US retail sales surge
Guardian3.15pm: Shoppers shrugged off higher petrol prices and falling house prices last month to give retail sales a 1.4% boost, more than double Wall Street forecasts. By Angela Balakrishnan.
Read full articleBanks
ShoreBank thrives despite early predictions
Opening a bank aimed at improving the quality of life in poor urban areas was supposed to be a grand... [read more]
U.S. subprime woes could hurt Swiss banks, report says
While banks including UBS and Credit Suisse have raised their ability to absorb shocks, recent increases... [read more]
Energy
BP in oilseed tree project
Company sets up a venture with biodiesel firm to increase planting of jatropha, a tree that produces... [read more]

For some oil companies, Venezuela is hardly the worst option
The edicts of President Hugo Chávez are relatively tolerable when compared with conditions in countries... [read more]

