MARKETING

Electronics and luxury items were the fastest-growing U.S. sales categories in the retail sector in April, but weakness in apparel suggests that a sustained recovery in overall retail may be too soon to call, according to a report released on Tuesday.

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

World oil prices followed gold towards south in Asian trade Tuesday after hitting a 19-month high on positive economic news overnight. The black gold dropped below $86 a barrel mark mainly on a strong dollar against major currencies amid rise in US crude and fuel stockpiles. Light sweet crude for June was seen trading at $85.81 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while Brent crude was at $88.61 a barrel at the same time in London.

Chevron Corp and Total SA posted sharp gains in quarterly profit on Friday, the latest among the major oil companies to see their coffers swell on the strength in oil prices.

Chevron Corp , the second-largest U.S. oil company, reported on Friday a sharp rise in quarterly profit, as oil prices bounced back strongly in the past year, offsetting lower earnings from its refineries.

Apple Inc may charge about $1 million for displaying advertisements on its mobile devices, the Wall Street Journal said, citing advertisement executives.

Nielsen, the world's largest TV and consumer measurement company, plans to begin hiring bankers for its initial public offering, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

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The European Commission unveiled revised antitrust rules on Tuesday allowing luxury brand owners to block online retailers without a bricks-and-mortar shop from distributing their products.

When Michelle Obama wore a J. Crew outfit on the Tonight Show during the presidential campaign, online sales for the clothing retailer went through the roof.

(Reuters) - People living in countries with government-run healthcare systems like Sweden and Canada are far more confident than Americans that their families can get good, affordable care, according to a 22-nation survey released on Thursday.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more strongly than expected in March, pointing to a broadening of the manufacturing-led economic recovery as inflation pressures remained muted.

Chevron Corp said on Thursday its refining and marketing arm would return to profit in the first quarter as refining margins improved, while earnings from oil and gas production would continue to grow.

A nascent pickup in consumer spending has expanded beyond discounters to teen clothing chains and other store chains, according to the first batch of March sales reports from U.S. retailers.

The upbeat movement in steel prices in the last one month created much debate as the price rise in the key input to varied industries including automobile, real estate, consumer durables, has created ripples of turbulence across the sectors. But it is evident from the global coal scenario that steel prices may continue to dent the profitability of key sectors in India.

Has anyone ever said to you, If there's anything I can do to help you with your business, let me know? And was your response Thank you.

EBay Inc is rebranding its Kijiji classifieds business in the United States as eBayClassifieds.com, as it strives to replace Craigslist.com as the dominant player in the world's largest classified advertising market.

According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, consumers choose foods that are less healthy when they are purchasing for others.

Europe's highest court ruled Google Inc did not infringe trademark law by selling keywords to trigger ads after Louis Vuitton and others said the practice undermined their brands.

EBay Inc and the National Retail Federation, the trade group for the retail industry, said on Monday they have teamed to combat organized retail crime.

Google Inc could win a widely expected victory next week in Europe's top court and still face many more battles over keyword advertising, the backbone of its Internet business model.