Strong advocate named to guide business district's early months

NORTHAMPTON - The board of directors for the new downtown business improvement district has turned to a familiar face to get the fledgling organization off the ground.

Jobless data sends stocks reeling

NEW YORK - A dour report on job losses in June sent stocks sharply lower Thursday.

Major stock indexes fell more than 2.6 percent after the government said the U.S. unemployment rate hit a 26-year high. The Dow Jones industrials closed at their lowest level in six weeks.

Chrysler's product lineup struggles in showrooms

DETROIT - The latest numbers on auto sales show that Chrysler needs to quickly figure out how to navigate the car market as deftly as it did bankruptcy court.

Deerfield toolmaker cuts another 22 positions

DEERFIELD - Disston Co., a maker of saws and other tools headquartered on West Industrial Drive, laid off 22 workers in June - the latest in a string of moves that have cut about 47 employees from the factory so far this year, company officials said.

McDonald's to launch line of Angus burgers

NEW YORK - McDonald's Corp. will begin selling a new line of bigger burgers priced at about $4 each on Thursday to bring in customers looking for a beefy alternative to pricier burgers at sit-down restaurants.

Banks still hiking rates

NEW YORK - Credit card reform may be looming, but for now the fine print is still hitting consumers hard. Banks keep raising minimum payments, interest rates and fees, continuing the credit tightening that began last year, even as cardholders are falling further behind on their payments.

Stocks rise on mixed reports

NEW YORK - Investors kicked off the stock market's third quarter with a moderate gain after getting some reassuring data on manufacturing and housing.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose by 0.7 percent Wednesday, rebounding from the previous day's selloff that was triggered by a drop in consumer confidence. Other indexes made moderate advances as well.