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Thanks to the Fed's rate cut, the blue chips come back from a 464-point drop at the open. But skeptics aren't sure a bottom has been made. Apple shares slump as guidance disappoints. Stocks open higher in Tokyo. 

The Fed's surprise move means borrowers with home-equity loans and variable-rate credit cards could see their payments drop soon. Savers will have it tougher.

Whether you're looking for an investment property or a place to live, here's a look at the cities you should seek out and avoid in 2008.

Make sure the colors you choose are sending the right message to your customers.

Will people who like, care about and respect you always refer business to you? Not necessarily.

Gone is the notion that red-hot markets in China and India can keep the global economy from cooling. Next, expect some bear rallies, but don't be fooled by them.

James LeVoy Sorenson, inventor of the computerized heart monitor and of disposable paper surgical masks, died on Sunday of cancer at age 86. The Utah billionaire and chairman of the board of Sorenson Companies passed away in Salt Lake City.

Oakhurst Dairy spends a lot of money reducing the environmental impact of its operation, including paying a 10-cents-a-gallon premium to run its fleet of trucks on bio?diesel and using solar panels to heat water to wash its milk tanks. So the fourth-generation family business readily agreed when Wal-Mart asked it to join a pilot program measuring the amount of carbon dioxide it releases for every case of milk it puts on store shelves.

An espresso maker next to the toaster oven? Single-serve machines from Nestlé and others bring the premium-coffee wars to another front -- the kitchen.

Rod Cotner, owner of Jericho Mortgage in Lancaster, Ohio, was shocked when the U.S. Department of Labor showed up at his door to investigate a wage-and-hour lawsuit filed on behalf of his 54 loan officers and sales managers.

Dear FSB: I have a business in two states, Connecticut and Florida. When I am in one office, I always need to access files in the other office. How can I access my other computer remotely to work on files and applications in the other office? P.S. I can't break the bank.

If the idea of selling low makes you cringe, think about how you'd feel when stocks dropped further. Here are key moves to make now. 

Dear FSB: If I own my business as a sole proprietorship, is it possible to give an equity stake in that business? Or is that only possible in a corporation or LLC?

I'm no Apple lover. Sure, I dig the design coup that is the iPod Touch, the lovely software interface of the Apple operating system, the content of the iTunes service. And I truly believe Steve Jobs is a living, breathing American genius. But Apple's hardware has always been frustratingly limited, particularly for small businesses.

Opening arguments began yesterday in Ocala, Fla., on a tax-fraud case that could land actor Wesley Snipes in jail for up to 16 years.