NEW YORK — It’s the best start for stocks in 15 years. The Dow Jones industrial average and the Standard & Poor’s 500 each finished with their biggest January gains since 1997. Stocks jumped on the first trading day of ...

Tagged with: dow jones industrial average january standard & poor's stock market Stocks Stocks wall street

DISTRICT HEIGHTS — Prince George’s County police say they are investigating their first homicide of the new year. Police say they were called to a mid-rise apartment complex in the 2000 block of Brooks Drive in the District Heights area ...

Tagged with: crime homicide january Prince George's County

WASHINGTON — Businesses ordered more manufactured goods from U.S. factories in January, but excluding a big surge in demand for airplanes, the rise in demand was the smallest in three months. The Commerce Department says that excluding the volatile transportation ...

Tagged with: air travel commerce commerce department commercial aircraft factories factory orders january manufactured goods Transportation washington

WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans signed contracts to buy homes in January, the latest evidence that the housing market is struggling to rise above depressed levels. The National Association of Realtors says its index of sales agreements for previously occupied homes ...

Tagged with: Economy fall foreclosure home sales housing january mortgage National Association of Realtors Real Estate Recession

WASHINGTON — Factories produced more goods for the fifth straight month in January as strong auto sales spurred demand for new cars and trucks. But overall U.S. industrial production fell for the first time in 19 months. Output by America’s ...

Tagged with: auto sales factories factory factory output federal reserve goods january production utilities washington

Legg Mason Inc. said Thursday that its assets under management in January matched the December figure. The Baltimore-based investment manager reported managed assets of $671.8 billion as of Jan. 31, flat compared with assets reported at the end of December. ...

Tagged with: assets Baltimore december fixed-income january Legg Mason Legg Mason Inc.

NEW YORK — Retailers reported surprisingly solid January revenue gains Thursday that swept away fears that snowstorms in much of the country had chilled sales. The reports, which are being compared with a respectable January 2010, offer encouraging signs that ...

Tagged with: consumer spending january reports Retail retailers revenue sales shoppers snowstorm

DETROIT — Americans gave automakers a confidence boost in January. They bought more cars and trucks and showed a still-fragile auto industry that they were ready to replace their clunkers in 2011. Sales of cars and light trucks in the ...

Tagged with: auto sales consumers gm honda increase january Manufacturing toyota

DETROIT — U.S. sales of cars and trucks rose in January, a strong start to what the auto industry hopes will be an extension of last year’s recovery. In another good sign, sales to individuals were better than sales to ...

Tagged with: auto industry automakers cars chrysler chrysler group llc detroit ford motor co. general motors gm january trucks

I blinked, and now it’s February. So much for those New Year’s resolutions. Stereotypically, New Year’s resolutions are made at the beginning of the year, and fail within months (or less). Eighty-eight percent of them, in fact. Why is this? According to some, ...

Tagged with: advice balance goals january