COMPANIES

Ratan Tata, who transformed Tata Group into a $100-billion worth global business group, is stepping down as its chairman.

An old-fashioned Minnesota soda fountain was threatened with a $500 fine if it doesn’t stop selling candy cigarettes.

U.S. port operators and maritime shipping companies are bracing for a longshoremen's strike of facilities from Massachusetts to Texas.

Single-family home sales climb 4.4 percent in November, highest rate in two and a half years.

Sales of electronics, clothing, jewelry and home goods in the two months to Christmas increased by a tad 0.7 percent.

Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay up to $1.4 billion to settle U.S. lawsuits for sudden acceleration, according to court filings made public Wednesday.

Home prices in the U.S. rose more than expected in the first 10 months of this year.

Yoko Ono added her voice to the outcry against fracking, claiming the complex process can't be safe anywhere.

A guide to the best deals and discounts for after-Christmas sales.

Some stores will be open on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24 and Christmas, Dec. 25 for last minute holiday shopping.

December began with a major labor-management dispute on American docks, and the month may end the same way.

2012 was a momentous year in style from the best dressed on the red carpet, to memorable moments, to unexpected sartorial surprises.

Facebook will soon require all users to pay a $1 fee to send messages to strangers.

The U.S. Patent Office has set back Apple in its fight with Samsung over smartphone patents, ruling that a patent that helped Apple win $1.05 billion in damages should never have been granted.

Many gadget makers profess to make the best headphones in any number of categories--noise canceling, sound quality, comfort and portability. But which headphones will prepare you to best keep your New Year's resolutions? We take a look at some of the year's best sport headphones from Monster, AfterShokz, and Yurbuds.

Freedom Group, maker of the Bushmaster assault rifle believed to have been used in the Newtown attack, will be sold by Cerberus Capital.

Walmart has pulled the Bushmaster AR-15 after it was used in the Sandy Hook shooting

Free Shipping Day 2012 will be celebrated on Monday, with deals, discounts and free shipping offered by many e-retailers and stores.

Here's your handy clip-and-save earnings watchlist for this week. Walgreen, Nike, Rite Aid and General Mills are also reporting.

Another month of double-digit declines in automobile registrations and ongoing losses don't tell the whole story.

Wal-Mart and Kroger have come forward as potential buyers of Hotess as the company liquidates and prepares for auction.

A new survey predicts by 2020 Chinese and Indians will together buy more of the precious rock than Americans.

PepsiCo's got a brand new bag: Lay's newest flavor of potato chips, Pepsi-Chicken Chips.

Globally, aviation supports some 57 million jobs and $2.2 trillion in economic activity.

Airbus, Mitsubishi and Bombardier secured $15 billion worth of orders this week for greener, cheaper-to-fly jets.

U.S. retail spending rose less than expected last month and stayed at roughly the same level it has been at since September.

Multinationals are cash-rich abroad and cash-poor at home.

It seems the “Fifty Shades of Grey” phenomenon is having an effect on gift buying this holiday season.

The U.S. Commerce Dept. will release Nov. sales figures on Thursday likely showing auto purchases boosted the monthly total.