Ralcorp, Post announce new board lineups

Ralcorp Holdings and Post Holdings, the branded cereal business that’s being spun off as a separate company, announced the lineup of each company’s board of directors.
The board appointments are effective when the spin-off of Post is finalized, which is expected to occur at the end of this month.
The new configuration of St. Louis-based Ralcorp’s board […]

Growth even weaker than feared

The U.S. economy was weaker than previously thought in the third quarter, according to a government report, although economists are expecting stronger growth in the final three months of the year.
Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic health, grew at a 1.8% annual rate in the quarter. That’s down from the […]

Large-cap growth funds most resilient this year

Large-cap growth funds have held up better than most other types of stock funds this year.
Previously ignored, big-name companies that have rapidly rising earnings become more attractive in uncertain times than their riskier small-cap counterparts.
Their strong balance sheets, economy-resistant businesses, ample cash reserves and trend toward dividends make sense for risk-averse investors who never thought […]

Berlusconi convenes final Cabinet meeting, to quit

Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has convened his final Cabinet meeting before his expected resignation that will set in motion a political transition aimed at bringing back the country from the brink of economic crisis.
Berlusconi met with his ministers Saturday after parliament’s lower Chamber of Deputies passed European-demanded economic reforms. The Senate passed the legislation Friday, […]

Late-day rally sends stocks higher; Dow rises 143

Stocks are closing higher after another day of big swings.
Investors struggled to make sense of mixed economic reports Thursday. First-time applications for unemployment benefits fell and the government raised its estimate of economic growth in the April-June period. But a survey showed that chief executives of the nation’s largest companies are more pessimistic than they […]

Saab denied bankruptcy protection

A Swedish court on Thursday rejected car maker Saab’s application for creditor protection, paving the way for possible bankruptcy filings from labor unions.
The ruling by the Vanersborg District Court, which can be appealed, is the latest setback for cash-strapped Saab as it scrambles to solve a liquidity crisis that has left it teetering on the […]

U.S. job gains could ease investors

WASHINGTON

Fiat lifts outlook after Q2 profit rise

Italian automaker Fiat SpA raised its 2011 forecasts Tuesday after reporting a huge jump in second-quarter profits thanks to the takeover and integration of Chrysler.
Fiat, which controls Chrysler with a 53.5 percent stake, reported second-quarter earnings of euro1.3 billion ($1.9 billion), compared with euro90 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenues rose 40 […]

US auto sales up in June, but Japan still hurting

Gas prices hit a sweet spot for automakers last month. They fell far enough to spur pickup truck sales, yet remained so high that small cars sold well, sometimes just hours after reaching dealers’ lots.
That made June a good month for General Motors and Ford, which have traditionally relied on truck sales and now have […]

Consumer prices rise by smallest in 6 months

Americans paid more for food, cars and clothing in May. But overall consumer prices rose by the smallest amount in six months, slowed by the first drop in energy costs in nearly a year.
Consumer Price Index rose 0.2 percent in May, the Labor Department said. That’s down from April’s 0.4 percent increase. Food costs rose […]