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Sen. Bernard Sanders (Independent-Vt,), introduced a new law this week to curb speculation in oil futures.

Although leaders of the military coup in Mali appear to be rounding up and jailing potential opponents among politicians and policymakers, they seem to be trying to minimize disruptions to the economy and daily life, leaving in place government ministers in charge of finance, trade and industries.

Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI), owner of Red Lobster and Olive Garden restaurant chains, reported Friday its fiscal third-quarter earnings rose 8.5 percent as increased sales by its main brands offset higher expenses.

Volkswagen AG said Thursday it will create 800 more jobs at its only U.S. plant to ramp up production of the Passat sedan. Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers has launched a drive to unionize workers at the plant.

Facebook isn’t even trading yet but Rapid Ratings, a New York firm with an unusual risk-analysis model, rates the social networking company's stock as highly as that of technology stars Intel, Apple, Microsoft and Google.

The top aftermarket NYSE losers Thursday were: Genesis Energy, Neustar, American Eagle Outfitters, Steelcase, Spansion, DSW, VimpelCom, Express and Cott Corp.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Thursday were: Range Resources, Ferro Corp, Petroquest Energy, CNF, McMoRan Exploration, IDT Corp, QEP Resources, Superior Energy Services, CONSOL Energy and USG Corp.

Stocks took a big step back Thursday after more signs pointing to weakening economic conditions in China and Europe spooked investors to make a run for safety.

Canadian National Railway Co. (NYSE: CNI) said Thursday it is buying 161 locomotives to accommodate anticipated traffic growth over the next two to five years and boost operational efficiency.

A coup d'etat currently underway in Mali is not affecting gold production there, miners in the country are saying, as events related to the military uprising seem confined to the country's capital, hundreds of miles away from where gold deposits are located.

The city of Milan reached a tentative settlement in a two-year-old fraud case against four major banks that arose from a disastrous derivatives contract sold to the Italian city in 2005, Bloomberg News reported Thursday.

President Barack Obama on Thursday will expedite the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline as part of a tour of the nation's energy hubs.

ConAgra Foods Inc. (NYSE: CAG), a major U.S. packaged food giant, reported higher third-quarter earnings as it raised the prices of its products, even as volume softened.

IBM (NYSE: IBM), the No. 2 computer services company, said it will deploy its powerful Watson supercomputer at New York’s Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to fight lung, prostate and breast cancer.

High oil prices affect politics, schools, jobs, public budgets and almost every industry. But current pressures could be augmented if war breaks out between Israel or the United States and Iran, with the result being a costly disruption in global supply.

The top aftermarket NYSE gainers Wednesday were: Oxford Resource Partners, Sturm, Ruger & Co, Office Depot, Ethan Allen Interiors, Suntech Power Holdings and Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes. The top aftermarket NYSE losers were: Costamare, TRC Companies, Glimcher Realty Trust, Precision Drilling Corp, OfficeMax and Ralcorp Holdings.

IBM senior manager for global security operations Nick Bradley said threats from cyberattacks increased last year despite more awareness by computer center managers. New threats come from iPhones and BlackBerrys.

Alaska could soon have a pipeline linking the state's liquefied natural gas to Asian markets, according to a published report.

Brazilian prosecutors filed criminal charges against Chevron (NYSE: CVX) and Transocean (NYSE: RIG) executives Wednesday for their role in a November offshore oil spill.

Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE: CAT) is expanding a Chinese manufacturing facility by 80 percent, the U.S. company said Wednesday.

President Barack Obama must nominate a new President of the World Bank soon, ahead of its June annual meeting in Washington. Two Third World candidates have been mentioned but another American is the likely winner.