WASHINGTON — A surge in auto purchases helped lift retail sales in October by the largest amount in seven months. But excluding autos, retail sales rose more modestly. October marked the fourth straight increase in retail sales after declines in ...

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WASHINGTON — Retail sales, helped by strong demand for autos, increased in October by the largest amount in seven months. The Commerce Department reported Monday that retail sales rose 1.2 percent last month. That was nearly double the gain that ...

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NEW YORK — For Viacom Inc., Thursday was the day the music died. Or at least the catchy pop tunes emanating from its “Rock Band” video games. Viacom said the money-losing business unit that developed “Rock Band” is now on ...

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NEW YORK — “Call of Duty: Black Ops” shattered entertainment records this week when it raked in $360 million in its first 24 hours on sale, once again proving that video games have cemented their place in our lives as ...

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DETROIT — The new Jeep Grand Cherokee has driven Chrysler to within sight of profitability and lifted the automaker’s share of the U.S. market. Chrysler said Monday it cut its losses in half between the second and third quarters, helped ...

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OAK BROOK, Ill. — A Monopoly promotion and strong sales of basic menu items such as the Big Mac helped push a key sales figure up 5.6 percent in the U.S. for McDonald’s Corp. during October. Its increase in sales ...

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NEW YORK — Americans took a pause in shopping in October, leaving retailers with their weakest peformance since April as unsually warm weather depressed their appetite for cold weather items. Stores were forced to discount more on coats and hats ...

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PORTLAND, Ore. — Kellogg Co. said Tuesday that a drop in cereal sales, intense competition and the lingering impact of some of the largest food recalls in the company’s history have made 2010 a difficult and disappointing year. The world’s ...

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WASHINGTON— Builders are pessimistic about the housing market, but are seeing a little more foot traffic after the worst summer for home sales in a decade. The National Association of Home Builders said Monday its monthly index of builders’ sentiment ...

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WASHINGTON — Americans spent more money on cars, furniture and at hardware stores to boost retail sales to a third monthly increase in September. The string of gains since July followed declines in May and June. Those had raised worries ...

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