The grim consumer environment in the United States led to an unexpected drop in sales in Walmart over the first quarter, with the world's largest retailer missing Wall Street expectations.

Mysterious absence led to speculation over whether search giant was hiding an ailing chief

'I built a club, not just a team', says the most successful football manager in the modern game after announcement that this is ‘the right time’ to go

Van Dyke Parks deals in Americana of a different vintage to most musicians. In some ways, he's closer to Charles Ives than Hank Williams or Robert Johnson, his work redolent of an earlier, smalltown America, but viewed through a distorting mirror.

The IMF adviser also blamed 'a docile president, a docile White House and a docile regulatory system'

Starbucks matched Wall Street’s expectations with its quarterly profits, after the world’s largest coffee chain enjoyed a strong performance in the US despite the sluggish economic backdrop.

Apple is expected to reveal its first profit slide in a decade when it releases its latest figures today.

Politicians ‘should stay out of schools’

Gideon Spanier meets Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, whose new book on how women can overcome inequality in the workplace has provoked controversy

Prisoners’ perks to go under new rules

A former British diplomat who resigned over the Iraq war has been hired  by Syrian rebels who want his advice on how to raise their voice on the world stage.

JP Morgan Chase, America’s largest bank by assets, surpassed expectations with its quarterly profits today, booking a 33 per cent rise as chief executive Jamie Dimon spoke of “positive signs” that the world’s largest economy is “healthy and getting stronger.”

The minutes of the last meeting of the US Federal Reserve arrived five hours earlier than expected today, with the record showing a growing debate about whether the central bank should begin rolling back its stimulus measures as early as mid-year.

Fears over the health of the US economy and worries over a possible bird flu pandemic sent investors crashing down to earth today as global stock markets plunged.