Groundbreaking for new homes also increased but remained well below the post-recession peak hit in November, signaling the drag the housing market is placing on the economy. Output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose 0.7 percent last month after an upwardly revised gain of 1.2 percent in February, the Federal Reserve said on Wednesday. Economists had expected industrial production to rise 0.5 percent.

By Rodrigo Campos NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose for a third straight session on Wednesday after China's economic growth exceeded expectations and Yahoo shares rallied on the strength of revenue growth in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, in which it has a stake. China, the world's second-largest economy, grew at its slowest pace in 18 months at the start of 2014, but the rise was better than expected and showed some improvement in March. The global economy should grow steadily at best over the coming year, a Reuters poll showed, but any rapid slowdown in China could upset the progress. "We think that is influencing the market today." Yahoo was the leading percentage gainer on the S&P 500 as revenue growth accelerated in the last quarter of 2013 for Alibaba , in which Yahoo holds a 24 percent stake.

The world economy can expect steady growth at best over the coming year, but any rapid slowdown in China as it tries to rebalance its economy could upset the still-unsteady progress, Reuters polls showed. Growth in the United States, the world's largest economy, looks set to outpace its peers, with Japan and the euro zone still lagging and emerging markets - particularly Latin America - in for a challenging year. The poll results suggest that exuberance in financial markets, especially stock markets, may have been overdone in the past few years on expectations for a robust pick-up in global growth. With a few notable exceptions like Britain, developed economies are also showing scant evidence of an imminent and significant improvement in hiring, particularly so in the euro zone and the United States.

Yahoo Inc's shares rose as much as 9 percent in heavy trading on Wednesday, a day after Chinese internet company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, in which it holds a 24 percent stake, reported a surge in quarterly revenue. At least nine brokerages raised their price targets on Yahoo's shares ahead of Alibaba's IPO filing, expected next week. "We continue to recommend aggressive purchase of (Yahoo's) shares ahead of the Alibaba IPO," Topeka Capital Markets analyst Victor Anthony said in a note. The IPO is set to be the largest in the United States since Facebook Inc's 2012 market debut and it is the most awaited IPO in what's expected to be a record year for U.S. tech debuts after Twitter Inc's successful IPO in 2013.

Bank of America Corp reported an unexpected first-quarter loss on Wednesday after it took a $6 billion charge to cover litigation expenses, a figure that far exceeded the legal settlements the No. 2 U.S. bank has announced recently. The bank had previously said that a settlement would cut into its earnings by $3.7 billion before taxes. The extra litigation expenses came from setting aside money to cover future legal settlements tied to previously disclosed mortgage-related matters, Chief Financial Officer Bruce Thompson told reporters. Still, the bank's setting aside more money does not mean a settlement is imminent, Thompson told analysts on a separate conference call.

By Dmitry Zhdannikov LONDON (Reuters) - When U.S. firm ConocoPhillips spun off its refining assets in 2011 to focus on more profitable oil production, it seemed only a matter of time before one of the oil majors followed suit. Three years on, the six vertically integrated global majors are still holding onto their often loss-making plants, seen as a drag by investors. Europe's oil refining guru, Marcel van Poecke, believes the move will be repeated one day. BP, once considered to be a monster of refining, has sold 13 refineries in as many years, effectively halving the number of plants in which it participates or operates.

By Anjuli Davies, Pamela Barbaglia and Sophie Sassard LONDON (Reuters) - Ahli United Bank (AUB) , Bahrain's largest lender, is evaluating a sale or a merger with a rival bank in a potential $5 billion deal, several bankers familiar with the situation said. A deal of this size would be the largest banking transaction in the region for the past 20 years, according to Thomson Reuters data, beating Emirates Bank's $3.7 billion acquisition of National Bank of Dubai in 2007 and Qatar National Bank's $1.9 billion purchase of Societe Generale's Egyptian business in 2012. AUB is one of only a few banks in the Gulf region with pan-Arab operations and as such offers scope for further growth in countries such as Egypt, where western banks are seeking to cut their exposure. "One way to do it is to combine AUB with another banking institution." AUB came close to a merger with a bank based in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area in 2010 but the financial crisis derailed the deal, said one banker who was involved in the talks but declined to name the bank.

By Anirban Nag and Eva Taylor LONDON/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Many of the factors driving the euro exchange rate to levels that have set off alarm bells at the European Central Bank are unlikely to go away on their own, part of the reason the bank has been threatening action. The euro is still off the peaks of 2011, but because inflation is now heading close to zero, the ECB is sensitive to its current rate because anything that makes it stronger pushes deflation nearer. Mario Draghi, the ECB president, said at the weekend a strengthening exchange rate would trigger more policy action. That could be some form of quantitative easing, or asset buying, to get more money into the system and hence make the euro cheaper.

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc again posted anemic quarterly revenue growth as the Internet company's advertising business continues to lag its rivals, nearly two years into Chief Executive Officer Marissa Mayer's comeback effort. Yahoo reports the Chinese company's financial results one quarter later than its own.

(Reuters) - At-home soda maker Sodastream International is in early talks to sell a stake of up to 16 percent to a strategic entity, Israeli financial news daily Calcalist reported on its website. U.S. shares of Sodastream rose as much as 12 percent to $42.25 on Wednesday after the website identified PepsiCo Inc, Dr Pepper Snapple Group or Starbucks Co as the potential investors in the Israel-based company. The price being discussed values Sodastream at about $1.1 billion, Calcalist said. The valuation reflects a share price of $52, compared with Sodastream's closing price of $37.64 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.

