IBT Staff Reporter

Department store operator Macy's Inc posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year outlook as cost-cuts overshadowed lower sales, but mixed results from two of its suppliers showed that the retail industry remains tough.

Emdeon Inc soared in its trading debut on Wednesday while Starwood Property Trust Inc fell slightly after their respective initial public offerings.

The United States national team will play against Mexico on Wednesday in Mexico City's 100,000-seat Azteca Stadium.

Don't despair if you haven't already bought tickets to the sold-out Edinburgh Festival Fringe show of one of British comedy's best up and coming troupes. Go viral.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday kept its key interest rate near zero as expected and said it would end its purchase of $300 million in Treasury securities in October, one month later than previously announced.

The days of secret bank accounts are numbered for Americans after UBS and the U.S. and Swiss governments agreed to settle a dispute over whether the Swiss bank should be forced to disclose the names of 52,000 rich U.S. clients suspected of tax evasion.

Oil rose 1.5 percent on Wednesday as a stock market rally raised optimism about the economy, offsetting concerns about rising inventories and weak demand in top consumer the United States.

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in June suggests that economic activity is leveling out.

The Hollywood film studios notched a victory in their war on digital piracy Tuesday when a judge ruled against the DVD-copying technology known as RealDVD.

There are lots of websites devoted to be matchmakers and promised to connect willing drivers with companies seeking vehicles for their ads in recent days.

As a writer, Valerie Martin found she quickly became tough-skinned, with rejection par for the course as she set out to build a career.

A jump in oil prices helped widen the U.S. trade deficit in June, but a sharp fall in manufactured goods exports and imports appears to have stabilized, a Commerce Department report showed on Wednesday.

Stocks rallied on Wednesday, led by tech and homebuilding stocks, as investors awaited a key announcement by the Federal Reserve.

The Federal Reserve is expected to end its buying program of long-term government securities at a meeting that concludes on Wednesday, but keep U.S. interest rates steady at near zero amid signs the economy is stabilizing from a deep recession.

U.S. indexes rallied on Wednesday, led by tech and homebuilding stocks, as investors awaited a key announcement by the Federal Reserve.

Belgian-based RHJ International is set to sweeten its offer for General Motors' European business in its race with Canadian rival Magna to buy Opel, sources close to the situation said on Wednesday.

Fed Decision at 2:15 p.m.; Huge Tax Case Settled; Biggest IPO This Year

The U.S. trade deficit widened in June to $27.0 billion, as goods imports increased for the first time in 11 months on the back of higher oil prices, a Commerce Department report said on Wednesday.

Stocks gained on Wednesday ahead of a key announcement by the Federal Reserve, led by technology and homebuilding shares after positive earnings reports.

Google has once again opened its Google Code Jam, an annual programming competition allowing global community of computer scientists to show their talents.

People under age 25 who take antidepressants have a higher risk of suicide, but adults older than that do not, an analysis by U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers released on Tuesday showed.

U.S. mortgage applications fell last week, reflecting a drop in demand for home refinancing loans as interest rates soared to their highest levels since June, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.

The widow of a New York City school administrator who became the first person in the city to die of H1N1 flu said on Tuesday she planned to file a $40 million wrongful death lawsuit against the city.

Taking aspirin not only can help keep colon cancer from coming back, but it also can lower the risk of dying from the disease, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

Volkswagen (VW) (VOWG.DE) and Porsche (PSHG_p.DE) have broadly agreed on details for a deal to combine two of Europe's most storied automakers, two VW supervisory board members told Reuters on Wednesday.

The rate of severe obesity among U.S. children and teenagers more than tripled over the past three decades, a new study finds.

Facebook has begun tests on a new service that is designed for mobiles and at countries that have narrowband internet connections.

General Motors Co GM.UL plans to increase its advertising budget for the rest of 2009 and 2010 to challenge consumer perceptions on quality and fuel economy that the automaker believes are out of line with improvements in its vehicle line-up.

The Department of Energy said U.S. crude oil inventories increased by 2.5 million barrels on the week ending August 7, to 352 million barrels more than the 700,000 barrels forecasted by analysts, according to Reuters. The International Energy Agency increased its forecast of oil demand.