In her biggest gambit yet for Kraft Foods, Irene Rosenfeld just won't blink. Rosenfeld took her offer for British chocolatier Cadbury hostile on Monday, submitting to its shareholders a $16.4 billion cash and stock bid rejected as "derisory" by the company's leadership.

A federal judge ruled Thursday that tobacco companies hoping to block new restrictions on their marketing have little chance of succeeding.

Smokers who switch to a low-tar, light or mild brand of cigarette will not find it easier to quit and in fact may find it harder, researchers reported on Tuesday.

As the US economic recovery looms larger, the gray cloud that has hung over the stock market for so long is finally starting to fade. Here's four sectors likely to outperform in the months and year ahead.

After a stunning and broad rebound, major indices many be range bound for awhile and the right managers could thrive with judicious stockpicking.

Stocks finished lower after well-known banking analyst Dick Bove downgraded his rating on Wells Fargo.

Stocks advanced Wednesday as investors were encouraged by a few earnings reports, including Morgan Stanley, Yahoo and SanDisk. The VIX, widely considered the best gauge of fear in the market, dropped to just above 20.

Stocks opened lower Wednesday as a raft of companies beating earning estimates but failed to impress investors.

Earnings season continues in earnest Wednesday, as we roll on with a week that will ultimately see 25 percent of the S&P 500 report their quarterly numbers. 

What follows is a roundup of corporate earnings reports for Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Especially in volatile times, dividends can be a way for investors to more effectively safeguard returns.  Many publicly held corporations pay out a portion of their  earnings to shareholders, giving investors a payback whether the stock price goes up or down.  Cramer's Rule Number Four in his "15 Rules for Playing Defense" calls these "buffers." Calculated as a percentage of share price, dividends have the potential to be cut or changed and yields vary as share prices fluctuate. For the purposes of this report, dividend yield calculations are based on trailing dividends, so dividend cuts yet to occur have not been taken into account. In fact, the #1 company on this list announced a cut in its dividend earlier this year, from $1 to $0.75, but in all likelihood it would remain in the top spot, given its current share price. 

Two of the three largest U.S. tobacco companies filed suit to block marketing restrictions in a new law, claiming the provisions violate their right to free speech.

The Dow and S&P snapped their winning streaks Wednesday as disappointing earnings from two of Wall Street's biggest names overshadowed another round of earnings beats.

Stocks wobbled Wednesday as a slew of earnings beats, including one from Pfizer, were encouraging but disappointing reports from two of Wall Street's biggest names dragged on the market.

Stocks wobbled Wednesday as a slew of earnings beats, including one from Pfizer, were encouraging but disappointing reports from two of Wall Street's biggest names dragged on the market.