Wire Business News

Procter & Gamble is bringing back former CEO A.G. Lafley, a 33-year industry veteran, to its top post in a surprise move as the world's largest consumer goods maker tries to improve its results globally.

Total U.S. money market mutual fund assets rose $19.53 billion to $2.601 trillion for the week that ended Wednesday, according to the Investment Company Institute.

UPS AND DOWNS: Stocks plunged at the opening of trading but recovered by midday. A rout overseas and in the early going on Wall Street was set off by a slowdown in China and worries that the Federal Reserve might slow down its bond purchases. By the afternoon the U.S. market had recouped nearly all of its loss.

Merck & Co. says it is ending development of an experimental Parkinson's disease drug because the drug wasn't working.

The marketing people at Chevrolet make no secret of the goal for the new diesel version of the Chevrolet Cruze: Take sales from Volkswagen.

Campbell Soup said it's buying Plum Organics, which makes food for babies and kids, for an undisclosed amount as it looks to move into faster-growing categories.

Investors have grown nervous that the Federal Reserve will scale back its efforts to boost the U.S. economy sooner than many expected.

BIG PLANS: Johnson & Johnson says it's poised by 2017 to seek regulatory approval for a dozen new medicines and two dozen variations of existing ones.

It was another ugly quarter for Sears Holdings Corp.

Stocks are ending the day slightly lower after recouping a big loss early on.

After years of struggle, Gap is back in style.

The price of wheat rose by the most in two weeks Thursday after the U.S. government reported strong demand for the grain from overseas buyers.

Some of the country's largest retailers, including Target Corp. and Macy's Inc., on Thursday filed a lawsuit against MasterCard and Visa, rejecting a settlement reached last year over alleged fee-fixing.

Municipal bonds continue to provide a reliable refuge from stock market volatility and a steady source of tax-free income.

RATES RISE: Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages rose this week to their highest levels since mid-March. Even with the gains, they remained close to historic lows.

Baz Luhrmann's big screen adaption of "The Great Gatsby" is shining a spotlight on Roaring Twenties glam fashions, from drop-waist dresses and head scarves to crisp bow ties and spectator shoes. But you don't need a wallet the size of Jay Gatsby's to get the look.

Keeping the meltdown-stricken Fukushima nuclear plant in northeastern Japan in stable condition requires a cast of thousands. Increasingly the plant's operator is struggling to find enough workers, a trend that many expect to worsen and hamper progress in the decades-long effort to safely decommission it.

The economy is recovering, the White House is dealing with multiple controversies, and President Barack Obama appears generally unaffected either way.

Leonard Marsh, the co-founder of the Snapple beverage brand, has died at age 80.

Kerry Kennedy has joined farmworkers protesting outside Wendy's shareholder meeting in New York City.

McDonald's once again faced criticism that it's a purveyor of junk food that markets to children at its annual shareholder meeting Thursday - including some sharp remarks from a 9-year-old girl.

Kerry Kennedy has joined farmworkers protesting outside Wendy's shareholder meeting in New York City.

A prominent firm in the business of advising big shareholders on how to vote in elections for company directors is paying a $300,000 fine to settle federal civil charges of failing to protect clients' confidential voting information.

Investors recovered their poise after a shaky start to trading on Wall Street that sent stocks sharply lower.

Colombian Ambassador Carlos Urrutia says there’s no doubt that his country’s trade deal with the U.S. has paid off. U.S. officials are equally excited, saying U.S. businesses have improved their sales to the South American country by 20 percent. But a year after the agreement took effect, the growth in trade is producing mounting anxiety in some quarters.

An afternoon recovery in U.S. stock markets helped oil reverse early losses Thursday.

Stock prices are slightly lower at midday on Wall Street after manufacturing contracted unexpectedly in China this month.

Here's a look at median CEO pay by industry last year, as calculated by executive pay research firm Equilar. For the fourth time in five years, health care CEOs got the most pay and utilities CEOs got the least.

Here's a look at the CEOs that received the biggest raises and the biggest pay cuts in 2012 compared with 2011, as calculated by the executive pay research firm Equilar and The Associated Press.

Big U.S. companies are required to offer their shareholders a "say on pay" vote - essentially, a chance to weigh in on whether they think the CEO and other top executives are getting paid too much.

A look at the 50 highest-paid CEOs of 2012, as calculated by executive pay research firm Equilar.

Here's a look at what companies spent in 2012 on CEOs' country club and business club memberships, private jet travel and home security.

Clothing and accessories company Rue21 has agreed to be taken private in nearly $1 billion deal with private equity firm Apax Partners.

Discount retailer Dollar Tree Inc. said Thursday that its net income increased 15 percent in the first quarter as consumers spent more at its stores, which sell goods for $1 or less.

Stocks fell in early trading, extending a sell-off that began Wednesday afternoon, after Chinese manufacturing unexpectedly contracted and on concern that the Federal Reserve may ease back on its stimulus program.