General Motors signalled Thursday that it plans to repay another 2 billion dollars in debts owed to the US government as the largest US carmaker continues to emerge from the burden of last year's bankruptcy.

U.S. construction outlays rose 0.5 percent in September with gains in spending on residential projects, the U.S. Commerce Department said Monday.

U.S. manufacturing expanded in October for the 15th consecutive month, the Institute for Supply Management said Monday.

It was an American icon: The Pontiac, for much of its life an automobile one up from Chevrolet and one down from Oldsmobile and Buick, a fine family car that also came in coupe form, became some of General Motors' hottest offerings in its GTO and TransAm forms of the 1960s and '70s.

Samsung Electronics Co said Friday that strong demand for memory chips and handsets pushed net profits to $3.96 billion in the third quarter.

Hispanics are increasingly concerned about a backlash against them, even as they are split over the effects of illegal immigration on the country.

Hispanics are now the largest ethnic minority in the United States and during the past decade, U.S. Hispanic purchasing power has rapidly increased. This report takes an in depth look at how today's Hispanic Economy is transitioning into an economic power in the U.S. Click here for the executive summary and table of contents!

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses in the United States is expected to grow 41.8 percent in the next six years to 4.3 million, with total revenues surging 39 percent to more than $539 billion, according to new estimates by HispanTelligence. Spurred by growing entrepreneurial trends and affluence among the nation's largest minority population, the increase is expected to come at a robust rate of 8.5 and 8.7 percent, respectfully, over the next couple years.

The diversity that we have represents the growth of our business ... we're very proud of that," says Pat Harris, vice president and global chief diversity officer at McDonald's.

Diversity and inclusion programs are proving to have a much broader effect than once thought. "There's no doubt in my mind (spending with minority-owned businesses) has a positive net effect on local economies," says Joyce Ibardolasa, director of diversity and inclusion, PG&E.