Silly Bandz (McClatchy/Tribune News)
Want to get an extra early jump on this year’s holiday must-haves? Take an exclusive look at what products Google says are burning up the Internet 14 weeks before Christmas.
Google was among the earliest to predict last year’s Zhu Zhu Pets toy craze after spotting an explosion of searches for Zhu Zhu Pets a full three months before Christmas, according to the folks with the company’s retail team. Get the full story »
The Illinois unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 points, to 10.1 percent, in August, making it the eighth consecutive month of steady or declining rates, according the Illinois Department of Employment Security.
In August, the national unemployment rate went up 0.1 point, to 9.6 percent. Get the full story »
Four banks with a meaningful Chicago presence made a list of the 20 best- and 20 worst-performing Midwest bank stocks.
The 20 best-performing Midwest bank stocks year to date include Chicago-based PrivateBancorp Inc. and Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bancorp, according to a report released Thursday by Oppenheimer & Co. Fifth Third ranks eighth in deposit market share in the Chicago area.
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The Senate has passed a bill to create a $30 billion U.S. government fund to help open lending for credit-starved small businesses, cut their taxes and boost federal loan programs for them. The 61-38 tally rewards President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress Hill with a long-sought victory and sets the stage for a final vote in the House, which is likely to approve it for Obama’s signature.
Redbox is hoping more people will grab a movie at the convenience store, along with that lottery ticket.
The dollar-a-night movie rental kiosks are expanding into EZ Mart Stores, Inc., Fastrac Markets, Murphy Express and VPS Convenience Store Group, thanks to a deal signed this week that will add locations in the Northeast, Southeast and Midwest. Get the full story »
The parking lot at the new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Aurora briefly turned into a campground, with the chain offering the first one hundred people in line a one-year supply of 52 meals coupons on Thursday. (Chuck Berman/Chicago Tribune)
Employees in crisp red shirts performed a variety of final tasks as the legendary chicken chain prepared to debut its first Chicago-area outlet at 6 a.m. Thursday at the Westfield Fox Valley Mall property on Aurora’s far east side.
An unofficial pre-opening on Wednesday drew dozens of Chick-fil-A fans from the Chicago area and beyond, lured by the prospect of free once-a-week meals for a year. The firm traditionally gives away coupons to the first 100 customers. Get the full story>>
Boeing Co. says it booked orders for 20 new aircraft in the last week, although it lost a few, too. The new orders include 15 new 737s. That jet is a workhorse and it dominates Boeing’s order book. Customers also ordered five new 777s, a larger plane often used on longer flights. None of the customers were identified.
Oak Brook-based McDonald’s was ranked the world’s sixth most valuable brand, according to Interbrand’s ranking of the top 100 “Best Global Brands” released on Thursday. Coca-Cola was the world’s most valuable brand for the 11th straight year, and HP entered the top 10 for the first time.
Motorola Inc. said Thursday it has acquired a company that develops location-based software for smartphone devices.
Terms of the deal with Aloqa GmbH, which has offices in Munich, Germany and Palo Alto, Calif., were not disclosed. Aloqa makes a mobile phone application that delivers content to a device based on where its owner is located. A person might receive discounts on local businesses or information about nearby events, Motorola said. Get the full story »
JPMorgan Chase’s online banking system appeared to be up and running Thursday morning after a Monday night crash left customers with spotty or no Web access to their accounts for three days.
Chase said its online banking service is operating well today.
“By 5 or 6 o’clock yesterday, things were moving quickly again,” said Chase spokesman Tom Kelly. Get the full story »
Enbridge Energy Partners said it has finished repairs on its line 6A pipeline shut down last week due to a leak in a Chicago suburb and plans to restore service Friday morning.
The company said the leak was stopped Sunday evening after it found a hole in the 34-inch pipe in an industrial area of Romeoville. Enbridge said 6,100 barrels of crude oil were released during the spill, and only a small portion escaped from the immediate area before its crews began vacuuming up the oil. Get the full story »
The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits dropped slightly last week to its lowest level in two months, a sign that employers are cutting fewer jobs.
The Labor Department said Thursday that new claims for jobless benefits fell by 3,000 to a seasonally adjusted 450,000, the third decline in four weeks. Many economists had expected an increase. Get the full story »
