MARKETS / FINANCE

See's Candies is experiencing more commodities cost pressure from dairy than from cocoa, despite the high prices of cocoa beans and uncertainty in the market, the chief executive of the Berkshire Hathaway -owned business said on Friday.

The jury in Raj Rajaratnam's insider trading trial completed a fifth day of deliberations without reaching a verdict on Friday, mirroring the time jurors have spent in other high-profile, complex white-collar cases.

U.S. consumers increased spending for a ninth straight month in March as they stretched to cover higher costs for food and gasoline, with inflation posting its biggest year-on-year gain in 10 months.

The U.S. economy is not fully recovered from its deep recession, with housing still weighing on growth, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said on Friday in a speech spelling out ways the U.S. central bank has studied lower income communities.

A strong showing by Caterpillar and other U.S. industrials' shares led the market higher on Friday, putting the Dow on track for its best month since December.

Warren Buffett could use a root beer float right about now -- the investment guru is feeling the heat from 40,000 shareholders who may want to criticize him, question whether he has lost touch or even push him to retire.

Industrials led the Dow higher on Friday following a strong quarter and outlook from Caterpillar, and the index looked set to notch its best month since December.

A shareholder advisory firm has recommended that Bank of America Corp shareholders not re-elect the head of the company's audit committee at the May 11 annual meeting.

Consumer sentiment rose in April as the sharp increase in gasoline prices was viewed as being temporary, a survey released on Friday showed.

Rising gasoline and food prices lifted U.S. consumer spending in March and the increase in overall inflation from a year-ago was the largest in 10 months, government data showed on Friday.

U.S. consumer spending rose in March as households stretched to cover higher costs for food and gasoline, with inflation posting its biggest year-on-year rise in 10 months.

Strong quarterly results from Caterpillar and Merck on Friday looked set to drive the Dow to its best month since December, with a bullish stock market on course to buck a seasonally weak May.

Euro zone inflation rose further above the European Central Bank's target in April, increasing the chances of an interest rate rise in June, despite a weakening of economic sentiment and household demand.

Asia needs to work to ensure the potential of its economic and political rise is realized, including fulfilling its responsibilities as a global player, the Asian Development Bank said ahead of its annual meeting next week in Vietnam.

Rising gasoline and food prices lifted consumer spending in March and the increase in overall inflation from a year-ago was the largest in 10 months, government data showed on Friday.

Jake was an unfortunate victim of the downturn in his chosen industry. Graduating in 2005 from a Master's in Aviation program, he entered the job market and was unsuccessful in securing a position in his field of interest. Then, with the global economic crisis just a few years later, he put his dreams on hold and decided to continue to work in the retail field for Sam's Club, not knowing if he would ever be able to use his degree to break into aviation.

Madison had an eclectic career of varied experiences from working in the court system to working with a media organization and most recently a law firm. Her goal was to leverage the commonalities of her experiences to position herself as an expert in select fields rather than as a Jill-of-all-trades. Madison did have an existing résumé which was nicely organized into the following sections: Qualifications Summary, Endorsements, Professional Highlights, Community Service, and Education.

Brian was referred to Ladybug Design by his Human Resources Department on the announcement that the plant in which he worked was going to be closing permanently. Brian had worked for the manufacturing plant for 10+ years and was serving in a senior management capacity as Assistant Vice President of Operations. Regardless of the impending shutdown, Brian had made significant operational improvements and had played a key role in turning

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday as a bullish stock market was set to enter the seasonally weak month of May with the Dow and the Nasdaq about to post their best month since December.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat to lower open for Wall Street on Friday, reversing gains from the previous session on the last trading session of the month.

Euro zone inflation rose further above the European Central Bank's target in April, data showed on Friday, increasing the chances of another interest rate rise in June, despite a weakening of economic sentiment.

Nasdaq OMX and IntercontinentalExchange are poised to go hostile in their bid for NYSE Euronext after shareholders ratcheted up pressure on the Big Board parent to get a better deal.

The dollar languished near three-year lows on Friday, weighed down by weak U.S. data and the prospect of ultra-loose policy for months yet, while stocks paused for breath and a strong commodities rally tailed off.

Blackstone Group LP plans to buy the top floors of the former New York Times building in Manhattan for $160 million, according to a report in the New York Times.

Credit card lenders could be facing more than $300 million of card replacement costs if customers affected by the Sony Corp data breach decide to replace their credit cards.

Warren Buffett will not limit the scope of questions he is asked at this weekend's annual meeting of his conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway , the iconic investor told Fox Business on Thursday.

Apart from the murmur of voices and bursts of laughter, nothing was heard on Thursday from 12 jurors studying the evidence in hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam's high-profile insider trading trial.

Chrysler Group LLC, which came to the brink of collapse before a federal bailout in 2009, plans to fully repay more than $7 billion in loans from the U.S. and Canadian governments by the end of June.

Former SAC Capital Advisors LP analyst Jonathan Hollander reached a settlement with U.S. securities regulators over allegations he engaged in insider trading in his personal account, while working at Steven A. Cohen's $12 billion hedge fund.