CNNMoney

At the start of 2009, who could have imagined that we'd actually have reasons to look back at the year fondly? It began with much to be worried about -- the health of Citigroup, Bank of America, AIG and other big financials; looming bankruptcies at GM and Chrysler; a stock market at its lowest point since 1997; and a labor market hemorrhaging jobs.

Since cratering at 12-year lows in March, the S&P 500 has staged a powerful rebound as investors turned what could have been an abysmal 2009 into the second best year of the decade for stock returns.

The FAA said Friday it is heightening scrutiny of American Airlines after the carrier had three landings go wrong in December.

The head of Delta Air Lines says he is disappointed that a suspected terrorist was able to bring explosives on board a Christmas Day flight despite the company's efforts to follow federal safety regulations.

Negotiations to keep the Fox network and other News Corp. channels on Time Warner Cable systems in several major cities continued Friday, hours past a midnight deadline that threatened to take the programming away from 13 million subscribers.

Cablevision Systems, a New York-area cable provider, said Friday it was no longer carrying The Food Channel and HGTV, two channels operated by Scripps Networks Interactive, in a dispute over distribution rights fees.

In 2001, Sean O'Connor was a co-owner of Thee Parkside, a San Francisco club that served up punk bands alongside yak burgers and bear-meat chili. When the dot-coms collapsed, he pared down the menu to focus on cheap, creative snacks. During an experiment with whipped cream canisters and funnel cake -- a project that failed miserably -- he stumbled on a better idea: putting pancake mix in pressurized cans for quick and easy breakfasts.

Starting Jan. 1, new rules go into effect that simplify and clarify exactly what mortgage lenders will charge for a loan.

Starting Jan. 1, new rules go into effect that simplify and clarify exactly what mortgage lenders will charge for a loan.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in September that the search leader will buy up one company a month in 2010. Here's a look at some of the leading contenders.

Call the last 10 years whatever you want: the Naughty Aughties, the Awful Aughts or the Zilches are all appropriate. If you are an investor, you're probably thankful the decade is over and are longing for better times ahead in the Teens.

Democrats in the House and Senate are on the same page when it comes to health reform. They want it.

Telecom giant AT&T Inc. announced Thursday that it has ended its business relationship with Tiger Woods.

Stocks churned in the final trading session of 2009 as investors mulled a better-than-expected report on initial jobless claims at the end of a year fueled by big market advances.

The dollar softened against rival currencies Thursday at the end of a mostly quiet, holiday-shortened week.

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance fell sharply last week to the lowest level since July 2008, the government said Thursday. Analysts had expected an increase.

The University of Alabama's Crimson Tide may be the top ranked team heading into college football's national championship game on January 7. But in one key measure, the team clearly trails the No. 2 University of Texas: money.

Steve Jobs and Apple appeared in an extraordinary number of 2009's "Best of" lists

Oil prices rallied for a seventh straight session and neared $80 a barrel, as the market eyed the biggest annual gain in a decade.

Amid downtown Providence's staid collection of office buildings is an eye-catchingly different storefront. Space aliens, giant trolls and jewel-toned monsters fill the windows of the building labeled "Big Nazo Lab" -- and this New Year's Eve, they'll be coming out to play.

After four months of gains, home prices flattened in October. Worse yet, industry insiders think that they'll soon start to fall.

Stocks were poised to open the final trading session of 2009 with modest gains as investors prepared to celebrate a year of solid market advances.

Lawmakers' 2010 to-do list has grown even longer thanks to a lot of unfinished tax business from 2009 that they left on the table before going home for the holidays.

Taking into account inflation, home prices are actually lower than they were 10 years ago, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors released Wednesday.

Retail sales surged 8.8% during the week that included Christmas, although foot traffic was down slightly, according to an industry group report issued Wednesday.

Time Warner Cable said Wednesday that it is willing to bring its ongoing fee dispute with Fox Network to binding arbitration in order to reach a resolution.

Bernie Madoff. Allen Stanford. You don't have to go too far to find bad financial advisers. What are some red flags that investors should keep an eye out for?

Bernie Madoff. Allen Stanford. You don't have to go too far to find bad financial advisers. What are some red flags that investors should keep an eye out for?