General Business News - Home loan demand down as rates hit new highs (Reuters)
Home loan demand down as rates hit new highs (Reuters)
Reuters - Mortgage applications fell for a second consecutive week, led by a decline in demand for home purchase loans, as interest rates reached new multiyear highs, an industry trade group said on Wednesday.
Wal-Mart turns to “Sandra” for sales growth (Reuters)
Reuters - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hopes a fictional cast of characters will help it boost lackluster sales — which are occurring even with store traffic near full capacity — and catch up with faster-growing rival Target Corp.
Stock futures solidly higher on strong earnings (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. stock futures rose sharply on Wednesday, extending gains after Tuesday's rally, as market bellwethers Yahoo! Inc. and IBM raised investors' expectations for strong quarterly profits.
JPMorgan Chase 1st-quarter profit surges 36 pct (Reuters)
Reuters - JPMorgan Chase & Co. on Wednesday said first-quarter profit surged 36 percent, beating expectations, on growth in investment and consumer banking as well as lower credit card losses.
Coke quarterly profit rises, sales flat (Reuters)
Reuters - Coca-Cola Co. , the world's biggest soft-drink maker, on Wednesday posted 10 percent rise in quarterly profit boosted by its PowerAde sports drink and Dasani bottled water brands and strong growth in countries such as China, Russia and Turkey.
Cingular posts quarterly profit, revenue up (Reuters)
Reuters - Cingular Wireless, the No. 1 U.S. mobile service provider, on Wednesday posted a first-quarter profit versus a year-earlier loss, and revenue rose as it added new wireless subscribers.
Consumer prices rise in March, core up 0.3 pct (Reuters)
Reuters - Soaring energy costs helped push U.S. consumer prices up a steep 0.4 percent last month, while rising apparel prices spurred core inflation more than expected, a government report showed on Wednesday.
Pfizer profit jumps on lower costs (Reuters)
Reuters - Pfizer Inc. , the world's largest drugmaker, on Wednesday said its first-quarter earnings rose, helped by lower costs, favorable taxes and the absence of big charges recorded last year for the repatriation of overseas profits.