BUSINESS

The Ikea Group has apologized for using forced labor in the former German Democratic Republic to manufacture certain products. The company acknowledged it was aware of the forced-labor conditions and profited from the practice.

Canadian lumber companies are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of a sharp boost in demand for their main product.

An oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico operated by Houston-based Black Elk Energy burst into flames on Friday, leaving at least two people missing and badly injuring several others, U.S. and Louisiana officials said.

"Real artists ship," Steve Jobs famously told his employees at an Apple retreat in January 1983.

Small businesses are turning away from daily deal companies, and consumers are using their smartphones to find the best in-store deals.

A $500 million settlement for an animal abuse case has been reached on Friday. The case involved animal abuse in a slaughterhouse which led to 2008's meat recall in the United States.

Analysts are predicting upcoming parliamentary elections will leave Japan with a government that will set the yen-printing machines into overdrive.

An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico exploded leaving at least two dead, several reports said.

A short week is in store for investors, with U.S. markets closed for the Thanksgiving Day holiday on Thursday.

Sales of Activision Blizzard’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” topped $500 million in just 24 hours on the market, breathing life into a flagging console marketplace.

Fiscal-cliff talks between the president and Hill leaders have begun: They have six weeks to avert a likely recession-inducing event.

Panic ensued after Hostess announced closure of its operations that produce popular snacks like Twinkies following a nationwide strike.

White House officials are discussing a plan to delay and diminish the so-called fiscal cliff, according to a published report.

The maker of the iconic American snack Twinkies is closing operations after 82 years.

Infosys Ltd, AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Inc, Toyota Motor Corporation, Recon Technology Ltd, Dell Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Rio Tinto Plc and STMicroelectronics N.V are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Friday.

U.S. stock index futures point to a flat open Friday ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization report.

India has ordered a probe into the alleged foreign exchange rule violations by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in the country, according to media reports which quoted law enforcement officials.

Singapore’s economy grew at a slower rate than expected in the third quarter, indicating that the country’s economic condition continues to falter.

The top after-market NASDAQ gainers Thursday were Penn National Gaming Inc, Ameristar Casinos Inc, Celldex Therapeutics Inc and Aruba Networks Inc. The top after-market NASDAQ losers Thursday were Sears Holdings Corporation, Sina Corporation, Catamaran Corporation, Supernus Pharmaceuticals Inc and HomeAway Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were Schiff Nutrition International Inc, Telefonica SA, Fidelity National Financial Inc and Atwood Oceanics Inc. The top after-market NYSE losers Thursday were Emulex Corporation, CubeSmart, Franklin Universal Trust, China New Borun Corporation and Noah Holdings Ltd.

Hostess had set a 5 p.m. EST deadline for striking union employees to return to work. That deadline has passed on Thursday and Hostess says an announcement about liquidation is expected on Friday.

Ben Bernanke went back to micro basics in a recent speech on housing.

A rebound in agricultural production following a 2011/12 drought probably buoyed Argentina’s gross domestic product in the third quarter.

Fed members are seriously considering changing their approach to announced expectations, to communicate an explicit “threshold” for inflation and unemployment.

BP agreed to plead guilty to 11 felony criminal charges and one misdemeanor charge, and to pay the fine over five years.

Spotify is introducing a beta version of its forthcoming browser-based app on Thursday, according to several reports.

More than 200 rockets have been lobbed into Israel, killing three. Dozens of strikes on Gaza killed 13. Is this the Gaza War, the sequel?

The blue diamond sold for a record breaking $1.04 million per carat in a Sotheby's action Wednesday.

A study has shown that Chinese consumers will pay up to 10 percent more for U.S. made goods.