Ben Bernanke has signaled a readiness to fight inflation with a different set of tools than the current Fed chairman, Alan Greenspan.

Retailers reported surprisingly strong results for October, despite fears that high fuel costs would keep shoppers at home.

Carmakers are competing at the Tokyo Motor Show to send car buyers a message: They have learned the lessons of the Prius.

Gregory B. Maffei, the chief financial officer and a co-president of the Oracle Corporation, resigned less than five months after he joined the company.

Citigroup said that James D. Wolfensohn would serve as a global strategy adviser to senior management and clients.

Venezuela's populist president, Hugo Chávez, is using the international summit meeting in Argentina to protest the Bush administration's free trade message.

Viacom announced that the new CBS Corporation would acquire CSTV Networks, a cable channel and confederation of Web sites that focus entirely on college sports.

Ford, in partnership with the ethanol producer VeraSun Energy, plans to announce that it will subsidize the installation of ethanol fuel pumps at gas stations around the Midwest.

The prospects that Johnson & Johnson will reach a new agreement to buy Guidant appeared to diminish as the companies remained at an impasse over the price of a renegotiated deal.

Silicon Valley's views of investment in China have tended to swing between wild optimism and deep anxiety - with the anxiety going beyond a fear of losing money.

Northwest Airlines had the worst on-time performance in September among 20 airlines tracked by the Department of Transportation.

Alan Greenspan told lawmakers that they should not extend President Bush's tax cuts if they could not make up for the lost revenue with savings in other areas.

Volkswagen and BMW became the latest European carmakers to post results that were hurt by a strong euro, high raw material prices and tough competition.

Wachovia announced plans to re-enter the credit card market as a direct issuer, starting in January 2006.

The gift from the founder of eBay must be invested in organizations that make small loans to poor people in developing countries, a field known as microfinance.

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, the former head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, was forced to step down as a member of its board.

Short sellers are having one of their rare days in the sun.

By Reuters.

The Comcast Corporation said that its third-quarter profit was flat while revenue from digital cable and high-speed Internet services improved.

The board that writes the accounting regulations for American companies is scheduled to vote next week on whether to revise the rule for pensions.

Two friends of Samuel Waksal, the former chief executive of ImClone Systems, have agreed to pay a total of $2.77 million to settle a lawsuit accusing them of insider trading in the company's shares.

MCI posted its second consecutive quarterly profit since emerging from bankruptcy, helped by lower administrative costs and a tax reduction.

By Reuters.

Retirees are now weighing the benefits of coverage given to them by their former employers against the new Medicare drug insurance program that begins in January.

Within the U.S., it turns out that drug prices are set in the same way that used-car prices are set: the better you are at negotiating, the less you pay.

Lew Wasserman, who rose from the streets of Cleveland to become the most powerful man in Hollywood, is the subject of this absorbing documentary.

Robert Greenwald's documentary makes a devastating case against the largest retailer on the planet.

When the overnight ratings for Tuesday's prime-time network shows did not arrive from Nielsen Media Research as scheduled, network executives wanted to know why.

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T) on Friday posted a 3.2 percent fall in quarterly operating profit as it spent more money on new factories, but brisk global car sales should provide a smoother ride for the rest of the year.

Yet another bidder enters the race for the futures brokerage unit of collapsed US finance firm Refco.

Five luxury brand names - including Gucci and Prada - sue China's famous Silk Street market for selling fake goods.

Reuters - British Airways , Europe's third-largest airline, posted a 6.5 percent rise in second-quarter operating profits on Friday due to higher ticket prices and demand for travel.

Reuters - French oil major Total SA reported a 32 percent surge in underlying third quarter net profits on Friday, on the back of record oil prices and strong refining margins, roughly in line with market expectations.

Reuters - German sporting goods maker Puma reported a 11.5 percent rise in third-quarter net income, above the average analysts' forecast, and raised its full-year sales and earnings outlook.

Lord Browne, BP chief executive, says oil prices are 'unsustainably' high and will fall as supplies increase.

British Airways estimates that this summer's Gate Gourmet dispute cost it between £35m and £45m.

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola will stop sales of its Vanilla Coke and Vanilla Diet Coke in the UK from early 2006.

House price inflation has risen for the third month in a row, to 3.9%, according to the Halifax bank.

The open source Firefox browser is now being used by more people than ever, figures show.

Reuters - Spanish oil major Repsol YPF said on Friday its third-quarter net income rose 22 percent to 934 million euros, beating an average analyst forecast of 884 million euros.

Reuters - Record oil prices and strong refining margins boosted underlying third-quarter profits at French energy giant Total by a third, roughly in line with market expectations, and raised its dividend 25 percent.

The US Senate approves $35bn worth of spending cuts in an effort to reduce the country's huge budget deficit.

Annual house price inflation has risen for the third month in a row, to 3.9%, according to the Halifax bank.

The number of people in England and Wales declared insolvent rose to a fresh record of 17,562 in the third quarter of 2005.

Reuters - U.S. stock futures indicated a nearly flat market opening on Friday as investors refrained from taking positions before the U.S. October employment report, expected to show a gain of about 100,000 new jobs.

Reuters - Utility operator Alliant Energy Corp. on Friday reported a larger third-quarter profit on stronger electricity margins and improved performance from operations in Brazil and New Zealand.

