MSNBC.com - Business
Date PostedArticle
3 hours ago Gulf businesses weigh dollars now vs. suing

David Scott, who runs Destin Connections Seafood Market in Montgomery, Ala., says he is weighing his options on whether to file a claim or sue. He says his losses have been at least $49,000.Thousands of business owners, fishermen and others along the Gulf Coast are confronting a conundrum. Accept a piece of BP's $20 billion claims fund or sue for a bigger payday.


3 hours ago Stocks end day up after jobless report surprises
Stocks extended their September rally Thursday, ending higher after more encouraging news on the job market.
6 hours ago New police car, where are you?

The Ford Police Interceptor, one of the entries from Detroit's Big Three automakers vying for the law enforcement vehicle market.There’s a three-way shoot-out blazing on the mean streets of Detroit. This one pits Ford against General Motors, with Chrysler hoping to score with a lucky shot of its own.


6 hours ago At Fashion Week, recession struts the runway

More than 90 designers will show at New York Fashion Week's new headquarters on Manhattan's Upper West Side, up about 50 percent from the last two seasons in February and September.The recession has changed how people shop for fashion, with an eye for special pieces rather than trusty wardrobe basics, and top retail buyers say this trend is likely to last.


6 hours ago Need a vacation? Many Americans don't go
Need of a vacation? You are not alone but more than half of Americans do not take all their vacation days, even though they think they need a holiday more this year than last.
6 hours ago Life Inc.: Breakfast's summer of discontent
It has been the worst summer ever for breakfast lovers. And somewhere, Mrs. Butterworth is shedding a tear.
6 hours ago Nice perk if you can get it: A house cleaner
Should your employer pay someone to clean your bathroom? If the employer is a university and the employee is a scientist, then the answer should be yes, according to a paper published in Academe.
6 hours ago Many Gulf fishermen reluctant to try their luck

Shrimper Tommy Verdin, standing in front of his 100-foot trawler "Cherish" in Grand Isle, La., in May, isn't sure he can make ends meet with prices for Gulf seafood well below their historic average.The leaking oil well is capped, the oil is degrading and the coast is clear for fishermen to resume commercial operations, but fishermen on the Gulf coast are eyeing the economic tides and worrying.


6 hours ago Gulf businesses weigh dollars now vs. suing
Thousands of business owners, fishermen and others along the Gulf Coast are confronting a conundrum. Accept a piece of BP's $20 billion claims fund or sue for a bigger payday.
6 hours ago Steelworkers: China unfair on clean energy
The United Steelworkers union asked the Obama administration to investigate Chinese policies and practices it said threatened to unfairly take U.S. clean energy jobs.
6 hours ago Stocks hold onto gains in afternoon trading
Stocks extended their September rally Thursday after more encouraging news on the job market.
9 hours ago Cold drinks, hot summer fuel McDonald's sales rise

FILE - In this Feb. 1, 2010 file photograph, people are seen in the McDonald's restaurant at Moscow's Pushkin Square. Fast-food giant McDonald's Corp. said Thursday, Sept. 9, a key revenue figure rose 4.6 percent in the U.S. in August, as customers continued to come in for its frappes and smoothies. McDonald's saids the figure climbed 2.2 percent in Europe on strong results in the U.K. and Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev, file)August's summer heat provided a lift for fast-food giant McDonald's, pushing a key revenue figure up 4.6 percent in the U.S. during the month as customers came in for frappes and fruit smoothies.


9 hours ago Wall Street Journal launching book review
The Wall Street Journal is set to launch a book review in the next few weeks, even as newspapers across the country cut back on book coverage.
9 hours ago Toys R Us plans ‘pop-up’ store barrage

In this undated photo provided by Toys R Us Inc., an "Express" store is shown at Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, N.J. Toys R Us plans to invade the mall this holiday season, opening 600 temporary "Express" stores in malls and other shopping centers around the country.


