Far, far away from a Chilean mine where 33 trapped men struggle to cope as they await rescue, 50 Spanish miners are also deep in the earth's bowels -- but by their own choice.

Federal regulators are expanding the number of stocks covered by new "circuit breakers" that can pause volatile trading, a program in response to the panicked May 6 market plunge.

President Barack Obama on Friday named a longtime adviser, Austan Goolsbee, to be the chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, calling him "one of the finest economists in the country."

Oil prices surged Friday after a pipeline that delivered oil to Midwest refineries was shut down, raising questions about how long the supply may be disrupted.

A witness in a federal lawsuit seeking the closure of two Illinois shipping locks to thwart Asian carp says the move would raise risks of devastating floods.

The Obama administration says it's chosen a Treasury Department lawyer to replace pay czar Kenneth Feinberg, who stepped down Friday, ending a contentious 14-month tenure.

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has upheld a jury verdict clearing the Chevron Corp. of alleged human rights abuses during a violent 1998 protest on a company oil platform in Nigeria.

New General Motors Co. CEO Daniel Akerson will get the same $9 million pay package as the man he replaced, Ed Whitacre.

PORK, NO TURKEY: The nation's largest pork producer, Smithfield Foods, is selling its 49 percent of the Butterball turkey joint venture as it continues focusing on more profitable packaged meat. Smithfield will pay down debt with the estimated $175 million in proceeds from selling out to its partner.

Investors opted for riskier assets Friday, moving out of the safety of Treasurys after another sign of economic expansion.

Talk about dog days: What should have been one of the best months of the year for Atlantic City's casinos instead saw revenue at the gambling houses fall by 11.3 percent.

Financial software maker Intuit Inc. remains an "attractive story," with strong results despite a difficult economy, a UBS analyst said Friday.

Nevada casinos won nearly $830 million from gamblers in July, representing a 4.9 percent drop from the same month a year ago, casino regulators reported Friday.

Fidel Castro says his comments about Cuba's communist economic model were misinterpreted by a visiting American journalist.

President Barack Obama is defending his massive health care overhaul, saying it will take time for its full benefits to take hold.

President Barack Obama praises consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren as a "dear friend" and says he has discussed a new Consumer Protection Bureau with her. But he says he's not ready to announce a new director for the agency.

President Barack Obama says his entire economic agenda is designed to stimulate growth and create jobs, despite his administration's reluctance to call his new proposals a "stimulus plan."

President Barack Obama is urging Senate Republicans to end a standoff on a measure aimed at helping small businesses.

A key U.S. government official said Friday the moratorium on deepwater oil drilling likely won't be extended past Nov. 30, but whether it is cut short will be entirely up to the industry.