IBT Staff Reporter

J.M. Smucker is expected to seal a deal later this week to buy the Folgers coffee business from Procter & Gamble in an all-stock transaction, according to media reports.

The popular ABC mystery show Lost was the most-watched show last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Homebuilder Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. late Tuesday said its second-quarter losses grew tenfold from a year earlier on hefty charges amid the mortgage-fueled credit crunch.

Copper futures ended with losses on Tuesday on fears of slowing demand from China and gains in the dollar after comments by Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke.

UAL Corp. said late Tuesday that traffic at its subsidiary United Airlines fell 4.1 percent as a result of higher fuel costs and a weaker economy.

Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc may need to raise billions of dollars in new capital as it prepares to report a loss in its first quarter, according to a report.

Gold futures fell $11 an ounce on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinted that the Fed will not implement any further cuts to borrowing costs for now, sending the dollar higher and dampening the investment appeal of the precious metal as an alternative investment.

Crude slumped as the dollar strengthened on Monday after Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke's comments suggesting the Fed is likely to stop cutting rates.

Five deaths and 720 adverse reactions in the U.K. were linked to the anti-obesity drug Acomplia made by Sanofi Aventis SA, said a regulator in the country.

U.S. stocks fell for a second day Tuesday with increasing speculation that Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. will be forced to raise more capital led a slump in financial shares.

Staples Inc. announced Tuesday it has increased its offer to buy Corporate Express for $14.23 per share and sealed commitments from almost a quarter of holders of the Dutch company.

General Motors Corp. said Tuesday it would close four North American plants, amid a steep drop in U.S. sales of pickup trucks and sport-utility vehicles as fuel prices continue to soar, increasing investment in smaller cars and passenger vehicles.

Brocade Communications Inc has settled a class-action lawsuit over backdating of stock options for $160 million.

Winnebago Industries Inc. said on Monday it will close one of its factories in Charles City, Iowa, where the company makes class C motor homes, eliminating an estimated of 270 jobs.

Tyson Foods Inc. said on Monday it will voluntarily withdraw its labels reading raised without antibiotics on its chicken products, after a dispute with U.S. regulators and company rivals over misleading information.

Drug developer Novartis said on Monday it may offer a novel treatment strategy for patients with breast cancer through its compound RAD001 which enhances the efficacy of treatments or overcomes resistance to some of them.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the largest US retailer, launched a free Internet classified ad service on Monday in an alliance with Oodle.com, a California start-up that is seeking to challenge the dominance of Craigslist and eBay-owned Kijiji.

General Motors Corp. is expected to unveil steps on Tuesday to conserve cash and cut production of slower-selling models but is not likely to cut its dividend as part of its overall restructuring effort, the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition late Monday, citing people familiar with the company's plan.

FedEx Corporation said after the close of regular trading Monday that it will stop using FedEx Kinko's name on its copy and office service store and record a charge of about $891 million to change its name of FedEx Office.

Yahoo rejected a $40 per share offer from Microsoft in January 2007 and refused to negotiate in good faith, plaintiffs said in a shareholder lawsuit unsealed on Monday.

Adobe Systems Inc. said Monday it will launch latest version of its Acrobat document-sharing software will allow users to embed videos in PDF files.

China's government mandated telecommunications shakeup took another step to completion on Monday as three firms announced deals that officials hope will boost competition.

Gold futures rose more than $5 an ounce on Monday on speculation that investors may stock up on the metal after the metal made its largest weekly price drop since mid-March, causing the dollar to drop.

Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch & Co. and Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. had their credit ratings cut on Monday by Standard & Poor's on concerns that continued weakness in the sector could lead to more write-offs.

GE Energy Financial Services, a unit of conglomerate General Electric Co., will partner with GeoResources Inc. to invest up to $90.5 million to acquire and develop oil and gas reserves in Oklahoma, the companies said Monday.

After heavy losses and pressure from shareholders to return to profitability, directors at two large U.S. banks - Wachovia Corp. and Washington Mutual Inc. - on Monday announced top-level management changes.

Wall Street began June in the red, falling for the first time in five days, as the Dow quickly lost more than 100 points Monday morning on more worries about the financial sector after Wachovia Corp. ousted its chief executive.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twins were not born this week according to the actors' representatives who denied previous reports stating Jolie gave birth in France where the couple is currently living.

NBC Universal and two private equity firms has emerged as the frontrunner on Friday when final bids for the Weather Channel were due, according to media reports.