9 hours ago U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in July
The U.S. trade deficit narrowed significantly in July as exports climbed to the highest level in nearly two years, new data show.
9 hours ago A whole different Playboy channel — for the blind

Suzi Hanks sits in a tiny sound booth demonstrating how she describes a Playboy magazine photo, just before she spends her weekly hour reading the magazine as a volunteer at Taping For The Blind, Inc. in Houston.While a text-only Braille edition of Playboy has been available for decades, volunteers at Taping for the Blind, Inc., in Houston record descriptions — in great detail — of the latest issue of the magazine for the blind.


9 hours ago Toil and trouble: Romania rejects witches' tax
Abracadabra, we'll turn all of you into toads! That's what Romanian senators may have been fearing when they rejected a proposal to tax witches and fortune tellers.
9 hours ago Hopes up as jobless claims fall, trade gap eases

Day laborers prepare to leave for a construction site after finding a day's work at Labor Finders in Miami. Even though the economy is growing more slowly, companies in recent weeks are resisting making even deeper cuts to their work forces.The number of people requesting unemployment benefits declined for the third straight week as companies resist making even deeper cuts to their work forces.


9 hours ago Stocks rise after upbeat jobless claims data
Stocks extended their September rally Thursday with an early gain after another report indicated modest improvements in the job markets.
12 hours ago Reclusive heiress's attorney lashes out at family

Attorney Wallace "Wally" Bock says he has always done exactly what his client, heiress Huguette Clark, has asked. He acknowledged soliciting from her a gift of $1.5 million for the community where his daughter and grandchildren live.Elderly heiress Huguette Clark's attorney has responded to an effort by her relatives to oust him by ridiculing them as Johnny-come-latelies. Msnbc.com's Bill Dedman reports.


12 hours ago U.K. watchdog fines Goldman $27 million
Britain's financial watchdog slapped a 17.5 million pounds ($27 million) fine on Goldman Sachs on Thursday for inadequate disclosure of a U.S. probe into the Wall Street powerhouse.
12 hours ago Toys R Us plans ‘pop-up’ store barrage

In this undated photo provided by Toys R Us Inc., an "Express" store is shown at Monmouth Mall in Eatontown, N.J. Toys R Us, which has filed for an initial public offering, said it plans to open about 600 temporary stores in malls and shopping centers nationwide.


12 hours ago U.S. trade deficit narrowed sharply in July
The trade deficit narrowed significantly in July as exports climbed to the highest level in nearly two years, new data show.
12 hours ago New police car, where are you?

The Ford Police Interceptor, one of the entries from Detroit's Big Three automakers vying for the law enforcement vehicle market.There’s a three-way shoot-out blazing on the mean streets of Detroit. This one pits Ford against General Motors, with Chrysler hoping to score with a lucky shot of its own.


12 hours ago Small firms' job-growth role may be overstated
As President Obama lobbies the Senate to pass an aid package for small businesses, several economists are challenging the notion that such firms  create the most private sector jobs.
12 hours ago U.S. competitiveness slides to 4th place
The U.S. has slipped down the ranks of competitive economies, falling behind Sweden and Singapore due to huge deficits and pessimism about government.
12 hours ago Many Gulf fishermen reluctant to try their luck

Shrimper Tommy Verdin, standing in front of his 100-foot trawler "Cherish" in Grand Isle, La., in June, isn't sure he can make ends meet with prices for Gulf seafood well below their historic average.The leaking oil well is capped, the oil is degrading and the coast is clear for fishermen to resume commercial operations, but fishermen on the Gulf coast are eyeing the economic tides and worrying.


12 hours ago Jobless claims drop to two-month low
The number of people requesting unemployment benefits declined for the third straight week as companies resist making even deeper cuts to their work forces.
12 hours ago Stock futures jump after jobless claims data
Stocks look set  to continue their rally Thursday after new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week to their lowest level in two months.
24 hours ago Home lending pace rises; most are refinancings
Americans applied to buy homes at the highest pace last week since May, but more than 8 of every 10 loan requests was for a refinancing, Mortgage Bankers Association data show.