Business and Finance news

February marks the start of the year of the rabbit in the Chinese lunar calendar.
It may be an auspicious sign for Playboy Enterprises Inc., which opened a nightclub in Macau last month as it seeks to expand its licensing of the trademark bunny head logo on lifestyle products in Asia, its fastest growing region.
The company, […]

Walgreen Co., the largest drugstore operator in the U.S., said Wednesday that its profit jumped 18.8 percent in the fiscal first quarter on a mix of better pricing and generic drug sales.
The Deerfield, Ill., company said its profit rose to $580 million, or 62 cents per share, from $489 million, or 49 cents per share. […]

Credit ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Hungary’s government bonds by two notches on Monday, citing worries about public finance policies and exposure to foreign financial shocks, such as the European debt crisis.
Moody’s Investor Service said it cut the rating to Baa3 from Baa1 _ just one step above junk category _ and kept its outlook as […]

Sales of Ford Motor Co. cars and trucks rose 20 percent last month while General Motors sales were up 11 percent as the auto industry’s slow-motion recovery continued to gain traction.
Industry analysts say the numbers, combined with a strong October, show that consumers who have kept their jobs through the economic downturn are now feeling […]

The former head of Quellos Group LLC hedge fund and his tax attorney have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud and both face up to eight years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
Under the terms of their plea agreements, former Quellos CEO Jeffrey I. Greenstein, 48, and former Quellos tax attorney Charles H. Wilk, 51, […]

Harris Corp. was selected to provide the ground antenna system for a National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) program designed to speed up weather data processing.
Under the 10-year, $130 million contract, Harris and its teammates — General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies and ARES — will supply antennas and control systems for NOAA’s Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite […]

Arizona is getting praise for its commitment to training in science, technology, engineering and math as a way of promoting entrepreneurship.

The Campaign for Free Enterprise, a project of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber Foundation, cited Arizona as having put in place polices that bode well for the future of business development. […]

Apple Inc.’s iPad tablet computer hits U.S. shelves on Saturday, but fans who want the new touch-screen gadget shipped directly to them must wait a week.
The company began taking preorders for the iPad on March 12, promising to get the device to eager buyers by its store launch date of April 3rd. […]

The European Central Bank said its offerings of three-month cash will return to variable interest rates on April 28. President Jean-Claude Trichet made the announcement at a press conference in Frankfurt.
“Amounts will be set with the aim of ensuring smooth conditions in money markets” and avoiding “significant spreads” between the ECB’s benchmark rate […]

European Union Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn will likely push Greece to do more to cut its budget deficit today as governments craft a possible rescue package for the cash-strapped nation.
Rehn will meet with Prime Minister George Papandreou as German lawmakers say euro-area officials are devising a plan to grant Greece about 25 […]