Business Highlights

Falling prices for oil and other commodities pulled U.S. stocks modestly lower on Wednesday, nudging the Standard & Poor's 500 index slightly into the red for the year and putting it on course to snap a five-week winning streak.

Unlike U.S., European and Korean automakers, which end their financial year on Dec. 31, Japanese companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. close their books on March 31.

In order to hit their annual sales targets, Japanese automakers usually ramp up the promotions and deals in March.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. homebuyers in the West accounted for all of February's increase in sales of new houses, possibly signaling uncertain growth prospects for the broader real estate market heading into the spring buying season.

The bank cited "disappointing financial results" because of a combination of a high, inflexible cost base, exposure to illiquid fixed income assets, tough market conditions and "historically low levels of client activity."

NEW YORK (AP) — Keurig is hiring Pinnacle Foods CEO Robert Gamgort as its next chief executive as it struggles to boost sales of its single-cup coffee machines.

Starbucks to offer prepaid cards to boost rewards program

A combination of Exelon and Pepco would create the largest electric utility company in the U.S. Exelon first offered to buy Pepco nearly two years ago.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government is ordering federal and state inspectors to remove certain Volvo tractor trucks from the road because of a steering wheel defect that can cause a complete loss of control of the vehicle.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The web portal used by millions of consumers to get health insurance under President Barack Obama's law has logged more than 300 cybersecurity incidents and remains vulnerable to hackers, nonpartisan congressional investigators said Wednesday.

The Government Accountability Office said none of the 316 security incidents appeared to have le