U.S. mutual funds are placing bigger bets on privately held companies to get a head start finding the next IPO superstar, a strategy that has yielded some dramatic payoffs and flameouts.

It may be by far the most valuable American company but Apple Inc still can’t get into at least one exclusive club – the 30-member Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Despite a disappointing Thanksgiving weekend, U.S. holiday sales may squeak by expectations if steeper and longer-running discounts lure enough shoppers.

Bebe Stores Inc said it detected a hacking attack on its payment processing system that could have compromised data from cards swiped in its stores in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Home Depot Inc (HD.N), the world's largest home improvement chain, said about 53 million email addresses were stolen during a recent breach of its payment data systems, in addition to some 56 million payment cards previously disclosed by the retailer.

U.S. President Barack Obama signed an executive order on Friday to beef up security measures for federal credit cards, and urged banks and retailers to follow suit in an effort to combat the growing threat of identity fraud.

PayPal's biggest threat as it prepares to split from eBay (EBAY.O) next year may come from former employees who back a crop of new businesses serving shoppers who increasingly prefer to pay with mobile phones rather than personal computers.

Home Depot Inc (HD.N) Thursday said some 56 million payment cards were likely compromised in a cyberattack at its stores, suggesting the hacking attack at the home improvement chain was larger than last year's unprecedented breach at Target Corp (TGT.N).

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as Apple (AAPL.O) shares declined and as bond yields hit their highest in a month on concerns the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates sooner than some investors had expected.

Atlanta, Georgia-based home improvement specialty retailer Home Depot purchased Houston-based window covering seller Blinds.com for an undisclosed amount to expand the technology on its company website.