Business News

Kmart Corp. on Friday reported a $174 million net loss for February, the first full month since the discount retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The fight against the computer industry's biggest merger landed in court Thursday, as dissident director Walter Hewlett accused Hewlett-Packard Co. of improperly enticing a big investor to back HP's $19 billion buyout of Compaq Computer Corp.

Improved efficiency and marketing coupled with a rebounding economy helped ConAgra Foods boost its third-quarter net income by 48 percent despite a 2 percent decline in sales.

HCA, the nation's largest for-profit hospital chain, announced an agreement to repay the federal government $250 million to settle an ongoing a dispute over fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid billing. The resolution is subject to approval by the Departm

The National Football League selected PepsiCo Inc. as its official sponsor of soda, juices and snacks on Thursday, ending a 19-year sponsorship relationship with Coca-Cola.

Top managers of Arthur Andersen LLP threw their support behind Paul Volcker's long-shot rescue plan Thursday and the firm warned of "inevitable" layoffs ahead, underscoring the shaky state of the once-mighty accounting giant.

J.C. Penney Co. chief executive Allen Questrom said Thursday the department-store company will take about two years to decide whether to sell its Eckerd drugstore chain, which faces lawsuits over drug pricing.

Drivers across the nation are digging deeper into their wallets to cover rising gasoline prices, which have leapt an average of 23 cents per gallon over the last month - the most dramatic change in more than a decade.

Ford Motor Co. will stop giving free replacements for Firestone tires on Sunday, ending an enormously costly recall that tarnished the reputations of two of the most venerable corporate names.

Georgia's No. 4 natural gas marketer is trying to find a new buyer after the collapse of a merger with a British suitor.