Sears beats estimates, to close 24 more stores

More top stories

• Exelon gets 51% in hostile tender offer for NRG

• Today's BizWrap: Check it out, sign up

• Factory workers from December sit-in to get jobs back

• New-home sales tumble to record low pace

• New jobless claims jump unexpectedly to 667,000

• Greg Burns: Obama inspires temporary optimism, not confidence

• TechBuzz: Wasabi printer falls short of PoGo

• JPMorgan to cut 12,000 jobs as it folds in WaMu

• Garry Meier to test-drive WGN-AM afternoon shift

• Oil above $45

From today's Tribune

• Customer hot at ComEd

• Bernanke defends rescue plan for banks

• Supreme Court sides with AT & T in antitrust case

• Bank moves to foreclose on River East Art Center property

• Jon Yates: Air conditioner tiff puts heat on ComEd

• FHA to raise loan limits in some areas

• Wednesday's market movers

• Osteoporosis patients gain relief from insurance providers

• Morgan Stanley suspending most participation at Memorial golf tournament

• Rising costs prompting small businesses to drop health insurance benefits

• United Airlines phasing out cash in cabins

• CF Industries being pursued by fertilizer rival Agrium

• Eric Benderoff: Dell's Wasabi printer loses on price and quality

• Tribune Tower taken off sales block

• Wailin Wong: Networking Web sites won't get you a job, but they can open doors

From the business wire

• FDIC says US banks posted $26.2 billion loss at end of 2008, first quarterly loss since 1990

• Thousands of Opel workers protest at GM Europe divisions in Germany, elsewhere

• JPMorgan sees savings of $2 billion as it folds in Washington Mutual operations

• US thrifts lost $3 billion in fourth quarter, post record annual loss of more than $13 billion

• New jobless claims by state for the week ending February 14

• Wanna split that? As recession deepens, more people split dishes at restaurants to save cash

• Royal Bank of Scotland posts huge loss for 2008, unveils restructuring program

• 2 loss-making French banks announce merger to create country's No. 2 retail bank

• Troubled Swiss bank UBS names Oswald Gruebel as new CEO in sudden move

• Ohio basket company lays off almost 300 workers, orders wage reductions for salaried employees

• Nasdaq OMX Group's 4th-qtr profit declines 53 percent on impairment, foreign currency charges

• FDA warned syringe manufacturer linked to deaths of serious problems in quality control

• Burger King says stronger dollar still likely to hurt earnings, but sticks by 2009 outlook

• Sears 4th-quarter profit drops on charges but adjusted results surpass analysts' estimates

• UN: After next big world telecom fair in October, Geneva will host event again in 2011

• IATA: Air cargo, passenger traffic falls further for airlines in January

• Report: AIG could be split into 3 government-controlled units to help it remain in business

• Nigeria government lawyer says Pfizer settlement close in drug-test case

• EU official says new hedge fund rules should focus on transparency for investors

• German unemployment rate rises to 8.5 percent in February

• Limited Brands 4th-quarter falls 96 percent as revenue falls

• Orders for manufactured goods plunge in Jan.; posts record 6 straight months of declines

• Orders for US-manufactured goods plunge in Jan.; posts record 6 straight months of declines

• Source: German company Wacker Chemie investing in $1B plant in SE Tenn.

• ASEAN ministers to sign trade pact with Australia, NZ; vow to fight protectionism

• Nasdaq OMX Group's 4th-qtr profit declines 53 percent on impairment, foreign currency charges

• Japan may sink into worst recession since World War II, Standard & Poor's says

• EU, euro-zone business and consumer confidence hits new 24-year low, job loss worries rise

• General Motors posts $30.9B annual loss, keeps spending billions with costs too high

• Obama budget has contingency for new bank bailout; cost to taxpayers could be $250 billion

• New Yahoo CEO sets up new chain of command in housecleaning that sweeps out CFO

• Poland, Czechs, Slovaks fare better; other E. European countries in bigger trouble

• Insurer Allianz reports big loss, weighed down by Dresdner Bank

• Singapore economy shrinks 4.2 percent in fourth quarter, more than previously reported

• Yen's drop is welcome relief for Japan's ailing exporters, but no magic elixir

• EW Scripps says Rocky Mountain News in Denver will publish its last edition Friday

• Cablevision posts 4th-quarter loss on big charge to write down value of Newsday

• Audit: Ky. airport execs racked up $500K in lavish expenses, concert tickets, strip club tabs

• AP Source: Citigroup deal to boost goverment's stake to as much as 40 pct could come this week

• Missouri opens criminal investigation of insolvent grain shipping business

• American plans to furlough 410 flight attendants April 1 if more volunteers don't step up

• Treasury says biggest banks face 'stress tests' to gauge capital needs amid recession

• Australian property developer Lend Lease to shed 1,700 jobs after announcing half-year loss

• Report: Toyota to cut annual output target to 6.3 million vehicles, 27 percent drop from peak

• House approves $410 billion, earmarks and changes in Bush-era policies as Democrats prevail

• Old Navy hopes for sales boost from 'quirky' new ad campaign, renewed focus on young moms

• Feds file 2 major securities fraud cases in NYC; 1 case sparked by Madoff fears

• Appeals court reinstates insider trading conviction of former Qwest CEO; appeal expected

• Gannett slashes dividend by 90 percent to 4 cents per share, marking first-ever reduction

• Saks, TJX cut costs as they weather spending slump expected to persist through the year

• Apple director tells shareholder meeting no change in plans for Jobs' return

• Smucker, Wash. Post, CF Industries, Saks are among big market movers Wednesday

• What you need to know about taking action against your financial adviser

• Home Depot reports 4th-quarter loss of $54 million, adjusted results beat analysts' estimates

• Smoke-filled workplaces a danger, supporting job-hunters, worries about jobs

• Lowe's profit slumps with housing market; company doesn't see stimulus plan as substantive fix

• Forget history: Small-cap stocks may not prove better than large when this bear market ends

• Freddie Mac says average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages falls to 5.16 percent

Top tech stories

• Steve Johnson: President Barack Obama's plunger photo and Michelle Obama's dresses

• Steve Johnson: Last week's 5 most viewed stories on chicagotribune.com

• Steve Johnson: Obama doodle, vampire canoodle

• Download a Mississippi River tour guide

• Find fall's veins of gold by leafing through the Internet

From the tech wire

• Microsoft slashes pay to US staffing agencies that supply temporary workers by 10 percent

• IBM reaffirms strong 2009 outlook, citing emerging-market momentum

• Nielsen: Traffic to job sites jumped 20 percent in February

• Software helps kidnapped laptops call for help; messages to thieves can be customized