Taking action as quarter yields loss
Best Buy, reacting to what CEO called "the most challenging consumer environment" that the company's ever run up against, is cutting capital spending in half — and making virtually its entire corporate staff eligible to take advantage of enhanced severance packages.

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Smithfield wins accolades
Deutsche Bank upgrades hog producer to buy, as company executives sound an optimistic note about demand for pork.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev job cuts
New owner of venerable St. Louis-based brewer doesn't wait long to issue pink slips for about 1,400 U.S. positions.

Procter & Gamble steers Street lower on sales
Blue-chip supplier of household products acknowledges impact of global slowdown but vows to hit quarterly and full-year profit targets.

Shrinking Office Depot's store base
Deciding it's time to retrench, the retailer of office products to close 10% of stores while shutting down some distribution centers.

Kroger's top line outpaces rivals
As supermarket giant's quarterly profit drops, management raises full-year earnings forecast — albeit not enough to satisfy some investors.

All but impervious to economic ups and downs
McDonald's generates balanced growth in sales for November, maintaining an impressive streak.
• Yum Brands affirms 2008-2009 earnings outlook

No sign of an upturn, yet The coffee-house chain's comparable-store sales show little sign of stabilization amid choppy customer traffic, prompting another profit warning.