How to spend $5 trillion: a record-breaking year in deals
NEW YORK (AP) -- Companies around the world spent a record $5.04 trillion on acquisitions in 2015, according to Dealogic, as slow worldwide economic growth and low interest rates pushed companies to combine forces....

US pending home sales slip in November
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Fewer people signed contracts to purchase homes in November, as the real estate market appears to have cooled after sales gains for much of 2015....

Toys R Us closes flagship store: Ferris wheel, T-Rex and all
NEW YORK (AP) -- For decades, children visiting New York City savored one stop above all: a trip to the kind of toy store that existed only in their imagination. Now they'll have to keep dreaming....

Apple agrees to pay $350 million in Italian tax case
ROME (AP) -- Apple has agreed to pay Italy 318 million euros (about $350 million) in taxes for several past years, prosecutors said Wednesday, part of a broader European effort to make multinationals pay what they owe in each country where they do business....

Why you should consider freezing your credit reports
NEW YORK (AP) -- Freeze your credit reports before you get burned....

Pep Boys agrees to be bought by Icahn for $1 billion
NEW YORK (AP) -- Carl Icahn is acquiring Pep Boys for $1 billion, ending his weekslong bidding war with the Japanese tire company Bridgestone....

Weight Watchers stock soars as Oprah ad begins to air
NEW YORK (AP) -- Weight Watchers is getting another boost from Oprah Winfrey....

KaloBios, formerly led by Shkreli, files for bankruptcy
NEW YORK (AP) -- KaloBios, the troubled drugmaker taken over by Martin Shkreli last month, is seeking bankruptcy protection less than two weeks after his arrest for securities fraud....

Delivery and ride-hailing app company Sidecar s
NEW YORK (AP) -- Delivery and ride-hailing pioneer Sidecar, which struggled to compete with bigger rivals Uber and Lyft, says it will stop offering services....

Swiss bank Julius Baer reaches deal to settle US tax dispute
BERLIN (AP) -- Swiss bank Julius Baer says it has reached an agreement in principle to settle a dispute over dealings with U.S. clients, and is setting aside $547.25 million to cover the costs....