IBT Staff Reporter

Retail sales look poised for a solid finish to the holiday season as warm weather and deep discounts encouraged shoppers to hit stores or go online to snap up last-minute gifts, according to data released on Wednesday.

Brazil mining company Vale has docked one of its giant iron ore vessels in China for the first time, ending a year-long impasse with Chinese authorities that threatened to hobble the company's plan to cut shipping costs to its biggest market.

The United States Mint said on Wednesday it has enough American Eagle gold and silver bullion coins to meet demand and does not expect to allocate them in early 2012.

The euro weakened about 1 percent against the dollar and the yen on Wednesday, one day before an important auction of long-dated Italian debt, while U.S. stocks slid more than 1 percent on concerns about the economy in early 2012.

While the Internet poker world salivates at the prospect of its business coming back to life thanks to an Obama administration ruling, a future president could reverse that decision and send the industry back to drawing board if it is not codified into law.

While the Internet poker world salivates at the prospect of its business coming back to life thanks to an Obama administration ruling, a future president could reverse that decision and send the industry back to drawing board if it is not codified into law.

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent on Wednesday after a hefty year-end rally and the S&P 500 erased gains for the year on renewed concerns about the euro zone's financial health.

U.S. stocks fell 1 percent on Wednesday as renewed concerns about the euro zones prompted investors to sell equities after last week's hefty year-end rally, wiping out the S&P 500's gains for the year.

U.S. stocks fell 1 percent on Wednesday as renewed concerns about the euro zones prompted investors to sell equities after last week's hefty year-end rally, wiping out the S&P 500's gains for the year.

Kradjian Importing Co is recalling 231 cases of Canadian cheese because they could be contaminated with listeria, the Glendale, California, company said.

The ballots are in the mail.

Fast Five, Hangover II and Thor were among the most-pirated movies of 2011, according to a new list from the blog TorrentFreak. But some of the year's other biggest grossers at the global box office -- including the latest Pirates movie -- are notably absent from the top 10.

Despite the fact that The Darkest Hour was smuggled into U.S. theaters on Christmas Day with no advance press screenings, I went in full of residual holiday good cheer, prepared to give this sci-fi movie the benefit of the doubt that all B-movies deserve.

Actor Jeremy Renner scuffed around Hollywood for a decade before his career took off in 2009 when he was nominated for an Oscar in his starring role in the bomb-disposal war drama The Hurt Locker.

If you've ever been to a gay and lesbian film festival, you've seen the story a million times -- teen hides sexuality from closed-minded parents, sneaks into a gay bar, finds true love, moves to the big city, dances to house music under the closing credits.

Cheetah the Chimp, co-star of the 1930s Tarzan films with Johnny Weissmuller and one of the world's oldest chimpanzees, has died in Florida. He was thought to be about 80 years old.

The euro fell to its lowest level against the dollar in nearly a year on Wednesday, one day before an important auction of long-dated Italian debt, while U.S. stocks slid about 1 percent on concerns about the economy in early 2012.

The euro hit a fresh 11-month low against the dollar on Wednesday, one day before an important auction of long-dated Italian debt, while U.S. stocks fell about 1 percent on concerns about the economy in early 2012.

Italy's short-term debt costs halved at auction Wednesday as a new austerity package and an injection of cheap long-term money from the European Central Bank won Rome some respite in thin year-end markets.

On Friday, I criticized Ron Paul's suggestion in 2007 that the Civil War could have been avoided if Abraham Lincoln had chosen to buy the slaves and release them, and I challenged readers to come up with other alternatives to the Civil War. Here are some of their responses.

Stocks fell about 1 percent on Wednesday on concerns about the economy in early 2012 while the euro hit a fresh 11-month low against the dollar before a key auction of long-dated Italian debt on Thursday.

Stocks fell on Wednesday after a hefty year-end rally and the S&P 500 erased gains for the year as investors shifted focus to what is expected to be a difficult start to 2012.

Stocks fell on Wednesday as thin trading volumes discouraged investors from resuming last week's rally while oil prices eased after Iran's threat to close the Gulf was written off as rhetoric.

Stocks fell on Wednesday as thin trading volumes discouraged investors from resuming last week's rally while oil prices eased after Iran's threat to close the Gulf was written off as rhetoric.

Confidential whistleblower documents that helped spark a massive state and federal investigation into how Bank of New York Mellon Corp charged pension funds for currency exchange, provide a rare window into how a bank insider aided a lawsuit against the bank.

Rick Perry, who said last month that he supported abortion in cases of rape or incest, told an Iowa pastor on Tuesday that he had undergone a transformation and now opposed abortion without exceptions.

Workers at an LG Display factory in eastern China have gone on strike, halting some production, the company said on Wednesday, in the latest action by China's increasingly assertive workforce.

Stocks fell on Wednesday in another low-volume session as investors stepped back after a string of gains and waited for the start of 2012 to place any large bets.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wednesday in what looks like another low-volume session, with investors waiting for the start of 2012 before placing any large bets.