Fluctuating ingredient costs hampered food makers' profits in 2008, but grocery stores had higher traffic, a trend that helped shares of companies like General Mills Inc. thrive, while some others suffered.

The New York Times recapps some of the high and low points in advertising in 2009.

She sat patiently in her wheelchair, as scurrying volunteers gathered ham, a turkey, canned goods, bread, and bags of potatoes, apples and pungent onions in a storeroom with sporadic drafts of frigid air from outside.

With stocks lower because of dismal housing data Tuesday, the pros on CNBC pointed out opportunities for investors.

As traditional sources of donations dry up and demand rises, food banks and their volunteers are finding creative ways to make the best of a growing challenge.

Even as consumers are cutting back on all sorts of goods, Spam is among a select group of thrifty grocery items that are selling steadily. Pancake mixes and instant potatoes are booming. So are vitamins, fruit and vegetable preservatives and beer, according to October  data.

If you blinked in the final minutes of trading today, you probably got the story wrong. The final hour of trading has become known for its wild swings, but outdid itself this time: After being up about 250 points at 3:54 p.m., those gains evaporated and the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down 74.16, or 0.8 percent, at 8990.96.

Stocks pared gains Wednesday after the Federal Reserve opted to cut a key interest rate by half a percentage point.

Stocks turned mixed Wednesday as the market waits for the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates.

Stocks opened lower Wednesday as the market waited for the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates.

Futures tilted lower Wednesday, after a fleeting boost from an unexpected jump in durable-goods orders, as the market waited for the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates.

As hard times prompt Americans to cut spending, more workers are bringing their lunch to work rather than buying it at a food outlet, or even the company cafeteria. 

Lisa Williams has never liked sorting through coupons, and she no longer has to at Kroger Co. grocery stores.

Economic worries are still hanging over the market, and CNBC went straight to the top to get some answers. 

Outdoor advertising is a growing category — not just billboards, but increasingly, weird publicity stunts that often go awry, The New York Times reports.