(Bloomberg) -- U.K. construction output grew for the first time in three months in October, according to Markit Economics, which said the industry remains subdued and continues to shed jobs.

U.S. stocks fell, paring a weekly gain for the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, after better-than-forecast payrolls failed to keep commodity and technology shares from slumping as Americans prepared to pick a president.

Amgen Inc., the world’s largest biotechnology company, is developing a new anti-cholesterol medicine by 2015 that it sees as its best shot to offset reduced sales when its popular anemia drugs lose exclusivity.

Starbucks Corp., the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, rose the most in 19 months after yesterday reporting fourth-quarter profit increased as new products helped boost U.S. sales.

Legions of lawyers are ready to enter the fray in case Election Day turns on a legal challenge. One nightmare scenario would be for the results in a battleground state like Florida or Ohio to be too close to call, with thousands of absentee or provisional ballots yet to be counted.

Any stock trader will tell you that if there's one thing investors hate, it's uncertainty.

After failing to strike deals for companies from Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. to Mentor Graphics Corp., Carl Icahn now must convince suitors that Netflix Inc. deserves one of the highest valuations in America.

U.S. companies boosted their orders for manufactured goods by the largest amount in 18 months in September, but companies remained cautious in ordering goods that signal plans to expand and modernize.

(Bloomberg) -- Brookfield Office Properties Inc. (NYSE: BPO) plans to switch one of the two proposed office towers at its Manhattan West development to apartments.

Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Cody Buck rebuilt his home in Sayreville, New Jersey, after Hurricane Irene knocked it down last year. Yesterday, Buck showed New Jersey Governor Chris Christie how superstorm Sandy destroyed the house again.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Yelp Inc., a website that lets users review businesses ranging from lounges to locksmiths, fell the most in five months after the company forecast revenue that missed estimates amid slumping ad sales to national retailers.

The United States added a solid 171,000 jobs in October, and more than a half-million Americans joined the work force, the latest signs that the uneven economic recovery is gaining strength once again.

A frightful scenario could play out in a couple months unless a lame-duck Congress and the White House are able to resolve their differences on taxes and spending.

Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc., the seller of leather couches and tables made of salvaged wood, rose 30 percent in trading after pricing its initial public offering at the top of the proposed range.

Bond buyers are vying with insurers to strike deals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as their regulator seeks to draw private capital to the government-dominated mortgage market.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- New Yorkers looking to buy the latest version of Apple Inc.’s iPad had fewer stores to shop in today, after Hurricane Sandy induced power blackouts, hobbled transportation and left some retail outlets shuttered.

Oil closed Friday at its lowest point in almost four months as two Northeast refineries remained shut after Superstorm Sandy. With production of gasoline and diesel reduced, and demand dropping off in the storm-stricken region, there is a likelihood that the nation's already ample supplies of oil will grow.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. agreed to buy closely held Oriental Trading Co., the U.S. direct retailer of party and craft supplies.

A federal judge issued a mixed ruling Thursday on a lawsuit filed by former Hawaii governor and current Honolulu mayoral candidate Ben Cayetano and others to stop the city's rail line.

The Virginia Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a homeowner's insurance policy doesn't cover damage caused by Chinese drywall.

Restoration Hardware has raised approximately $123.9 million from its initial public offering of about 5.2 million shares.

Sometime late Tuesday night, barring an unexpected bout of litigation, one of the major party presidential nominees will be calling the other one to concede.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Oil fell for the first time in four days on speculation the shutdown of refineries on the U.S. East Coast due to Hurricane Sandy will add to already ample supplies.

A 15-acre park at the upcoming George W. Bush Presidential Center will recreate a Texas prairie, complete with a wildflower meadow, a new blend of native grasses and even trees transplanted from the former president's ranch.

Ocwen Financial Corp. won a $3 billion auction for Residential Capital LLC’s loan-servicing unit, outbidding Nationstar Mortgage Holdings Inc. as it aims to become the largest non-bank home-loan servicer.

Accompanied by astronauts and shuttle workers, Atlantis made a slow, solemn journey to retirement Friday, the last space shuttle to orbit the world and the last to leave NASA's nest.

Motorists fumed in long lines at gas stations around the metropolitan area and screamed at each other Friday morning as fuel shortages hindered the region's efforts to recover from Superstorm Sandy.

President Barack Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney each got new evidence to bolster his closing argument Friday from an economic report showing more job creation and an uptick in unemployment.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The growing gulf between the behavior of investors enamored with monetary and fiscal largess and the reality of globally weakening economies -- a phenomenon I call the Grand Disconnect -- is profoundly unhealthy.

The McGraw-Hill Cos., an education and financial information company that owns the Standard & Poor's corporate credit rating firm, said Friday its third-quarter net income fell 14 percent, pulled down by costs related to the planned spinoff of its education division and cost-cutting efforts.

ITT Corp. fared better in the third quarter than analysts anticipated, providing further validation for a spin-off that streamlined the company's operations last year.

Delek Logistics Partners LP's common units jumped more than 10 percent in their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co.’s Fusion sedan, with styling evocative of an Aston Martin, is being promoted with an ad blitz that suggests its beauty makes competitors disappear.

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling on Friday called a lawsuit brought against him by Rhode Island economic development officials “political” and denied wrongdoing in connection with a $75 million state loan guarantee the state gave his failed video game company, 38 Studios.

