Starbucks Corp. (Nasdaq: SBUX) shares rose Friday after billionaire investor Nelson Peltz disclosed that his investment fund bought a stake in the specialty coffee retailer.

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday that financial markets are "considerably calmer" now than they were two months ago. He predicted the economy will be rebounding by the second half of this year.

Shares of Jamba Inc. (Nasdaq: JMBA), which operates the Jamba Juice smoothie chain, fell after the company said it will close 10 underperforming stores and cut 53 workers to cut costs.

General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) plans to sell or spin off the appliance business that for a century has put refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers in American homes in a move that some analysts say shows one of the world's largest companies may shed other cherished assets.

After nine months of turmoil that started with the collapse of the subprime mortgage market, Wall Street appears to be at a turning point of sorts.

Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, will increase crude production next month in response to rising demand from its customers and a request by U.S. President George W. Bush to ease the strain of record prices.

Faced with drought and a jump in consumption, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has called for cleansing sewage for drinking water and imposing restrictions for watering lawns and washing driveways.

Moazzam Ahmed tried for years to square his investment goals with the tenets of Islam.

It's something small business owners dread: having to tell employees they're being laid off.

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down to their lowest point in a month, a spot of welcome news to would-be home buyers.

Josef Ackermann, chief executive officer of Deutsche Bank AG, summed up the debate over the global economy at a meeting I recently attended: It's either the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning.

Responding to congressional pressure, the Bush administration on Friday said it is suspending oil deliveries into the government's Strategic Petroleum Reserve for the remainder of the year.

Jamie P. Menges sees many of his clients getting squeezed in this economy, and some are considering hard choices -- like cutting back on their 401(k) contributions.

The shortage of workers at Ted Blair's three hotels near Yellowstone National Park is so severe that Blair himself might soon be busing tables and stripping beds.

Bill Gates, the chairman of software company Microsoft Corp., sold 2 million shares of common stock, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings Thursday.

Slot auctions designed to reduce delays and increase competition are coming to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, the government said Friday.

An international conference agreed Friday to hold producers or handlers of genetically engineered organisms liable for damage their products cause to native plants or animals when transported across borders.

Hundreds of United Auto Workers members are voting on a local contract that could end a monthlong strike at a General Motors Corp. factory that makes crossover vehicles.

The Federal Reserve is supplying the financial system with more than $150 billion in cash, a liquidity cushion that has helped keep enough credit flowing to ensure the economy's growth.

Ten years ago this month, the leaders of the European Union named the 11 countries that would merge their currencies into a single unit as a step toward transforming the region's political and economic tapestry.

Either Hillary Clinton has changed or I have.

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. said Friday that its first-quarter earnings rose 3 percent from a year ago on stronger sales.

Housing stocks drifted lower Friday after a poor consumer sentiment reading and record oil prices sent the broader market tumbling, and analysts said a report that new home construction rose in April may not be good news for the sector.

The Chinese Embassy is encouraging Americans and others to send cash and supplies to victims of this week's powerful earthquake.

The United States says it has reached a deal with North Korea to provide 500,000 metric tons of food aid to the closed-off communist nation over the coming year.

Unless you're looking carefully, you'll likely miss the fact that the new Asylum Web site for young men is a creation of Time Warner Inc.'s AOL. Same for WalletPop on personal finance, Spinner on indie music and StyleList on fashion.

A company rooted in bringing the Internet to the masses, AOL is shifting its focus toward serving niche audiences with the launch of dozens of specialty Web sites.

Genentech Inc. now expects final safety and effectiveness data from a trial of its cancer drug Avastin in colon cancer patients to be ready by 2009, a full year earlier than previously forecast.

Cracked dams and buckled roads, collapsed buildings and toppled factories -- China has begun to tally its losses from an earthquake this week that killed thousands and left thousands more missing, with estimates ranging to over $20 billion.

Wall Street capped a week of big gains with modest moves Friday as investors grappled with surging energy prices that overshadowed news of a surprise increase in home construction.

As President Bush wrapped up a meeting with Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on Friday, the country's oil minister announced the desert kingdom had opened its taps and was pumping an additional 300,000 barrels of crude a day.

Construction of new homes increased by the biggest percentage in more than two years in April, a rare spot of good news amid the worst downturn in housing in more than two decades.

Qualcomm Inc. stands to benefit from increasing competition in the smart phone market, which could boost earnings by as much as 19 cents per share next year, an analyst said Friday as he raised his price target on the stock.

Xcel Energy has launched a $100 million "smart grid" project in Boulder that will use technology to help customers conserve more energy while helping the utility reduce outages.

The United Steelworkers is fighting steelmaker and distributor Esmark Inc.'s plans to accept a $670 million buyout offer from India's Essar Steel Holdings.

May 16 (Bloomberg) -- Most U.S. stocks declined, led by retailers and financial companies, after consumer confidence slumped to the lowest in 28 years and Merrill Lynch & Co. advised selling two regional banks.

Sumo wrestlers were the main inspiration behind Wii Fit, Nintendo's latest attempt at getting you off the couch when you play video games.

Will Bruder likes to think that Frank Lloyd Wright would feel at home in the Nevada Museum of Art.

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down this week to their lowest point in a month, a spot of welcome news to would-be home buyers.

A key senator postponed action Thursday on a homeowner rescue package that could help half a million strapped borrowers get government-backed mortgages, as negotiators inched toward a bipartisan deal.