COMPANIES

The U.S. labor market will hold the key to a recovery in the hard-hit housing sector, according to a Harvard University report released on Monday.

A strike at a Honda Motor parts supplier in southern China could augur broader demands across China's vast manufacturing belt as workers seek a bigger piece of the nation's growing economic wealth.

The advisory panel also recommended post-marketing collection of additional safety data and evaluation of a lower dose

Chrysler is generating the cash needed to rebuild its product portfolio as sales continue to gain momentum, Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne told employees on Friday.

U.S. mortgage rates dropped in the past week, with fixed-rate loans either reaching or nearing record lows, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac, the second-largest U.S. mortgage finance company.

General Motors Co has banned the use of the popular Chevy nickname for its flagship Chevrolet brand internally but would more than welcome if a customer calls his or her car Chevy.

Home buying applications sank for a fifth straight week to a fresh 13-year low, the Mortgage Bankers Association said on Wednesday, suggesting that tax credits had robbed more from future sales than expected.

Doors that could catch fire, brakes that could fail and accelerators that could stick have caused Chrysler Group LLC to recall nearly 600,000 vehicles involving five models in the United States.

Chongqing Changan Automobile is in talks with partner Ford Motor to produce a mid-sized car in China using Ford technology but carrying a Changan brand, as they move to take their partnership to a new level.

Daimler would welcome having Chinese investors as shareholders and will itself remain a major owner of aerospace giant EADS, the German carmaker's Chief Financial Officer was quoted as saying.

The homeownership rate will drop further unless house prices rise substantially, as people who owe more on their mortgage than their house is worth become renters, according to a study released Friday.

The German government has delayed a vote which was expected to rule out federal aid for General Motors' European unit Opel, giving Opel's supporters a few more days to lobby Berlin to change its mind.

General Motors and Chrysler are reasonably positioned for growth after U.S. intervention saved the companies last year, and government support for the auto sector will begin to be pulled back, the manufacturing adviser to the president said on Thursday.

Honda Motor Co said it will resume car output at four plants in China on Friday but the outlook for next week remains uncertain as some workers at a parts factory have not yet agreed to a full return to work.

Electric cars offer a chance to develop lucrative new technologies, and suppliers would benefit from grabbing more of this work -- but they will have to fight carmakers keen to hold on to control of future profits.

Electric carmaker Tesla Motors said on Wednesday it does not expect the contentious divorce of its chief executive, Elon Musk, to affect its plans to list its shares and does not rely on him to provide further funding.

The percentage of U.S. home sellers who cut their asking price rose in May, but price reductions were smaller, real estate website Zillow.com said in a report.

Boston-area real estate demand has seen a resurgence as buyers show increased confidence about the economy and job security, real estate professionals and economists say.

Private employers added 55,000 jobs in May, compared with an upwardly revised gain of 65,000 in April, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Thursday.

U.S. mortgage rates stayed at or near record lows in the past week, with the 30-year fixed rate 1/2 percentage point lower than a year ago, home funding company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan are the lead candidates for senior manager underwriting roles on the General Motors initial public offering, according to Fox Business Network's Charlie Gasparino.

Saab will decide within the next few months whether to build a small car to compete with similarly sized premium models from Audi and BMW, said the chief of Dutch carmaker Spyker, which bought the Swedish company this year.

Jan Ake Jonsson, chief executive officer of loss-making Saab Automobile, is one of the main candidates for the top job at Volvo Cars.

French carmaker Renault and its Japanese Partner Nissan should together become the world's third-biggest car manufacturer this year, Renault Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn told the Financial Times.

Germany's new car market shrank for a sixth consecutive month as demand slumps following the end of government incentives.

Pending sales of previously owned homes rose more than expected in April, scaling a six-month high as prospective home owners took advantage of a popular homebuyer tax credit, a survey showed on Wednesday.

Foreclosures for sale continue to rise in Florida as more homeowners default on their home loans.

Over the course of a dozen remodels among us, we've had experience with several different kitchen countertop materials.

Demand for loans to buy U.S. homes fell last week for the fourth straight week, holding 13-year lows, as the housing market adjusted to a selling environment without the federal tax credits that had stoked April sales.