Business Highlights

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge approved the largest auto-scandal settlement in U.S. history Tuesday, giving nearly half a million Volkswagen owners the choice between selling their cars back or having them repaired so they don't cheat on emissions tests and spew excess pollution.

DETROIT (AP) — Despite thousands of mailed notices and warnings of grave danger, Honda is still having trouble finding and notifying about 300,000 people with potentially deadly air bag inflators in their cars.

Sloan's company-wide speech given Tuesday is the latest effort by Wells Fargo's executives to atone for the fact that the bank's employees, pushed by impossible sales goals, opened as many as 2 million bank and credit card accounts without customers' authorization.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shaky results from consumer companies dragged the U.S. stock market lower on Tuesday as well-known names like appliance maker Whirlpool and athletic apparel maker Under Armour suffered their worst losses in years.

Third-quarter earnings continued to dominate the market and some of the biggest companies either reported disappointing results or lowered their expectations.

The lower October reading reflected a drop in consumers' assessment of current business conditions and employment prospects.

(AP) — Caterpillar's third-quarter profit was essentially cut in half with the global economy stuck in a funk, and the company said that it expects that malaise to extend into next year.

Falling commodity prices on the farm, in the mines, and in the oil patch have forced a deep reduction in equipment spending.

Higher sales of vaccines and prescription medicines, coupled with restrained spending, helped Merck & Co. post a 20 percent jump in third-quarter profit, trouncing Wall Street expectations.

The company raised and narrowed its 2016 financial forecasts, but noted some headwinds, including the start of U.S. generic competition to three drugs by