A.G Lafley, president and CEO of Procter and Gamble, speaks at the companies annual shareholderes meeting, Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2005, in Cincinnati.

Orders for U.S. durable goods increased more than forecast in April, indicating the world's largest economy will get a lift in the second half of the year as business investment strengthens.

Target Corp. (TGT) and Macy's Inc. (M) joined with 15 other retailers in suing Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. (MA) over credit-card and debit-card fees after dropping out of a multibillion-dollar settlement of a similar case.

WASHINGTON�The number of U.S. workers seeking new unemployment benefits fell last week by more than expected, another sign of slow improvement in the labor market.

News Corp .'s board approved the company's separation into two publicly traded entities, moving a step closer to splitting its entertainment businesses from the publishing division.

Online video site Hulu is again up for sale, with Yahoo and pay TV operators DirecTV and Time Warner Cable among the seven bidders, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

WELLINGTON�The New Zealand dollar was sticking to a tight range late Wednesday, ahead of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony to the Joint Economic Committee of the U.S.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today becomes the first Japanese leader to visit Myanmar in 36 years as his nation's companies seek to invest in the former dictatorship, which has some of the cheapest labor in Asia.

Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones has apologised for saying women with children can't compete with men on Wall Street because they are "overwhelmed" by breastfeeding and are unable to make rational decisions on the trading floor.

The euro strengthened for a second day against the dollar after an industry report showed German business confidence unexpectedly increased in May, adding to optimism the region's biggest economy is improving.