Spike in Prius complaints may not be all it seems (AP)
AP - Reports of sudden acceleration in the Toyota Prius have spiked across the country. But that doesn't mean there's an epidemic of bad gas pedals in the popular hybrid.
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Wholesale inventories fall while sales increase (AP)
AP - Businesses trimmed inventories at the wholesale level again in January even though sales rose for a 10th consecutive month. The dip in inventories underscored that businesses remain cautious about restocking their depleted shelves.
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Senate passes jobless aid, business tax breaks (AP)
AP - The Senate voted Wednesday to extend key pieces of last year's economic stimulus measure, including help for the jobless and money to help financially strapped states pay for health care for the poor.
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Budget deficit sets record in February (AP)
AP - The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year.
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Britain confronts debt of Greek proportions (AP)
AP - Government debt is growing, as is the deficit. The economy is struggling to get out of recession and there is talk of spending cuts or higher taxes. The unions are on edge. And the currency is plummeting.
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Stocks rise after inventories fall and sales gain (AP)
AP - Scant buying lifted stocks for a second day Wednesday after the government reported a drop in companies' inventories.
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Kroger, Ruby Tuesday, UAL are big movers (AP)
AP - Stocks that moved substantially or traded heavily Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq Stock Market:more
Calif.'s unemployment rate 5th highest in nation (AP)
AP - New federal labor data show that California's unemployment rate remains the fifth highest in the nation.more
Quality Distribution 4Q profit fall as sales drop (AP)
AP - Quality Distribution Inc., which hauls chemicals in trucks, said Wednesday its fourth-quarter earnings fell on lower sales and one-time expenses.more
Euro rebounds, gains on dollar (AFP)
AFP - The euro staged a modest turnaround against the dollar Wednesday in featureless trading as dealers looked for signals on prospects for the world economy and a proposed European monetary fund.
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Quinn seeks income tax hike for schools (AP)
AP - Calling himself a realist, Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday scaled back his proposal to raise income taxes, shifting to a call for an increase of just one percentage point to be used solely for preventing deep cuts to education.
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US views Doha framework as 'not satisfactory': lawmaker (AFP)
AFP - The United States is unhappy with the current framework of the Doha Round of negotiations to forge a global trade accord, a key lawmaker said Wednesday after talks with WTO chief Pascal Lamy.
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Wal-Mart spent $1.78 million lobbying in 4Q (AP)
AP - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, spent nearly $1.78 million lobbying in the fourth quarter on a wide range of issues from health care reform to organized crime and food safety issues, according to a recent disclosure report.more
Home loan demand nudges higher in latest week (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. mortgage applications nudged higher last week, reflecting increased demand for home purchase loans even as interest rates trekked higher, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.
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ND oil rig count tops 100 (AP)
AP - The number of rigs piercing North Dakota's oil patch has topped 100 for the first time in nearly three decades, the state Department of Mineral Resources said Wednesday.more
Chrysler names North American Fiat head (AP)
AP - Chrysler Group LLC said Wednesday that it has named a new executive to head the reintroduction of the Fiat brand to the North American market.more
Real Estate's Link to the Small Business Credit Crunch (BusinessWeek)
BusinessWeek - It's no secret that small businesses in the U.S. face difficulties accessing credit. According to a survey of a random sample of 751 small businesses conducted by Gallup at the end of 2009 for the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation, 44% of small businesses seeking credit in 2009 received only some or none of the money they sought. This level of credit access compares poorly with mid-2000, when nine of every 10 companies seeking credit received it. While there is broad agreement that a small business credit problem exists, there is less consensus about its causes. ...more