Business and Finance news

Honda has announced a recall of nearly half a million vehicles with brake problems, just days after Toyota announced a similar recall.
The U.S. division of the Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co (HMC). said it was recalling 471,820 Odysseys and Acura RLs, made from 2005 to 2007, due to concerns of possible degradation to the […]

The European economy is expected to grow at a slow pace next year as the region continues to struggle with huge public deficits and the lingering effects of the financial crisis.
In its latest economic outlook for Europe, the International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that activity across the region will expand at an annual rate […]

Most Charlotte-area stocks fell Friday, with Bank of America Corp. losing 4.9 percent of its value.
The Charlotte-based bank (NYSE:BAC) closed at $11.98 per share, down 62 cents.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 32 points to close at 11,063.
Among key public companies in the Charlotte area:
•Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE:WFC), San Francisco parent of Charlotte-based Wachovia […]

Halloween might as well be sponsored by MTV this year.
The most popular costumes for 2010 come straight from the youth-dominated music network — and they don’t come cheap.
The cast of the Jersey Shore and Lady Gaga top the list of most desirable costumes this year, according to Spirit Halloween, the country’s largest seasonal Halloween […]

Hoku Corp. and Barnwell Industries Inc. recorded the highest percentage gains for Hawaii’s public companies on Friday as the broader markets end the week on a high note.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 57.90 for the day and made headlines for breaking 11,000 for the first time since May. It closed at 11,006.48. Meanwhile, […]

Only about 1 percent, or roughly 280,000, of American companies export, and that share isn’t growing, although existing exporters are increasing their foreign market share, a trade analyst told a Jacksonville symposium Tuesday morning.
Jorge Arce, director of the U.S. Commercial Service’s Jacksonville office, said about 97 percent of U.S. exporters are small companies, and most […]

States will have to dig deeper into their already empty coffers next year in order to pay for rising Medicaid costs.
Next fiscal year states will spend 7.4% more on the health care coverage — which is already one of their biggest expenses — according to a report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family […]