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• Blame Climate Change for Insurance Rate Hikes: Travelers CEO

  

  Travelers has been raising insurance premiums for three years because of severe weather patterns, said Chairman and CEO Jay Fishman told CNBC.

• How to Disinherit Loved Ones—And Which You Can't

  

  Disinheriting someone can be harsh, and may haunt a family member from beyond the grave, but there may be pragmatic reasons for doing so.

• Exxon Earnings Beat; Oil and Gas Production Down

  

  Exxon Mobil, the world's largest publicly traded oil company, reported a higher-than-expected 6 percent increase in quarterly profit Friday on stronger results at its chemical and refining businesses. But oil and gas production fell.

• Dell Buyout Deal Could Come as Soon as Monday

  

  Dell is nearing an agreement to sell itself to a buyout consortium led by its founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell and private equity firm Silver Lake Partners.

• Beef Price Spike Makes $1 Burger Harder to Stomach

  

  McDonald's popular $1 McDouble cheeseburger, which has lured customers to the Golden Arches since 2008, is getting hard to sustain as rising beef prices threaten the company's profit margin.

• Doubt Is Cast on Firms Hired to Help Banks

  

  Federal authorities are scrutinizing private consultants hired to clean up financial misdeeds like money laundering and foreclosure abuses, taking aim at an industry that is paid billions of dollars by the same banks it is expected to police. The New York Times reports.

• The Five Highest Tax States for the Highest Earners

  

  Virtually every state's tax system unfairly takes from those who make the least, says a new report. But which states take the most from their richest residents?

• Wal-Mart Limits Ammunition Sales After Demand Surges

  

  Walmart has started to limit sales of ammunition to three boxes per customer per day due to limited supplies, a spokeswoman said.

• Cold Weather Super Bowl Could Be Financial Boon

  

  The 2014 Super Bowl will be played in the uncovered MetLife Stadium in New Jersey where temperatures this time of year average 32 degrees and a snow fall of nearly 3 inches. Some analysts say lousy weather could be a financial boon to the game.

• In China, Any US Degree Just Won't Do

  

  More Chinese students are enrolled at American colleges than ever before, but US degrees that are not from Harvard aren't widely valued at home. The Christian Science Monitor reports

• US Midwest Business Index Picks Up From 3-Year Low

  

  The pace of business activity in the U.S. Midwest picked up from a more than three-year low the month before as new orders jumped, a report showed on Thursday.

• Blast at US Embassy in Turkey Kills at Least One

  

  A suicide bomber killed a Turkish security guard at the U.S. embassy in Ankara on Friday, blowing the door off a side entrance and sending smoke and debris flying into the street.

• UPS Earnings Fall Short; Issues Weak 2013 Guidance

  

  United Parcel Service reported fourth-quarter earnings below analysts' estimates and set a weaker-than-expected profit forecast for 2013.

• Facebook Expands Online Retailing, Rolls Out New Gifts Service

  

  Facebook announced on Tuesday its expanding its online retail business with its latest product, the Facebook Gift Card.

• Peregrine Financial's Wasendorf Sentenced to 50 Years

  Russell Wasendorf Sr., who admitted looting more than $100 million from broker Peregrine Financial Group in a scheme that shook confidence in the U.S. futures industry, was sentenced to 50 years.

• Jobless Claims Go Higher; Income, Spending Both Up

  

  The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid rose sharply last week but remained at a level consistent with moderate hiring, while income surged much higher than expected and spending inched higher as well.

• Main Street Remains Pessimistic, Plans on Little 2013 Hiring: Survey

  

  Many small-business owners are pessimistic and expect the economy to remain stagnant or worsen in 2013 with little hiring, according to a new survey.

• Obamacare Just Got Less Affordable for Millions

  

  The Obama administration has adopted a strict definition of affordable health insurance that will deny assistance to millions of Americans with modest incomes who cannot afford family coverage offered by employers, The NYT reports.

• Demand Has 'Strong Momentum' in 2013: Whirlpool CEO

  

  "There is strong momentum coming into the year," said the CEO of Whirlpool in an exclusive interview.

• Constellation Shares Drop as DOJ Blocks Modelo Deal

  

  The Department of Justice plans to sue to block Anheuser-InBev's proposed purchase of the rest of the Mexican brewer Grupo Modelo, a move that jeopardizes Constellation Brands' plans to fully acquire Crown Imports.