IBT Staff Reporter

The number of Asian-owned businesses grew 24 percent from 1997 to 2002, according to a new report by the US. Census Bureau.

Wholesale prices rose more quickly in April than they have in the past seven months, led largely by higher energy costs, including gasoline, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Tuesday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., announced on Tuesday that it had beat Wall Street expectations for its first fiscal quarter.

Qatar's oil minister, Abdullah al-Attiyah said on Monday that oil prices are no more influenced by the market's supply and demand than the political tensions.

Myspace.com, one of the Internet's fastest growing websites, will begin to offer Fox's popular 24 series as a download through its site next week.

Northwest Airlines Corp., which is seeking to emerge from bankruptcy, will go to trial in New York on Monday to void a contract with the union representing the air carrier’s baggers after the workers refused to accept pay cuts.

China’s yuan valuation broke through an important symbolic barrier against the dollar on Monday after the central bank lowered the mid-point of its currency just under the 8.0 yuan per dollar exchange rate.

Boeing Co. plans to pay $615 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department suit over procurement violations, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal's Web site on Monday.

Mobile phone group Vodafone could sell its stake in its joint venture with Verizon Communications for about $48 billion (25 billion pounds) before the end of the month, according to the Observer newspaper.

One of the winningest mutual fund managers ever is warning investors to back off of recent popular buys like commodities and emerging market stocks, and embrace old-fashioned blue chips.

Japanese Web and telecom conglomerate Softbank Corp. is working with Apple Computer Inc. to develop mobile telephones with built-in iPod music players, Nikkei reported on Friday.

Time Warner announced on Friday that it has completely acquired the Courtroom Television Network LLC, buying out Liberty Networks 50% stake for $735 million.

Nearly 2,100 employees at R.J. Reynolds, the cigarette company which markets the Camel and Salem brands, voted against union representation for the second time in as many years, a decision seen as a vote of confidence by Reynolds and coercion by union organizers.

Stocks lost ground for a second straight session Friday when the dollar weakened and bonds prices fell after data showing higher import prices stoked the market's inflation worries.

Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said Thursday he has a five-year target to gain a bigger slice of the lucrative online advertising market dominated by Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.

After a disappointing start to 2006, U.S. chemical makers could post improved second-quarter results as customers race to stockpile everything from plastics to chlorine ahead of the summer hurricane season, experts say.

British blue chips swung to a closing loss on Thursday and erased earlier gains, dragged lower by a drop in mobile phone giant Vodafone and losses on Wall Street.

Soyoil, traditionally one of the less-traded products on the 158-year-old Chicago Board of Trade, is scaling new heights as investors bet on green fuels amid soaring crude oil prices.

Cash keeps pouring into commodities, undeterred by record prices, U.S. regulatory changes and an unusual oil market structure, with this year's index-linked inflows on course to top $3.5 billion.

The U.S. dollar may be losing its luster, but stock investors aren't losing much sleep over its weakness. In fact, analysts say, its recent slide would make mega-cap industrial stocks such as Caterpillar Inc. and Boeing Co. more appealing.

Mexico's benchmark 28-day T-bill yield edged lower to 7.02 percent on Tuesday as investors bet the central bank will leave interest rates steady.

Federal Reserve policymakers sit down on Wednesday to decide on what might be the last increase in interest rates for some time, but they will also discuss how to leave their options open in the statement that accompanies the move.

U.S. gold hit new 25-year highs on Tuesday on aggressive buying by investment funds, while oil soared as a letter from Iran's president to U.S. President George W. Bush failed to defuse tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

The online search industry has proven to be a fierce battlefield since it emerged in the mid 90’s. At the time, many companies ventured into the field hoping to capitalize on the fledgling industry. However 10 years later, a burst tech bubble has filtered out the also-rans, leaving behind three major contenders with one announcing its new proposal for a better search solution for advertisers and web surfers.

During Christmas week in 1992, I appeared as a guest on CNBC television. While television appearances can be fun, and I did continue live interviews from the floor of the Montreal Stock Exchange for many years, most of my clients and friends asked me not to do them since it usually entailed making stock recommendations.

China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, now pursuing a $2.16 billion expansion, is considering taking on foreign investors to help bankroll its rapid growth while beefing up management and service standards.

UK-based Barclays Bank Plc is looking to develop wealth management in India, where it sees potential in a growing middle class as well as non-residents, two senior executives told Reuters in an interview.

At the biggest video game show of the year, Sony, which has dominated the console market with its PlayStation 2, must show gamers reason to wait six more months for its PS3, even though Microsoft's next-generation Xbox 360 already sits temptingly on stores shelves.

Some investors are viewing Microsoft Corp. as a bargain after uncertainty about its investment strategy and development delays pushed the software giant's share price to three-year lows.