recalling more than 820,000 Civic compact cars and Pilot SUVs because the headlights can fail.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- U.K. stocks fluctuated between gains and losses as Bank of England policy makers maintained their bond-buying program and kept interest rates unchanged.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- European stocks were little changed as the European Central Bank and the Bank of England left their benchmark interest rates on hold.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Soybeans rose for second day in Chicago on speculation import demand may strengthen after prices fell from a record.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Treasury 10-year notes fell, snapping four days of gains, before the Federal Reserve releases minutes of its Sept. 12-13 meeting amid speculation monetary easing will bolster the U.S. economy and stoke inflation.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- German stocks fluctuated as the European Central Bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged, while investors continued to speculate that Spain will delay seeking a bailout.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Gold jumped in New York on signs of more demand in India, the biggest buyer, and a weakening dollar.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- India’s rupee rose for a fifth day, the longest winning streak since January, on speculation policy changes announced last month by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will spur economic growth.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Copper advanced in New York as higher equity prices boosted demand expectations for industrial metals.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Europe’s gasoline crack, or premium to Brent crude, rebounded from yesterday’s five-month low, snapping five days of declines.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Global coffee production will exceed demand in the 2012-13 season started this month, reversing a shortage a year earlier, according to CoffeeNetwork, a unit of brokerage INTL FCStone Inc.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley reiterated its call for gold, silver and copper to outperform other metals as investor demand and central-bank buying bolsters bullion and supply constraints benefit the raw material used in wires.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The euro rose for a sixth day against the yen, the longest run of gains since March, on speculation European Central Bank President Mario Draghi will today provide more detail of the bond-purchase program announced last month.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Denmark’s central bank will probably keep its deposit rate below zero for the rest of the year as signs of crisis resolution in Europe start to fade and haven assets such as the krone become popular again.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Greek economic sentiment worsened in September as the government failed to conclude talks with international lenders on 13.5 billion euros ($17.5 billion) of austerity measures for the next two years.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Most Swiss stocks advanced as the European Central Bank left its benchmark interest rate at a historic low, amid speculation on the timing of a Spanish bailout.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- A gauge of U.S. corporate credit risk fell for the fourth straight day as the European Central Bank announced that it will keep interest rates on hold.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Bovespa futures gained, a sign Brazil’s main stock index index may rebound from a two-day drop, on speculation that the European Central Bank will provide more details about the bond-purchase program announced last month and ease concerns about the region’s crisis.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Canada’s dollar rose from almost a 0ne-month low against its U.S. peer as European Central Bank policy makers kept their interest rate unchanged while stocks and crude oil gained amid demand for riskier assets.

Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- The rand fell to the lowest in more than two months as foreign investors sold South African bonds and equities after strikes spread in the country’s mining and transport industries.

An outbreak of a rare form of meningitis is likely to grow after sickening 26 people in five states, including four who died, health officials warned.

Turkey's deputy prime minister says a bill approved by the Turkish parliament authorizing the use of force in Syria is not a declaration of war but is intended as a deterrent against its nighbour.

A Mexican law-enforcement official says federal police have arrested two men who may be connected with the fatal shooting of a U.S. Border Patrol agent this week just north of the Mexico/Arizona border.

The city of Phoenix and a developer who was poised to demolish a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home have reached an agreement that will put any work on hold while a search continues for a buyer, a city official confirmed Wednesday.