NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) – When Marianna Dworak, the author
of “Authentic Polish Cooking” was growing up in Poland, planning
a holiday feast meant having to get ingredients well ahead of
time.

The emphasis on freshness was so strong that one year
Dworak’s family kept a carp, a fish traditionally served on
Christmas Eve, alive in the bathtub for a week until it was time
to cook it.

By Nick Zieminski

(Reuters) – Price increases helped lift sales and earnings at ADT Corp (ADT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in its initial quarter as an independent company, and the home security services provider said more customers were adopting its high-margin “Pulse” monitoring services.

The former Tyco (TYC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) unit also said on Tuesday that its board had approved buying back up to $2 billion in stock over three years and was considering taking on more debt to invest in its business, partly at the urging of a large shareholder.

NEW YORK, Nov 26 (Reuters) – U.S. companies borrowed
slightly less last month to invest in everything from industrial
equipment to office machines and aircraft, but credit quality
remains healthy, the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
(ELFA) said on Monday.

Companies signed up for $7.6 billion in new loans, leases
and lines of credit in October, down 7 percent from September’s
$8.2 billion, but up 27 percent from $6 billion a year earlier,
ELFA said.

By Nick Zieminski

(Reuters) – Deere & Co (DE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the world’s largest farm equipment maker, reported a weaker-than-expected quarterly profit as higher manufacturing costs and other expenses cut into earnings and a strong dollar reduced the value of international sales.

Deere forecast higher sales and earnings for its new fiscal year, but its shares fell 3.7 percent to $82.80 in early trading.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – A leading indicator of U.S. construction activity improved for the fifth consecutive month in October as demand for design services continued to recover, an architects’ trade group said on Wednesday.

The October architecture billings index rose 1.2 points to a reading of 52.8, led by demand from builders of apartment buildings, according to the American Institute of Architects (AIA). The billings index is considered a predictor of construction spending nine to 12 months into the future.

NEW YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters) – A leading indicator of U.S.
construction activity improved for the fifth consecutive month
in October as demand for design services continued to recover,
an architects’ trade group said on Wednesday.

The October architecture billings index rose 1.2 points to a
reading of 52.8, led by demand from builders of apartment
buildings, according to the American Institute of Architects
(AIA). The billings index is considered a predictor of
construction spending nine to 12 months into the future.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – “Made in USA” seems to resonate well beyond the USA

Consumers in China are willing to pay a premium for certain products labeled “Made in USA” because they see them as more durable and of higher quality, a new study found.

By Nick Zieminski

(Reuters) – Tyco (TYC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), a provider of commercial fire and security systems and services, reported a quarterly net loss on Wednesday, weighed down by costs from the breakup of the diversified Tyco International conglomerate.

In its first financial report as a stand-alone company, Tyco also forecast fiscal 2013 sales and earnings below Wall Street expectations.

Nov 6 (Reuters) – Credit agency Moody’s Investors Service
said on Tuesday that superstorm Sandy will slash revenue and
earnings at New Jersey’s Atlantic City casinos and benefit home
repair and discount retailers but will have limited impact on
other sectors.

Electric utilities including Consolidated Edison
suffered costly damage but should recover their costs. Wireless
telecommunications service providers such as Verizon and AT&T
were also hurt, but the affect on these carriers will be
“negligible,” Moody’s said.

By Nick Zieminski

(Reuters) – U.S. industrial conglomerate Emerson Electric Co (EMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a sharply lower quarterly net profit on Tuesday, reflecting a goodwill charge in its network power business, and said it expects earnings to grow by at least a single-digit percentage rate in fiscal 2013.

Slower telecommunications and information technology markets led to the $592 million charge. Emerson said it will pursue a sale of its $1.4 billion embedded computing and power business.