Starbucks' stock got a big jolt Friday a day after the coffee chain raised its profit forecast for its current fiscal year and said it will accelerate cafe openings. It cited a pipeline of new products and the strength of its core business.

Huntsman returned to profit in its third quarter, buoyed by increased polyurethane prices.

Penske Automotive Group Inc. reported third-quarter results that beat market expectations as it sold more vehicles. But the auto dealership group's shares fell in Friday trading as investors worried about the pricing pressure the company experienced.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp., whose growth has been aided by 40-mile-per-gallon claims, will compensate U.S. customers for overstating the fuel efficiency of their latest models.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Hovnanian Enterprises Inc., New Jersey’s largest homebuilder, said revenue for the quarter that ended this week should meet or exceed analysts’ estimates even as superstorm Sandy pushed back the completion of some deals.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Fortress Investment Group LLC, the first publicly traded private-equity and hedge-fund manager in the U.S., said third-quarter profit rose 49 percent on higher fees paid to the firm for managing its funds.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Existing-home sales, a market indicator followed by economists and analysts, probably will slow in the U.S. Northeast for the rest of 2012 as superstorm Sandy disrupts deals, the National Association of Realtors said.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Ally Financial Inc., the auto lender that got a $17.2 billion government bailout, reported a $384 million third-quarter profit, reversing a loss from a year earlier on a gain from mortgage operations.

I've been conditioned just like any other consumer to expect certain things from certain companies. When it comes to tablets, I expect Apple's to look and feel amazing, Google's to seamlessly blend online services such as Gmail and search, and Amazon's to have easy access to its online store.

The United States added a solid 171,000 jobs in October, and more than a half-million Americans joined the work force, the latest signs that the uneven economic recovery is gaining strength once again.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- American employers added more workers than forecast to payrolls in October and a rush of people entering the labor force pushed the jobless rate higher, according to the last report on the labor market before next week’s presidential election.

Regulators on Friday closed a bank in Florida and one in Illinois, bringing to 49 the number of U.S. bank failures this year.

Construction has started in Puerto Rico on what will soon be the Caribbean's largest solar energy park.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The dollar rose for a third day against the yen before a U.S. report that economists said will show employers stepped up hiring last month, pointing to a recovery in the world’s biggest economy.

Under growing pressure with thousands still shivering from Sandy, the New York City Marathon was canceled Friday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg after mounting criticism that this was not the time for a race.

Gazing at her bungalow, swept from its foundation and tossed across the street, Janice Clarkin wondered if help would ever come to this battered island off the coast of Manhattan.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Gold fell for a second day in New York as signs the U.S. economy is improving bolstered the dollar and curbed demand for the metal as an alternative investment.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Hiring in the U.S. increased more than forecast in October as employers looked past slowing global growth and political gridlock.

its Jersey City, N.J., printing plant.

Stronger than expected U.S. jobs figures in the run-up to next week's presidential election failed to boost financial markets on Friday.

State economists' forecasts for job growth in Arizona are improved compared with their projections from six months ago.

Cycling through the heart of some European cities can be a terrifying experience as you jostle for space with cars, trucks and scooters that whizz by with only inches to spare.

Shares of Restoration Hardware are up 29 percent in its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange.

A day after announcing plans to downsize its magazine division, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. said the declining value of its publishing business and a drop in ad revenues widened its third-quarter loss.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. automakers would endorse four more years with profits like those this week. A second term for President Barack Obama, who made saving General Motors Co. a campaign pillar, hinges on whether voters give him the credit.

Chevron Corp. said Friday its third-quarter net income fell 33 percent as production declined and it sold oil and gas at lower prices.

Government-controlled lender Ally Financial Inc. said Friday that it posted third-quarter net income of $384 million, reversing a loss in the same quarter last year, helped by the absence of losses related to its former mortgage business.

West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw is suing a Texas company for allegedly charging fees to receive benefits from a national mortgage settlement.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Ally Financial Inc., the auto lender that got a $17.2 billion government bailout, reported a $384 million third-quarter profit, reversing a loss from a year earlier on a gain from its mortgage operations.

Japanese nuclear regulators inspected ground structures at the country's only operating nuclear plant to examine if an existing fault line is active.

Four Afghan police officers were shot dead Friday in southern Helmand province in an insider attack by their colleagues, officials said.

It's finally time to reclaim that hour of sleep you lost last spring.

Mitt Romney is making his closing argument, warning that re-electing President Barack Obama would threaten another government shutdown and national default.

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Baseball, which you may remember wrapped up its season this week, is the Chosen People’s Chosen Sport.

Nov. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Whew. That was the general reaction when President Barack Obama told waterlogged New Jersey that “we are here for you.” After all, these days, a president is expected to “be here.”

Nov. 2 (Bloomberg) -- Orders for U.S. equipment such as computers and electrical gear barely rose in September, pointing to a slowdown in business investment that will weigh on growth.

A British theologian who supports gay marriage says the University of San Diego has withdrawn a fellowship because of her views.

step of putting extra fuel on planes.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- The Haitian capital saw a small increase in the number of people infected by cholera after last week's destructive rains from Hurricane Sandy, an international medical group said Friday.

“We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event _ even one as meaningful as this -- to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track,” Bloomberg said.