Budget deficit sets record in February (AP)
AP - The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year.
Talks between BA, cabin crew reach no agreement (AP)
AP - British Airways says talks with a cabin crew union aimed at averting a strike have broken down with no agreement.
CDC uses shopper-card data to trace salmonella (AP)
AP - As they scrambled recently to trace the source of a salmonella outbreak that has sickened hundreds around the country, investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention successfully used a new tool for the first time — the shopper cards that millions of Americans swipe every time they buy groceries.
Unemployment rises in 30 states in January (AP)
AP - Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said Wednesday, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.
Quinn seeks income tax hike for schools (AP)
AP - Calling himself a realist, Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday scaled back his proposal to raise income taxes, shifting to a call for an increase of just one percentage point to be used solely for preventing deep cuts to education.
Wholesale inventories fall while sales increase (AP)
AP - Businesses trimmed inventories at the wholesale level again in January even though sales rose for a 10th consecutive month. The dip in inventories underscored that businesses remain cautious about restocking their depleted shelves.
How the major stock indexes fared on Tuesday (AP)
AP - Financial companies led stocks higher Tuesday on the one-year anniversary of the market's hitting a 12-year low. The gain in bank stocks came as traders reacted to rumors that the government might prohibit the trades known as short sales in the stocks of companies it owns. Such a move would be aimed at preventing sharp drops in stocks including Citigroup Inc. and American International Group Inc.
Wholesale inventories fall, sales surge (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. wholesale inventories fell modestly in January, while sales rose to their highest level since October 2008, suggesting that inventories would continue to support economic growth in the first quarter.
A.M. Castle 4th-quarter loss narrows (AP)
AP - Specialty metal and plastic products company A.M. Castle & Co. said Wednesday that its fourth-quarter loss shrank, helped by lower material costs and the effect of one-time charges.
Euro rebounds, gains on dollar (AFP)
AFP - The euro staged a modest turnaround against the dollar Wednesday in featureless trading as dealers looked for signals on prospects for the world economy and a proposed European monetary fund.
Home loan demand nudges higher in latest week (Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. mortgage applications nudged higher last week, reflecting increased demand for home purchase loans even as interest rates trekked higher, data from an industry group showed on Wednesday.
WTO chief holds talks with US officials, lawmakers (AFP)
AFP - WTO chief Pascal Lamy was in Washington Wednesday for talks with US officials and lawmakers amid an uphill effort to wrap up the long-running Doha Round of global trade talks by this year.
Dollar General sues rival chain over colors (AP)
AP - Dollar General Corp. has filed a federal lawsuit against rival discount chain Fred's Inc., claiming the smaller company is using its trademark yellow and black colors.
Nationalized UK bank Northern Rock back in profit (AP)
AP - Nationalized mortgage lender Northern Rock said Wednesday that it returned to profit in the second half of 2009 as interest income rose and losses on loans fell.
CA-CANADA Summary (Reuters)
Reuters - Canadian parliamentarians tucked into a meal of seal meat on Wednesday to defy both animal right activists and the European Union, which has banned imports of seal products. Some two dozen guests, surrounded on all sides by media, crammed into a small room off the main parliamentary restaurant to hear speeches backing the annual hunt off Canada's East Coast, which the EU says is inhumane.
Sonic Auto to sell $210 million of senior notes (AP)
AP - Sonic Automotive Inc. said Wednesday that it has priced $210 million of senior subordinated notes due in 2018.
Real Estate's Link to the Small Business Credit Crunch (BusinessWeek)
BusinessWeek - It's no secret that small businesses in the U.S. face difficulties accessing credit. According to a survey of a random sample of 751 small businesses conducted by Gallup at the end of 2009 for the National Federation of Independent Business Research Foundation, 44% of small businesses seeking credit in 2009 received only some or none of the money they sought. This level of credit access compares poorly with mid-2000, when nine of every 10 companies seeking credit received it. While there is broad agreement that a small business credit problem exists, there is less consensus about its causes. ...
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