DETROIT -- Ford said Wednesday it earned a profit of $2 billion during the second quarter, a 4 percent increase from the same period a year ago as profits from the company's North American region helped it record better-than-expected results.

In North America, the Dearborn, Mich., automaker is still churning out profits thanks in part to its ...Read more

MENLO PARK, Calif. -- Facebook isn't having any trouble selling itself to advertisers.

Fueled by mobile ad dollars, the tech firm reported second-quarter earnings and revenue on Wednesday that beat Wall Street's expectations.

"Many people have been expecting that Facebook's revenue growth would start to decline because the News Feed is running...Read more

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged Wednesday and conveyed a tad more concern about recent inflation trends, clouding the prospects for when the next rate hike might come.

At the same time, the central bank said after its two-day meeting that U.S. economic conditions looked good, with job growth solid and consumer ...Read more

ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola said it is rolling out a new recipe, name and look in North America to replace one of its most successful products -- Coca-Cola Zero.

The Atlanta beverage giant announced the new version during its second-quarter earnings report. It will be called Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. The new cans and bottles, to roll out in August, will ...Read more

When Hulu's live TV service first launched, I was, to put it nicely, underwhelmed. There were some pretty colors and a few intriguing design choices, but there were so many shortcomings.

The biggest, of course, was that you couldn't use Hulu with Live TV on the two most popular streaming platforms around: Roku and Amazon.

Last week, Hulu has ...Read more

Q: I think I accidentally changed something in my Windows 7 PC's advanced settings, and now the PC's directory can't see my external hard drive. I can't restore my computer to an earlier date because it can't see the external hard drive on which I backed everything up. What should I do?

--Pierre Girard, Golden Valley, Minn.

A: First, let's ...Read more

A new federal regulation that would make it easier for Americans to bring class-action lawsuits against banks and other financial institutions might be scrapped before it ever takes effect.

Republican lawmakers had vowed to kill the rule, released by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau just two weeks ago, and took the first step toward ...Read more

Two of the technology industry's most powerful leaders are at odds when it comes to artificial intelligence.

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk has a pessimistic view of the risks associated with such technology. "I keep sounding the alarm bell," Musk told the National Governors Association in June. "But until people see robots going down the street ...Read more

SAN FRANCISCO -- Uber added a 24-hour phone help line and a slew of new features and policy changes Tuesday in an attempt to appease drivers, who have long complained the San Francisco ride-hailing company doesn't do enough to support them.

The move is part of what Uber is calling its "180 Days of Change" -- a campaign launched after a string ...Read more

CHICAGO -- McDonald's fancy $5 burgers are proving to be a hit with the $1 menu crowd.

The world's largest burger chain on Tuesday reported a 28 percent jump in second-quarter profit, thanks to sales of its new Signature Crafted line of burgers and $1 drink promotion. McDonald's shares jumped on the news, climbing $7.22, or 4.8 percent, to ...Read more

DETROIT -- A Volkswagen official at the heart of the German automaker's wide-ranging diesel emissions cheating scandal plans to plead guilty in the case.

"Prosecutors and lawyers in the Volkswagen AG criminal case informed U.S. District Judge Sean Cox this morning that defendant Oliver Schmidt has decided to plead guilty," said a Tuesday ...Read more

If you've ever burned files to a CD or DVD using your Mac, you've probably used Roxio Toast. The latest version is called Toast Titanium.

With an updated drag-and-drop interface, Toast still burns files. But more importantly, you'll find it's the missing link between shooting digital films and your heavy-duty video-editing software.

It can ...Read more

Q: I'm feeling stuck from having too many choices! I just determined that I'm in a financial position to retire. I still like working and I could stay at my current employer full- or part-time or pursue consulting or teaching opportunities. Or I could go to 100 percent retirement. How do I make the right choice?

-- Peter, 63, vice president

A:...Read more

Q: After our small company was acquired by a large corporation, everything seemed to change. As the office manager, I have always taken care of administrative duties like payroll, personnel, meeting planning and so forth. But ever since the acquisition, things that should be handled by me are now being sent to my new manager.

My boss doesn't ...Read more

At a recent meeting, I shifted uncomfortably as the presenter shuffled through papers as if he hadn't seen them before. He spoke quietly with little expression and little conviction, and I had trouble paying attention.

What he said was actually OK, but his delivery wasn't. If he wanted to influence me, he failed. He seemed to have no confidence...Read more