IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. consumers increased spending for an eighth straight month in February, but much of the gain went to cover rising food and energy costs, providing only a modest lift to the economy.

Volkswagen AG's U.S. unit recalled more than 71,000 Jetta sedans due to a defect in the wiring system controlling the car horn that can cause the car to stall, a company spokeswoman said on Monday.

Hurt by Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, IT vendors NEC Corp <6701.T> and Fujitsu Ltd <6702.T> have decided to refrain from making personnel and organizational changes, previously scheduled for April 1, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Nintendo is rumored to have remotely-activated software that can brick a 3DS if it detects pirated games.

A new study from McAfee says more cybercriminals are focused on corporate data, rather than individual people.

Taylor's jewel collection is estimated to be worth approximately $150 million.

U.S. crude fell on Monday for a third day in the lowest trading volume of the year, as Libyan rebels regained key territory and redoubled efforts to resume oil exports from the OPEC country.

World number two Novak Djokovic eased into the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami with a comfortable 6-2 6-0 victory over American James Blake.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg lives in California and not in New York, a judge ruled, a setback to a businessman who claims in a lawsuit that he is entitled to a majority stake in the company.

The U.S. economy is on track for a sustained recovery but remains sufficiently weak to warrant the help of loose monetary policy, Atlanta Federal Reserve President Dennis Lockhart said on Monday.

Brent was flat and U.S. oil pared losses on Monday in the weakest trading volume this year, with traders awaiting further evidence that Libya could resume crippled oil exports after rebels regained key territory.

The hacker being sued for altering the firmware that runs the PlayStation 3 has fired back at Sony Computer Entertainment America's attempt to get the case heard in California.

Schlumberger Ltd , the world's largest oilfield services company, expects turmoil in the Middle East and Africa to knock 8 to 10 cents per share off first-quarter profit, Chief Executive Andrew Gould said on Monday.

Social media, video and mobile advertising pushed British online ad spending above 4 billion pounds ($6.4 billion) for the first time in 2010, an increase of 12.8 percent, the Internet Advertising Bureau said.

In honor of one of music's biggest pop stars, let's take a look back at some of the ensembles that caused reaction.

U.S. stocks edged higher on Monday, lifted by strength in the telecommunications sector and an eighth straight monthly rise in consumer spending, but concerns about overseas turmoil kept gains in check.

JPMorgan Chase & Co could be forced to repurchase thousands of home equity loans, after a judge ruled in favor of a bond insurer that argued it could build its case based on a sampling of loans.

A former Galleon Group trader contends he saw the brother of accused hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam remove notebooks from their office on the day of Rajaratnam's October 2009 arrest, according to trial documents.

Harry & David Holdings Inc, the mail-order gourmet food company, filed for bankruptcy protection on Monday as a weak economy led consumers and businesses to cut spending on its signature fruit baskets.

* Industry at $1.92 trillion, close to pre-crisis high * Some investors worry about liquidity, access to managers * Brevan, AHL say size not a disadvantage

Yuri Milner, Russian billionaire investor and founder of Moscow-based firm DST, has reportedly paid $70 million for an estate in California.

Mashable is reporting that Lady Gaga donated $1.5 million to Zynga's fundraising campaign for Japan.

A number of loopholes and hacks have appeared in response to The Times' setting up a paywall.

Mentor Graphics Corp said a takeover proposal by its biggest shareholder Carl Icahn undervalues the company, and this is not the time to put the chip-design software maker up for sale.

A free one-hour webcast on Tuesday will spotlight how the marketing industry uses customer purchases and information to boost sales and raise loyalty.

U.S. consumer spending rose slightly more than expected in February for the eighth straight month of gains as households tapped their savings, government data showed on Monday, while inflation accelerated at its fastest pace since June 2009.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway took nearly $1 billion in writedowns on three stocks last quarter under pressure from regulators who disagreed with the company's accounting for losses in those shares, according to a series of letters released on Monday.

The typical North American financial adviser forgoes $20,000 in potential revenue every year because of discounts on fees, according to a study released on Monday.

U.S. stocks advanced on Monday, boosted by strength in telecommunications and an eighth straight monthly rise in consumer spending, but jitters about overseas concerns limited gains.