No Thanksgiving rest for retailers in sales race

U.S. shoppers may stretch tight budgets this year to reward loved ones after months of thrift, a softening of heart that store chains hope will erase the holiday season sales debacle of 2008. Read Full Article here.

Fannie Mae to tighten lending standards: report

Fannie Mae plans to raise minimum credit score requirements next month and limit the amount of overall debt that borrowers can carry relative to their incomes, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. Read Full Article here.

Acer says Windows 7 good for sales

Taiwan's Acer Inc, the world's No.2 PC maker, said Microsoft Corp's Windows 7 operating system launch last month has been positive for year-end PC sales, though the gains were within expectations. Read Full Article here.

Hershey Trust head's quandary: a kiss for Cadbury?

To LeRoy Zimmerman, the taste of chocolate will always mean Hershey's. But now the head of the charitable trust that controls the Hershey Company must contemplate a risk-everything deal that would tie its fate to the much larger British chocolatier Cadbury Plc. Read Full Article here.

AIG, ex-CEO Greenberg reach pact to settle disputes

AIG and former chief executive Maurice Hank Greenberg have reached an agreement to bury a long-standing, bitter legal battle and the insurer will turn over materials the former boss can use to write his memoir, as well as prized photographs and a Persian carpet. Read Full Article here.

Dubai debt worry ripples across assets

Debt problems in Dubai hit global stocks, helped lift bonds and took the dollar away from a 14-year low against the yen on Thursday. Read Full Article here.

BHP denies Rio backsliding on iron ore tie-up

Global miner BHP Billiton dismissed talk on Thursday that rival Rio Tinto was baulking at a proposed $116 billion joint venture in iron ore, insisting the two were close to a binding agreement. Read Full Article here.

U.S. will be out of Afghanistan by 2017: White House

The United States will not be in Afghanistan eight years from now, the White House said on Wednesday, as President Barack Obama prepared to explain to Americans next week why he is expanding the war effort. Read Full Article here.