IBT Staff Reporter

David Olson peers at a 16-acre plot of tobacco on his southern Wisconsin farm and sees a healthy crop ready for harvest in a few weeks. He also sees an opportunity.

The silver market is raising its profile via an exchange-traded fund (ETF) set up four months ago, and some analysts say silver prices may rise faster than gold in the long term.

Ask graphic designer Parker Weintz the time and he doesn't look to his wrist, he pulls a cell phone out of his pocket - and he's not alone. NEW YORK

The explosion in online music sales is set to continue and will start to halt the decline in overall sales of recorded music in Europe, but not until 2010, according to a report on Thursday.

Congress may have declined to enact sweeping estate-tax cuts, but a new law contains important income-tax relief for many heirs.

Auto insurance rates vary enormously from company to company for the exact same car and person, just based on the insurer's own experience. So the easiest way to lower your auto insurance rate is to shop around and see what other companies are offering. You may be able to cut your premiums by hundreds of dollars just by switching companies.

Apple Computer Inc. will recall 1.8 million lithium-ion notebook batteries after nine devices overheated, causing minor burns in two users, U.S. safety regulators said on Thursday.

New orders for U.S.-made durable goods excluding the volatile transportation sector rose more than expected in July and the number of workers seeking jobless benefits fell slightly last week, government reports showed on Thursday.

Singapore-based Creative Technology Ltd., the maker of Nomad and Zen MP3 players, said on Thursday that an agreement with Apple Computer Inc. to make accessories for the iPod would boost its sales from the October-December quarter.

Time Warner Inc.'s AOL said on Thursday it will offer movies from four major Hollywood studios for downloading on its new Internet video service.

Sales of new U.S. homes tumbled to a smaller-than-expected seasonally adjusted 1.072 million annualized rate in July and a key inventory measure jumped to a ten-year high, pointing to a rapidly cooling housing market, a government report showed on Thursday.

India's Tata group announced on Tuesday it is buying a 26 percent stake in InfraCo, a new South Africa-based telecommunications company.

Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired Grouper Networks, a video sharing Web site for $65 million.

High-speed internet connections are on the incline in both the United States and Britain, according to industry experts.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations has agreed to accelerate plans to form a single economic community by five years. This is in response to growing competition for investment from fast-growing Chinese and Indian economies, Asean officials said on Tuesday.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers reached a deal late Monday to hike the minimum wage to the highest level in the nation, aides said on Tuesday.

U.S. mortgage applications rose for a third straight week as homeowners with adjustable loans took advantage of falling interest rates, data from the industry's main trade group showed on Wednesday.

He was a high-flying investment banker capitalizing on the late 90s technology bubble, setting up deals to launch billion dollar IPOs. Now, after three years of court battles against the government involving charges that he obstructed an investigation, Frank Quattrone is free to pursue his business once again.

Sun Microsystems Inc. regained the No. 3 ranking from Dell Inc. in the market for business server computers in the second quarter as it launched new products, researcher IDC said on Tuesday.

Facebook and Microsoft Corp on Wednesday said the world's largest software maker will become the exclusive provider of banner advertising and sponsored links on the social networking Web site as part of a strategic alliance.

Microsoft Corp. will release new versions of its Windows operating system in South Korea on Thursday to comply with an anti-trust ruling, a company source said on Wednesday.

Google Inc., the world's biggest Internet search engine, said on Wednesday it is opening the Japanese-language version of its email service to anyone who wants to sign up.

Gateway Inc. has received an unsolicited offer from eMachines founder Lap Shun Hui to acquire the computer and printer maker's retail operations for $450 million.

Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co. expects to price its new Wii gaming console below 250 euros ($321.50) in Europe, its head of German operations said on Wednesday.

A federal judge in San Francisco on Tuesday allowed video rental giant Blockbuster Inc to go forward with anti-trust claims against online rival Netflix Inc, which has sued Blockbuster for alleged patent violations.

IBM, the world's largest information-technology company, on Wednesday said it agreed to buy Internet Security Systems Inc. for $1.3 billion, continuing an acquisition drive to fuel growth.

Weyerhaeuser Co. on Wednesday said it agreed to merge its fine paper business and related assets with Domtar Inc. n a $3.3 billion transaction.

French car group Renault had no comment on Wednesday on a report that Bill Ford had called its chairman and chief executive Carlos Ghosn to explore possible cooperation.

1Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drink company, reported an 11 percent rise in first-half net profit Wednesday thanks to cost cutting and internal growth and despite higher raw material prices.