July 2009


Upbeat corporate earnings are giving stocks another burst of energy.

The government's so-called "cash for clunkers" program has increased auto sales so much that dealers asked Congress Thursday to expand the program. NBC's Chris Jansing reports.  (Nightly News)Congressional officials say the government plans to suspend the “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns it could quickly use billion in rebates for new car purchases.

President Obama says the nation's gross domestic product report shows the economy contracted during the second quarter of the year but that the United States has "stepped away from the precipice." (MSNBC)President Obama says he expects Friday’s report to show the economy contracted during the second quarter of the year but says the United States has “stepped away from the precipice.”

Wal-Mart has cut the cost of some basic school supplies to a quarter each.Retailers are geared up for back-to-school shopping. But getting recession-weary parents similarly stoked — now, that might be tricky.

"I'm not the smartest guy you're ever going to meet," UFC president Dana White says. "Not even close to it. But I know fighting."The sport of mixed martial arts was once too hot to handle. But Ultimate Fighting Championship impresario Dana White turned UFC into a fistfull of dollars.  C NBC reports.

The wine’s label is copied from an 1895 French advertising poster for Cycles Gladiator bicycles. It shows a side view of a full-bodied nymph flying alongside a winged bicycle. Alabama’s ban on a wine that features a nude nymph on the label became a business opportunity for a California vintner who is preparing a marketing campaign to capitalize on being “Banned in Bama.”

The number of newly laid-off workers filing first-time claims for jobless benefits rose last week, the government said, though the increase was mostly due to seasonal distortions.

While a record 8.2 million RVs are crisscrossing the nation’s roads, it has been a terrible year for the industry with sales stalling. But there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.

Citigroup, one of the biggest recipients of bailout money, gave employees .33 billion in bonuses for 2008, New York’s attorney general said in a report detailing the payouts.

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