Business News - Reuters

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co tripled the size of its share repurchase program to $12 billion, as a strong performance in China and improved profit margins in its services business helped boost quarterly earnings.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales of previously owned U.S. homes jumped last month to their highest level in more than 2-1/2 years, but a fall in an economic gauge was a reminder that recovery from recession would be patchy.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A trade group for the lenders that finance half the capital equipment investment in the United States said on Monday that U.S. businesses remain hesitant about borrowing to invest in their operations.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Freddie Mac, the U.S. mortgage finance giant, said on Monday it is seeking $595 million in loan payments and other funds hung up after the bankruptcy of lender Taylor, Bean & Whitaker.

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - As the economy shows signs of stabilizing, major retail brokers are increasingly comfortable with leaving the largest brokerage houses and setting out on their own, according to a company that provides services to the brokers.

OXFORD, England (Reuters) - Twitter, the social internet firm that tracks trends through individuals' updates of events around them, may eventually go to the stock market for funding if necessary, its co-founder Biz Stone said.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lehman Brothers International (Europe), where more than $35 billion of hedge fund assets have been frozen since the bank's collapse last September, could return about $11 billion to fund managers by March if enough firms approve a new plan.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gold scaled a record high on a weak dollar and global stocks jumped on Monday after better-than-expected U.S. home sales data and rosy economic news in the euro zone bolstered appetite for riskier assets.

NEW YORK/LONDON (Reuters) - Gold scaled a record high at $1,173.50 an ounce on Monday as a weaker dollar boosted buying in gold as a hedge against depreciation of paper currencies.

LONDON (Reuters) - Speculation about a bid battle for Cadbury among Kraft Foods and other rivals lifted shares in the British confectioner to a new high on Monday but analysts doubt whether a competing bid will emerge.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Inventor Judah Klausner filed suit against Motorola Inc and Research In Motion , alleging infringement of technology patents related to visual voicemail.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Campbell Soup Co reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday, helped by price increases and easing costs for ingredients including grains that offset a drop in sales.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - General Motors will present a plan to European governments to save struggling carmaker Opel within days, a rescue set to cost 3.3 billion euros ($4.9 billion), those involved in talks said on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago said on Monday its gauge of the national economy fell further into negative territory in October, in a report that suggested the economic recovery could be in trouble.

LONDON (Reuters) - Two years of economic and market turmoil mean that investors cannot ignore the chances of even the most extreme events like global depression or a killer pandemic, a leading investment consultancy said on Monday.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - - Nokia Oyj's (NOK1V.HE) battered shares could get a boost when the firm looks ahead at next week's investor day to an expected upturn in handset margins and a more competitive smartphone offering in 2010.

LONDON (Reuters) - The global economy is in a holding pattern and vulnerable to more upheaval, and a lasting recovery will depend on policymakers taking the proper steps in coming months, the head of the IMF said on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in October at a faster-than-expected pace to the highest in more than 2-1/2 years as buyers rushed to take advantage of a popular tax credit, a survey showed on Monday.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Tyson Foods Inc posted higher-than-expected quarterly results on Monday on strength in its beef, pork and prepared foods businesses, which it expects to continue in its new fiscal year.