Uncertainty looms for automakers
An interesting thing happened after the world's two largest automakers posted third-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations.
( JOHN PORRETTO, AP Business Writer, 10/21/2002 11:17 AM PDT)

Wal-Mart sales on track
Wal-Mart Stores and other major U.S. retailers said Monday that last week's sales met or beat expectations, as the onset of cooler weather helped spur apparel sales.
( Reuters, 10/21/2002 11:17 AM PDT)

Kmart: Bankruptcy to end in 2003
Kmart Corp. said it plans to emerge from bankruptcy protection as early as the first half of 2003.
( By ALEXANDRA R. MOSES, Associated Press , 10/21/2002 11:04 AM PDT)

Regulators see action on CSFB practices
Massachusetts authorities said Monday that they planned unspecified action concerning Credit Suisse First Boston and the practices of its investment banking and research arms.
( BY PER JEBSEN, Reuters, 10/21/2002 10:15 AM PDT)

Bayer faces 3,500 drug lawsuits
German drug maker Bayer said Monday it faces 3,500 lawsuits, many more than previously announced, over an anti-cholesterol drug withdrawn last year after it was linked to dozens of patient deaths worldwide.
( 10/21/2002 08:51 AM PDT)

U.S. Steel swings to a profit in third quarter
U.S. Steel posted earnings Monday of $106 million for the third quarter, due mostly to higher production and steel prices.
( MIKE CRISSEY, Associated Press Writer, 10/21/2002 08:12 AM PDT)

HCA net falls after securities charge
HCA Inc. (HCA.N), the largest U.S. hospital chain, got burned by Wall Street's high tech wreck. The company, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, said Monday its third-quarter net income fell after a $107 million charge from a drop in value from securities held by its insurance division.
( BY WILLIAM BORDEN, Reuters, 10/21/2002 05:03 AM PDT)

Motorola, Lucent, Nortel get China deals
Battered telecoms equipment giants Motorola Inc, Lucent Technologies Inc and Nortel Networks have clinched deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars to upgrade a mobile phone network in China, company officials and sources said on Monday.
( BY DOUG YOUNG, Reuters, 10/21/2002 05:02 AM PDT)

Bush to seek lower-cost generic drugs
President Bush on Monday will propose new regulations aimed at speeding consumer access to lower-cost generic drugs by limiting the ability of drug companies to prolong patent protections.
( BY RANDALL MIKKELSEN, Reuters, 10/21/2002 01:54 AM PDT)

Prudential, Wachovia mull joint venture
Prudential Financial Inc. and Wachovia Corp. are discussing ways to combine their brokerage units and create one of the world's largest independent stock research and advisory operations, sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.
( Reuters, 10/21/2002 12:57 AM PDT)

Shipping lines withhold key papers
After promising this week to produce proof of a dockworker slowdown at West Coast ports, shipping companies embroiled in a labor dispute with longshoremen again delayed filing the documents with federal prosecutors.
( JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer, 10/21/2002 12:55 AM PDT)

CAW workers at DaimlerChrysler Canada approve new contract
The 12,500 unionized workers at DaimlerChrysler Canada approved a three-year contract hammered out for them by the Canadian Auto Workers, the union announced Sunday.
( 10/20/2002 06:04 PM PDT)