Authorities: Prius seen near Border Patrol vehicle (AP)

AP - A California Highway Patrol report released Wednesday says an officer responding to a report of a runaway Toyota Prius arrived to find a Border Patrol agent near the driver with lights flashing.

More than 100 complaints lodged over fixed Toyotas (AP)

AP - Complaints of sudden acceleration in Toyotas repaired under recalls have nearly doubled in the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis of government data.

Kraft to cut salt in its North American foods (AP)
AP - Kraft Foods Inc. said Wednesday that it will cut the salt in its products that are sold in North America by an average of 10 percent over the next two years to appeal to health-conscious consumers.

EPA: More pets injured by flea and tick products (AP)

AP - Products intended to treat cats and dogs for fleas and ticks kill hundreds of pets each year and injure tens of thousands, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday as it outlined plans to make the products safer.

Convicted embezzler given tax break, then arrested (AP)

AP - A convicted embezzler who snagged a $9.1 million business tax credit from the state of Michigan was arrested Wednesday on a parole violation, a day after he appeared on stage with Gov. Jennifer Granholm as she announced the credits.

Computer programmers indicted in NY Madoff fraud (AP)
AP - Two former employees accused of helping fraudulent Wall Street financier Bernard Madoff (MAY'-dawf) program an old computer to generate false records have been indicted.

TSX adds to gains as miners, oils rise (Reuters)
Reuters - Toronto's main stock index rose to another 17-month high on Wednesday morning, boosted by firmness in commodity prices as the U.S. Federal Reserve's renewed pledge to keep interest rates low for an extended period drew investors to riskier assets.

US hails debt cancellation for Afghanistan (AFP)

AFP - The United States Wednesday welcomed a decision by Paris Club creditors to cancel Afghanistan's debt owed to members as "a crucial step" toward economic sustainability.

Nike 3Q profit rises, helped by improved sales (AP)

AP - Nike Inc. said stronger sales helped boost its third-quarter profit and its shares soared in after-hours trading Wednesday.

Merkel: eurozone expulsion should be possible (AP)

AP - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday there should in future be a mechanism to expel countries from the eurozone as a last resort if they persistently break its financial rules.

Moving target: Goal for foreclosure aid in dispute (AP)
AP - Last year, the message was clear. Now it is murky.

Europe shames its major powers over debts (AFP)

AFP - The European Union Wednesday accused its major powers of running away from bulging government deficits, as Greece said it could still seek IMF help if European backing did not ease its debt crisis.

Zara owner's profits rise on strong Asia sales (AFP)

AFP - Spain's Inditex, Europe's biggest clothing retailer and the company behind Zara, posted Wednesday a rise in profit as strong sales abroad, especially in Asia, offset sluggish domestic demand.

CIBC wins dismissal of suit over subprime holdings (Reuters)
Reuters - A U.S. federal judge dismissed a shareholder lawsuit accusing Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce and four executives, including Chief Executive Gerald McCaughey, of misleading investors about the bank's exposure to subprime mortgages.

More regulation needed for Canada oil sands: report (Reuters)
Reuters - Steam-driven projects to extract crude from Canada's oil sands, often held up as more environmentally friendly than mining, have major drawbacks of their own that require more stringent regulation to fix, an environmental think tank said on Wednesday.

GM Holden recalls 9,000 cars over faulty fuel hose (AFP)

AFP - General Motors' Australian subsidiary GM Holden on Thursday recalled 9,000 Cruze sedans over a faulty fuel hose, after a raft of damaging glitches hit Japan's Toyota and Honda.

When Will Mortgage Rates Go Up? (BusinessWeek)
BusinessWeek - Over the last several months, I've written a lot about the current state of residential real estate, and the opportunities made available by the combination of lower housing prices and falling interest rates. As we approach the end of this year's residential real estate buying-and-selling season, this is a good time to start thinking about what might lie ahead.