Porsche shot to the top of a closely watched study of long-term vehicle dependability, overtaking U.S. and Japanese rivals, J.D. Power and Associates said Thursday.

Stocks were mixed in early morning trading Thursday after reports on inflation and new claims for unemployment matched expectations.

President Barack Obama says small-business owners especially will benefit from a jobs bill awaiting his signature.

The number of newly laid-off workers requesting jobless benefits fell slightly last week for the third straight time. But initial claims remain above levels that would signal net job gains.

The government handed out millions of dollars to bank regulators, rewarding "superior" work even as an avalanche of risky mortgages helped create the meltdown.

Bernard Madoff was attacked by another inmate at the federal prison where he is serving a 150-year sentence, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing three people.

The Tar Heels top Forbes' third annual ranking of college basketball teams with a value of $29 million, up 12 percent from last year when they also claimed the No. 1 spot.

The Better Business Bureau issued a consumer alert to warn cash-strapped families about disreputable online payday lenders who have no regard for the law.

Wall Street's biggest banks could be broken up by Congress in the coming year in an eventual reckoning over the financial meltdown of 2008, "Liar's Poker" author Michael Lewis said.

Consumer prices were flat last month, as the weak economy limited the ability of companies to charge more for goods and services.

A private research group says its gauge of future economic activity rose 0.1 percent in February, suggesting slow economic growth this summer.

Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data.

Joseph Casias has been legally using medical marijuana to deal with the gnawing pain caused by sinus cancer and an inoperable brain tumor. But then was fired for it.

Little Tikes' Cozy Coupe is among the most unusual items in the toy industry today: A product that is manufactured in the United States.

Even as U.S. companies move production of everything from board games to dishwashers to other countries, American factories churn out billions of dollars worth of goods.

An American car sold in Chicago may have rolled off an assembly line in Tennessee with parts made from a dozen different countries. Who decides what's "Made in the USA"?

For details of the U.S. Treasury s auctions of 2-year, 5-year and 7-year notes next week, see: 2-year notes: http://www.treasurydirect.gov/instit/annceresult/press/preanre/2010/A_20100318_4.pdf

The Dow rose Thursday as jobless claims beat and the CPI report showed little sign of inflation. How should investors be positioned in this environment? Christian Thwaites, president and CEO of Sentinel Asset Management, and Jason Trennert, chief investment strategist and managing partner at Strategas Research Partners, shared their insights.

Stocks were little changed on Thursday, though the S&P and Nasdaq turned lower after data from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve showed new orders in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region decelerated in March.

Business conditions improved for the seventh straight month at manufacturing firms in the Philadelphia region, according to the monthly survey of firms released by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

The U.S. commercial paper market contracted in the latest week, hinting that companies may be cautious about the pace of economic growth, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.