Wall Street up as Wal-Mart rises on results

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Thursday as better-than-expected earnings by Wal-Mart Stores Inc offset gloomy government reports on retail sales and employment.

U.S. retail sales fall, new jobless claims up

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in July and the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, indicating the recession-hit economy faced a bumpy recovery.

Lighting up a revenue idea

Increasing the cigarette tax would be a cowardly thing for California to do. But it also is a necessary thing to do.

Taxing tobacco is cowardly. When politicians do it, they mostly hit the poor and the powerless.

Fed sees hope but leaves key interest rate near zero

The central bank says 'economic activity is leveling out' but remains weak. It extends by a month its purchase of Treasury securities to reduce long-term interest rates.

Reporting from Washington Tom Petruno and Los Angeles -- The Federal Reserve on Wednesday gave its most upbeat assessment of the U.S. economy in many months, while making clear that it would indefinitely keep short-term interest rates at rock bottom.

Disclosing Mortgage Risks

To the Editor:.

Raising The Roof At Toll Brothers

The homebuilder surges again after a big bump last week. Bulls are wagering on more gains by next week.

Obama Proposes Rules on Trading in Derivatives

The president wants to protect small municipalities and unsophisticated investors by limiting their eligibility to trade in over-the-counter derivatives.

Five Nasdaq Stars

Our computer screens yield some promising Nasdaq growth stocks.