Reuters - Four bidders have been shortlisted to submit second-round bids of more than 1 billion pounds next month for British nuclear energy company BNFL's Westinghouse unit, sources familiar with the situation said.

Reuters - Spansion Inc. , which makes Flash memory for electronic products, on Friday set its planned initial public offering at 35.3 million class A shares at an estimated price of $16 to $18 each.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics chief said that the disappointing figure, put at 56,000, could not be blamed on Hurricane Katrina.

After one of the worst weeks of his presidency, President Bush was greeted by strong anti-American sentiment and taunts from Venezuela's populist president.

Vodafone completes a deal which increases its stake in South African mobile phone operator Vodacom.

China's economic expansion leads to a boom in the number of billionaires there, according to Forbes Asia magazine.

The US Senate votes down an attempt to ban oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Satellite broadcaster BSkyB reports a 13.6% rise in pre-tax profits after 57,000 new subscribers boost revenues.

Reuters - A smaller-than-expected 56,000 new U.S. jobs were created in October despite the fading impact of Hurricane Katrina, while total job growth over the two prior months was revised lower, a government report on Friday showed.

Reuters - Stocks opened higher on Friday as investors saw temporary hurricane-related losses as the reason behind the weaker-than-expected October employment data.

Reuters - Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. said on Friday its quarterly profit rose as it sold more products at full price.

Reuters - Fortune Brands Inc. , the maker of products ranging from Jim Beam Bourbon to Titleist golf balls, on Friday said third-quarter earnings declined 59 percent, citing integration costs and the absence of a tax-related credit recorded in the year-ago period.

A total of 56,000 new jobs were created in the US in October, as the jobless rate fell from 5.1% to 5%.

Carmakers Ford and Seat both intend to cut jobs in Europe in the latest bout of restructuring in the industry.

Prosecutors in South Africa charge two subsidiaries of the French arms company Thales with corruption.

The US Senate approves $35bn worth of spending cuts in an effort to reduce the country's huge budget deficit.

Reuters - Stocks turned lower on Friday on concerns about higher interest rates as the yield on the benchmark bond crept closer to a 16-month high and oil hit $61 a barrel.

Reuters - General Motors Corp. is offering additional cash rebates on all 2005 vehicles sold on the U.S. market except the Hummer H1, in an effort to rid itself of year-end inventory, the company said on Friday.

Reuters - Treasury Secretary John Snow on Friday said China was in a position where it could move more swiftly toward greater currency flexibility.

Reuters - Luxury clothing maker Polo Ralph Lauren Corp. on Friday said quarterly profit rose 31 percent, beating expectations, boosted by better apparel sales in several lines and in Europe, sending its stock to a new all-time high.

Reuters - Wachovia Corp. on Friday said regulatory investigations of mutual fund sales practices at the bank broadened to include its asset management unit Evergreen Investment Services.

Wages rose at their fastest clip in more than two years, leaving open the chance that the hiring slowdown may be temporary.

The European Commission tells new EU members they must step up their preparations for joining the eurozone.

A diamond polishing plant opens in the Angolan capital Luanda, which should lead to more gems being cut in Africa.

Reuters - U.S. blue-chip stocks slipped on Friday after a report showing faster wage growth last month pushed up the yield of the benchmark U.S. Treasury note and revived concern about higher interest rates and inflation.

Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. lowers consumer costs and adds jobs but has also led to a decline in wages and an increase in the number of people relying on government aid for health care, studies released on Friday show.

Wages rose at their fastest clip in more than two years, leaving open the chance that the hiring slowdown may be temporary.

Reuters - Johnson & Johnson and Guidant Corp. should reach a compromise in a battle over the price of their $25.4 billion merger agreement rather than walk away from the deal, shareholders and analysts said on Friday.

Reuters - Blue-chip stocks declined on Friday as a report showing strong wage growth revived concern about higher interest rates and inflation.

Reuters - Coca-Cola Co., the world's largest soft drink maker, said on Friday it would phase out its Vanilla Coke, Vanilla Diet Coke and Diet Coke With Lemon beverages in the United States by end of this year.

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola is to withdraw three flavours in the US and replace them with two new Cherry Cokes.

Reuters - Technology stocks rose for a third day on Friday as investors snapped up the shares on hopes of a year-end rally, while a report showing strong wage growth revived concern about inflation and limited the Dow's gains.

Anti-free trade protesters run riot in Argentina as President Bush joins other regional leaders for a summit.

Reuters - Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRKa.N) (BRKb.N), the investment company run by billionaire Warren Buffett, on Friday said quarterly profit fell 48 percent to the lowest level since 2001, hurt by nearly $3 billion of losses from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Reuters - Coca-Cola Co., the world's largest soft drink maker, said on Friday it would phase out its Vanilla Coke, Vanilla Diet Coke and Diet Coke With Lemon beverages in the United States by end of this year.

AP - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which has been prickly about criticisms of its low-cost business model, opened itself up to a lively debate among economists Friday about how the world's largest retailer affects the economy.

Reuters - Bankrupt Refco Inc. said on Friday it had received five bids for its futures trading arm and other parts of its commodities brokerage business as a deadline for offers passed.