EBay Inc. has defeated the appeal of a court ruling that protected the online auctioneer from "trademark dilution"by e-commerce rivals with similar-sounding names.

  The Reserve Bank of Australia lifted a key interest rate to an 11-year high of 6.75 percent Wednesday, a move analysts say could hurt Prime Minister John Howard's shot at re-election later this month.

  Canada Pension Plan Investment Board said Wednesday it intends to make a partial takeover offer to shareholders of Auckland International Airport Ltd. in a bid to take a 40 percent holding in the company.

  Electronic Arts Inc. announced Tuesday it would close its 150-employee office in downtown Chicago as part of a company-wide cost-cutting initiative.

  The U.S. government on Tuesday reached a $16.4 million (?11.27 million) settlement with Freddie Mac's former CEO for his role in the mortgage finance company's multibillion-dollar accounting scandal.

  The dollar fell to new lows on Tuesday amid expectations of more interest rate cuts in the United States and worries about the U.S. economy, even as oil prices shot past a record $97 a barrel.

  New York Magazine agreed Tuesday to stop accepting sex ads after the local chapter of a women's rights group threatened protests outside the popular weekly publication.

  Wall Street bounded higher Tuesday as investors still mindful of widening credit problems nonetheless went in search of bargain stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 117 points, with soaring oil and precious metals prices driving up the companies that produce those commodities.

  Commodities prices resumed their upward trek Tuesday, with gold and oil prices surging as investors sought shelter from the dollar's persistent decline.

  Gold for current delivery closed at $820.80 per troy ounce Tuesday on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up from $808.10 late Monday.

  Financially strapped airline BRA Transportes Aereas has asked Brazilian aviation officials for permission to temporarily halt all of its domestic and international flights, the company said Tuesday.

  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who has been devoting a lot of time lately to a credit crisis that has roiled global financial markets, found a smaller subject to focus on Tuesday. He sang the praises of organizations that provide tiny loans to people struggling to start their own businesses.

  French construction and concession company Vinci SA's sales for the third quarter grew 16.6 percent boosted by revenue from recent acquisitions and growth in its construction division, officials said.

  Despite a 64 percent drop in third-quarter earnings, a leaner Anadarko Petroleum Corp. is on target to meet its 2007 production guidance and increase output by 5 percent to 9 percent next year, its top executive said Tuesday.