COMPANIES

The most important part of the quarterly earnings ritual is what companies are saying about the global economy.

Fitch Ratings compared Europe to economically stagnant Japan, which hasn't seen auto sales rise above its 1990 peak.

Toyota Motor Corp. will recall nearly 1.3 million cars globally for two separate defects, including 752,000 Corolla and Corolla Matrix vehicles in the United States to fix airbags that could be deployed inadvertently, the automaker said.

Despite a nearly three-week grounding of its 787 Dreamliners due to battery concerns, Boeing expects the problem won't impact its 2013 earnings.

A strong 2013 start is expected when automakers release January sales figures Friday after the best December since the 2008-09 recession.

Even before two battery failures led to the grounding of all Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets, the planes’ lithium-ion batteries had experienced multiple problems that raised questions about their reliability, The New York Times reports.

Chesapeake Energy Corp. (NYSE:CHK) announced Tuesday that CEO Aubrey McClendon will resign after a tumultuous year in which a series of Reuters investigations triggered civil and criminal probes.

Patent expirations for lucrative blockbuster drugs eroded fourth-quarter sales for top drugmakers.

America's second-largest automaker beat analysts' earnings expectations, but estimates for Europe and Latin America pulled the stock price down.

A recall has been issued for ground beef after a salmonella outbreak in the meat caused illness in five states.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner fiery battery problen has renewed attention on an issue that never went away.

Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) said the first half of 2013 will not be as prosperous as a year earlier.

It's not an encouraging sign for burdened U.S. consumers - another swipe fee, but not every state is allowing the new charge.

Japan's No. 1 carmaker, Toyota Motor Corporation (TYO:7283), became the world's biggest carmaker in 2012 by selling more vehicles than General Motors Company (NYSE:GM).

Here's your handy earnings-report watchlist for this week -- a week that should offer more insight into the health of U.S. companies.

Contract talks between the longshoremen and their employers in the New York area are coming down to the wire; a strike would devastate the U.S. economy but perhaps bolster the labor movement.

America's second-largest auto company will show higher income despite slightly lower revenue, according to analysts' estimates.

Burger King has dropped its meat supplier after horse meat was found in beef.

The popular Trader Joe’s wine known as "Two-Buck Chuck" will no longer be living up to his name after its price was raised to $2.49 from $1.99.

Chemical maker Huntsman will trim its European manufacturing payroll to make its Advanced Materials division more efficient.

Japan has been thrust full steam into developing alternatives to nuclear power. It has a long way to go.

Peugeot Citroen has unveiled a hybrid car that runs partly on the most environmentally friendly resource of all: air.

The city has selected the My Micro NY design as part of its New Housing Marketplace Plan to develop affordable housing for small-household New York residents.

A would-be thief who had a change of heart over his criminal intentions left a Montana Papa John’s with another kind of dough – a pizza pie for his family instead of the restaurant’s cash.

A video of a baby being flung from a mini-van has gone viral after a horrific car crash in Russia nearly took the child’s life.

Spring is the holiday shopping season for home improvement retailers. Lowe's says it's hiring 54,000 this year.

McDonald's Corp. beat profit estimates for the last three months of 2013. However, it says January could see flagging sales.

U.S. home prices rose for a tenth consecutive month in November.

After more than a year of delays, Nebraska approved a new route for the Keystone XL pipeline that avoids fragile grasslands.