Retail sales edged down by a smaller-than-expected 0.1 percent in December as consumers showed resilience in the face of the recession and rising unemployment.
Hewlett-Packard Co. and Compaq Computer Corp. would pay out an extra $634 million to key employees as an incentive to stay on if their merger goes through, both companies disclosed Monday.
The federal government announced Monday a program that encourages construction contractors to exceed federal workplace safety requirements at temporary work sites.
Investors succumbed to worries about earnings and sold stocks sharply lower Monday while they awaited fourth-quarter results that will begin in earnest this week.
Microsoft Corp. added 980,000 MSN Internet access subscribers in the last three months of 2001, bringing its total to 7.7 million subscribers, the company said Tuesday.