Earnings Report

Credit Agricole's second-quarter profit was nearly cut in half as the French bank became the first major foreign shareholder to report its loss in Portugal's biggest banking scandal.

___ Across US job market, layoffs are becoming rare WASHINGTON (AP) — The risk of losing your job is getting smaller and smaller.

___ How GM's ignition switch redesign went wrong DETROIT (AP) — General Motors' deadly ignition switch flaws emerged from an effort to improve its cars.

Arkansas' finance office says the state ended the fiscal year with a nearly $79 million budget surplus.

Kansas' June tax revenues fell $28 million short of projections, pushing the shortfall for the fiscal year that ended Monday to nearly $338 million, a state official said.

Freddie Mac said on Thursday it will soon send the U.S. Treasury a $10.4 billion dividend after posting a ninth-straight quarterly profit, putting taxpayers further into the black on their bailout of the mortgage giant.

Lockheed Martin's CFO said he was hopeful 2014 would mark a 'bottoming out' in U.S. military spending, with budget agreements providing a more stable outlook. United Swings to 4Q Profit | Futures Lower Ahead of Data, Earnings | 

Cisco forecast a steep drop in revenue, prompting at least two brokerages to downgrade its stock and 12 to cut their price targets.

A survey of Connecticut businesses released Friday found that nearly two-thirds showed a profit over the past year, but many are considering out-of-state options for expansion.

Global stock markets are steady on Thursday as the decline in China's currency slowed and the country's central bank eased fears of more steep drops.

Shares of Kohl's sank 10 percent Thursday after the department store operator said state sales tax holidays hurt its sales in the second quarter and said back-to-school sales got off to a slow start.

Mortgage giant Fannie Mae reported net income of $4.6 billion from April through June, up from $3.7 billion a year earlier.

Arkansas started its fiscal year with tax revenue coming in higher than expected, finance officials said Tuesday, as the governor said a hiring freeze saved the state $2.5 million over the past several months.

All times are Eastern MONDAY, Aug. 3 WASHINGTON — Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for June, 8:30 a.m.; Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for July, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases construction spending for June, 10 a.m.

Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) on Thursday reported second-quarter profit of $463 million.

Altria Group (MO) on Wednesday reported second-quarter net income of $1.45 billion.

U.S. stocks were mostly lower in early trading Tuesday following weak results from IBM, United Technologies and other big companies.

U.S. stocks are heading lower early Wednesday amid growing concerns that trouble in China's markets could spread.

U.S. stocks are edging lower in early trading as European leaders meet to discuss Greece's strained finances.

U.S. stocks opened lower Tuesday as bond yields climbed for a second day.