Roland Li

Moody's Investors Service downgraded 15 global financial institutions Thursday, including five of the largest U.S. banks, nine major European banks and the Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE: RY), a move that could tighten borrowing and require the companies to post billions of additional collateral.

U.S. sales of existing homes fell 1.5 percent to an annual rate of 4.55 million units due to low inventory, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, missing expectations and raising doubts about a housing recovery.

U.S. 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell to a new record low of 3.66 percent following weak economic indicators, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

U.S. housing prices won't just hit the bottom this year -- they'll rise by 2 percent, according to a report by Capital Economics released this week. But that doesn't mean the market is in great shape.

Streaming music service Spotify Ltd. launched a mobile radio feature on Tuesday that connects to Apple Inc.'s (Nasdaq: AAPL) ubiquitous iPhones and iPads, encroaching on the turf of online radio provider Pandora Media Inc. (NYSE: P).

Shares of J.C. Penney Company, Inc. (NYSE: JCP) plunged mid-Tuesday by 10.15 percent, or $2.47, to $21.86 in the wake of president Michael Francis' departure, as the department store struggles to change its discount model and increase revenue.

The dissolution of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two largest U.S. mortgage guarantors, would have only a minimal impact on home ownership level, according to a new report that downplays the link between low interest rates and increased ownership.

U.S. homebuilder stocks rose Monday after a report indicated that more builders viewed the housing market favorably in June, with confidence hitting the highest level since May 2007.

Americans love chicken and sauces, and Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. (Nasdaq: BWLD) is happy to provide them -- the company sold a record 7.7 million chicken wings during this year's Super Bowl alone.

Four years after the 2008 financial crisis began gathering steam, the government has collected another piece of the remaining billions in bailout money that it's owed.

U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates increased to 3.71 percent, reversing six weeks of declines after modestly positive economic data, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

U.S. foreclosure filings increased for the first time in three months by 9 percent in May, according to a Thursday report by listings site RealtyTrac.

U.S. investors are getting back into real estate, but their efforts are being complicated by the uncertain housing market.

Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) and CNBC of Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA) said Wednesday they would partner to share content and create Web videos.

One of the fastest growing segments of Kevin Hartz's business is bacon. Hartz isn't a chef or farmer. Rather, he's founder and CEO of Eventbrite, a ticketing website that offers an independent platform for event organizers of all types.

Telefonica SA (NYSE: TEF), Europe's largest telecommunications operator by revenue, will sell part of its stake in China Unicom (NYSE: CHU) for $1.4 billion to reduce debt as the eurozone debt crisis stresses Europe's economy and corporations based there.

A Colorado wildfire has forced hundreds of local residents to evacuate, and at least one person is reported missing, officials said.

Mitt Romney has a chance of winning Wisconsin in November's presidential election, Gov. Scott Walker said on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday in the wake of his victory in the state's recall election last week.

Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels said on Fox News Sunday that public-sector unions should be abolished in the wake of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's victory in a recall election.

Spain's prime minister said Sunday that despite financial assistance of as much as ?100 billion ($125 billion) for the country's ailing financials sector, the euro zone's fourth-largest economy will continue to suffer from high unemployment and shrinking gross domestic product.

Global stocks rose Thursday after China unexpectedly cut its interest rate and continued rising even after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke declined to commit to more economic intervention to boost the U.S. economy.

In 2009, the Economist Intelligence Unit devised an acronym for six emerging countries, CIVETS, which includes Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa. These countries were categorized as the six countries with the best chance of high, long-term growth.

American truckers in the last three months are hauling more freight and spending more time on the road as fuel prices stabilize and more materials are getting transported, industry indexes are showing.

Fannie Mae, the federally controlled mortgage giant, said Tuesday it is appouinting its general counsel, Timothy Mayopoulos, as its new president and CEO.

With Europe in turmoil, the affluent French, British and their continental neighbors are flying to buy one of the world's most stable investments: Manhattan real estate.

Jon Corzine, the former chief of MF Global and governor of New Jersey, could be the target of a possible lawsuit linked to the brokerage's bankruptcy and disappearence of $1.6 billion in client funds.

The euro has one advocate: billionaire investor George Soros, who said in a speech that he expects the currency to survive with the aid of Germany.

A Wisconsin law that limited collective bargaining for local unions had led to a sharp decline in membership in the past 15 months, the Wall Street Journal reported.

On a Friday afternoon in March, the New York Times Company (NYSE: NYT) disclosed to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it would pay Janet Robinson, its recently fired CEO and a 28-year veteran of the company, a severance package of around $23.7 million.