The economy shifted to a higher gear in the spring, growing at its fastest pace in nearly a year as foreign buyers snapped up U.S. exports and tax rebates spurred shoppers at home.

Boeing Co. plans to present its machinists with a final 3-year contract offer on Thursday, a day after after receiving a counterproposal from the union, a company spokesman said.

Altria Group Inc. said Thursday it will increase its quarterly dividend by 10 percent to 32 cents a share from 29 cents a share.

U.S. jewelers are confident they will prevail this holiday shopping season, betting that upscale and middle-income customers won't resist buying baubles despite a weak economy.

If legislation passes to give the Food and Drug Administration the authority the regulate the tobacco industry, it could reshape the industry's competitive landscape, Fitch Ratings said in a new report Thursday.

Oil prices fluctuated sharply Thursday as Tropical Storm Gustav spun toward the Gulf of Mexico, with some traders fearing a disruption in supplies and others betting that the government would tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve if needed.

Shares of military contractors mostly rose with the broader market Thursday after an analyst said the sector offers "near-term strategic buying opportunities."

Altria Group Inc said on Thursday its board of directors voted to increase the company's regular quarterly dividend 10.3 percent to 32 cents per share from 29 cents per share.

Airline stocks overcame higher oil prices to rally Thursday after a two-day sell-off, as carriers continued cost-cutting moves heading into fall.

Shares of Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. staged a slight recovery Thursday after falling sharply the day before, when Amlyin and its partner Eli Lilly & Co. reported new deaths among patients taking their diabetes treatment Byetta.

Consumers love their airline frequent flier credit cards, but it may be time to trade yours in for something better.

Goldman Sachs , Lehman Brothers and Morgan Stanley may report a small sequential drop in third-quarter write-downs, helped by hedging gains, according to an analyst at Fox-Pitt Kelton.

What on earth is going on at MSNBC? Politico, Variety and The Wall Street Journal all have stories today about how personal friction between Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews and Joe Scarborough has increasingly been spilling over onto the screen.

An analyst cut her estimates and share price target for investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. Thursday, citing the continued downturn in the credit markets.

Fannie Mae's capital and reserves positions are better than market expectations, and the biggest U.S. mortgage finance company may not need any more externally raised capital, according to an analyst at Lehman Brothers.

Boeing Co will present a final contract offer to its largest labor union as early as Thursday, hoping to prevent a strike that could cost the company $3 billion a month.

China and Iraq have signed a $3 billion deal revising an earlier agreement for China's biggest oil company to help develop the Ahdab oil field, an official at the Iraq's Oil Ministry said Thursday.

The number of people signing up for jobless benefits declined last week, the third straight drop from a six-year high reached earlier this month, the government said Thursday.

Circuit City Stores, Inc. announced that it plans to report results for the quarter ended August 31, 2008, on Monday, September 29, 2008.

Sears Holdings Corp. reported a 62 percent drop in second-quarter profit as the retailer continues to struggle to attract customers to its stores despite a high-stakes restructuring.