latimes.com - /business

Restaurants brace for dreary season as consumers lose appetite for dining out

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Support grows to limit the size of financial institutions

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:52:00 -0800

Alan Greenspan, Paul Volcker and a House committee are among those advocating restrictions on size. Critics say that mega corporations need the services of mega institutions.

Momentum is growing in the United States and abroad to deal with the problem of gigantic financial institutions deemed too big to fail by breaking them up preemptively.

Gas prices expected to remain stable during Thanksgiving weekend

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:15:00 -0800

The average price of a gallon of regular drops 2.1 cents to $2.94 in California but rises 1 cent to $2.639 nationwide

Motorists might not be paying as little as they would like to for a gallon of gasoline, but at least prices probably will remain stable in California and across the nation during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a government report released Monday indicated.

October home sales rise 10.1% from September

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:14:00 -0800

WASHINGTON -- Home sales surged for the second month in a row in October, climbing to the highest level in 21/2 years as first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of an expiring tax credit.

Expect huge box office opening for 'The Princess and the Frog,' thanks to high ticket prices

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:41:32 -0800

"The Princess and the Frog," Disney's first hand-drawn animated feature in six years, isn't only a throwback in style. When it opens Wednesday, it also will be the first Disney animated film since "Brother Bear," its last non-CGI feature, to start in limited release in New York and Los Angeles.

Hewlett-Packard's revenue down, profit up

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:03:00 -0800

Hewlett-Packard Co.'s profit jumped 14% in the latest quarter, helped by cost-cutting and better results from its technology services division.

Weak dollar, home sales data carry stocks higher

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:21:00 -0800

NEW YORK -- Investors halted a three-day losing streak on the stock market, sending prices broadly higher on a weaker dollar and better-than-expected home sales numbers.

Feds find association between drywall, corrosion

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:16:00 -0800

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The federal government said today that it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of homeowners over the last year.

Solar energy industry brings a ray of hope to the Rust Belt

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Areas hard-hit by the U.S. automakers' slump are pitching themselves to green technology firms. Workers and machines that used to crank out cars are now making parts for solar and wind power plants.

At a recent solar energy conference in Anaheim, economic development officials from Ohio talked up a state that seemed far removed from the solar panels and high-tech devices that dominated the convention floor.

Malls' holiday marketing reaches new heights

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Amid forecasts of weaker sales, promotion budgets soar at Los Angeles-area shopping centers.

Suspended up to 80 feet in the air, aerial performers in sparkly red outfits spiraled, somersaulted and soared above a crowd at the Beverly Center on a recent evening.