NEW YORK (AP) — Airline executives frequently complain about fuel costs. But the truth is higher prices actually have been good for business.

NEW YORK (AP) — Shaken by the advances of newer, sportier rivals, the Toyota Camry is trying to shed its vanilla reputation.

Stocks are moving higher for a third day in a row after more U.S. companies report solid earnings and on encouraging news about China's economy.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S home construction rose moderately in March as builders resumed work at the end of a frigid winter. But applications for building permits slid, clouding the outlook for future construction.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. factory output rose further last month, extending strong growth from February after harsh weather had caused production to tumble in January. Manufacturers produced more furniture, clothing, chemicals and aerospace products.

NEW YORK (AP) — Ford is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mustang with a limited-edition model and a display atop the Empire State Building.

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's economy slowed sharply at the start of the year as the crisis in Ukraine spooked investors into pulling money out of the country. But with Russian President Vladimir Putin still enjoying high popularity ratings, the economic damage is not yet likely to soften his politics in the region, analysts say.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — CSX railroad expects to deliver modest profit growth this year, but the impact of the severe winter will linger into the second quarter.

BEIJING (AP) — China's economic growth slowed further in the latest quarter but appeared strong enough to satisfy Chinese leaders who are trying to put the country on a more sustainable path without politically dangerous job losses.

Life is a journey and not a destination. Failure and mistakes are going to happen along the way.

The ranks of the uninsured are thinning most quickly in states that have actively embraced Obamacare, a new poll finds. The uninsured rate has fallen about 2.5 percentage points this year in states that agreed to expand Medicaid and established their own insurance exchanges under the Affordable Care Act, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday. In states that either rejected Medicaid expansion or refused to set up state-run exchanges, or both, that percentage has only fallen 0.8 percent so far this year.

Cities that understand the forces behind the collaborative economy and can boldly embrace new models of value creation (at little of no cost) will be global role models in the years to come.

In a world where breaches (exemplified by "Heartbleed," Target and all stripe of individual, corporate and government database compromise) and identity theft have become the third certainty in life, jealously guarding our privacy must be our individual missions.

It's a situation most of us can identify with--our furnace or water heater breaks or our home air conditioning system fails. While it makes sense to replace these outdated appliances for more energy-efficient ones, the immediate need to fix the problem usually wins out. Most of us haven't saved enough to do an appliance overhaul. So we fix the issue, continue with the status quo, and - as an unintended result - we keep wasting power.

Good news for fitness fans:  Samsung Electronics announced the compatibility of the Samsung Gear 2 Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit. As of the 15th of April 2014, the Samsung Gear 2 Gear 2 Neo …

As far as design goes, generally, what we see is what we get. However, design is much more than what we simply ‘see’. When we talk about product design, we need to consider things like …

Aleta from Mena, Arkansas, has had a hard time getting a decent rate on a car loan all because of a mistake on her credit report. The problem started when she received a bill that was caused by a computer glitch and not because of money she actually owed. She tried to resolve the problem but the company ended up turning the bill over to a collection agency and the erroneous charge ended up on her credit report.

Unless you're living in a cave and are completely off the grid, you may have noticed that US Airways sent out a tweet on Monday that included a graphic image of a woman sexually pleasuring herself with a toy airplane. US Airways spokesman Matt Miller told The New York Daily News that the tweet "was an honest mistake." On behalf of the airline, Miller said, "first and foremost, we apologize." He also clarified that no employee would be fired over the incident.

A lot of ink is being spilled on which side of the aisle is getting the better of the bipartisan deal, but that is a sideshow. The critical question is whether the basic structure proposed as a replacement for Fannie/Freddie would meet the objective of creating effective secondary mortgage markets?

To make sure you engage the right company for your business, ask these five key questions during the interview.

A combined Comcast/Time Warner has implications for millions of consumers around the country, so it's no wonder that this issue has struck a chord with so many people.

Is there something these passive investors know that you don't? Why have they thrown in the towel and abandoned the quest for alpha?

ELMWOOD PARK, Ill. -- On a recent Saturday morning, 500 protesters poured out of a parade of school buses, signs and megaphones in hand, and tried their best to shame a single Staples store just outside Chicago. Among them was Mike Suchomel, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Postal Service, who traveled all the way from New Jersey for a nearby labor conference. What has infuriated Suchomel and many of his fellow postal union members is a new arrangement struck between USPS and the office supply retailer. Under the premise of a pilot program, a limited number of Staples locations

With all the sales training offered out there, the most often overlooked and simplest to execute is the 'art of listening.' Unfortunately, the typical sales person always has something more to say and a difficult time shutting up.

In my first blog I spoke of the need to revolutionize the leadership and diversity relationship because how leaders develop and how diversity is practiced in our organizations is outdated. There is a wealth of books and articles on what makes a good leader and how to develop leaders. Examples of these types of theories include transactional leadership, charismatic leadership and transformational leadership.

One of the interesting and important recent developments in wealth management has been the emergence of a group of clients that seek to deliver measurable positive social or environmental benefits with every dollar they put to work.

During Financial Literacy Month, while many experts concentrate efforts on educating students and retirees, it's important to consider how employers can lead the charge in improving and educating their employees to be financially healthy.