Chains are no longer saturating the U.S. market before setting up lucrative yet risky overseas outposts. In an increasingly smaller world, they just can't afford to wait.
By Beth Kowitt, writer-reporter
FORTUNE -- When McDonald's (MCD) opened its first location in Moscow in 1990, an endeavor that had been in the works for 14 years, the fast food giant had more than 10,000 locations to its name and had been a franchising MORE
Apr 28, 2011 5:00 AM ET
FORTUNE -- Onion hoagies anyone? Food prices are hitting record highs, and that could spell trouble for restaurants and fast-food chains. Major chains like Subway are more insulated than most, thanks to their collective buying power and long-term contracts -- which is why the Cold Cut Combo pictured below, one of Subway's "$5 Footlongs," still costs $5. Small businesses and international consumers, however, might not be so lucky; the price MORE
Apr 28, 2011 5:00 AM ET
The Mets' money woes have been widely known for months, but estimates of the team's debt don't give a full picture of the franchise's obligations.
By Daniel Roberts, reporter
FORTUNE -- Just how deep in the hole is the troubled franchise of the New York Mets?
As owners now shop a 49% stake in the team, it's been widely reported that the franchise has around $430 million in bank debt. But a potential MORE
Apr 27, 2011 2:21 PM ET
The Cinderella story at the new General Motors continues to be Buick -- and this fairy tale has more glass slippers than simply a supply of new models. Repositioned as the luxury brand partner of Cadillac in the U.S. and smartly leveraging its status as a technology leader in China, Buick is piling triumph upon triumph.
Last week's opening of the Shanghai auto show provided the latest data point as Buick MORE
Apr 27, 2011 12:54 PM ET
The America's Cup is starting up again in August, revamped to give sailing broader commercial appeal. Has anyone noticed?
By Paul V. Oliva, contributor
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle (ORCL), and his team, Oracle Racing, spent a decade and more than $1 billion to win yacht racing's America's Cup. Now, with the cup's World Series -- a two-year group of races leading up to the 2013 finals in San Francisco -- beginning MORE
Apr 27, 2011 5:00 AM ETIn his new book, the nonagenarian journalist Roy Rowan offers lively advice on how to enjoy life after retirement.
By Shawn Tully, editor-at-large
FORTUNE -- In Never Too Late, A 90-Year Old's Pursuit of a Whirlwind Life, Roy Rowan pictures old age not as sedentary geezerdom, but as a journey of discovery, recalling his own wondrous trips aboard the world's fabled railroads. Call it an Orient Express of the mind. Rowan wants MORE
Apr 26, 2011 12:11 PM ET
Image by tsuda via Flickr
The Fortune 500 comes out just once a year, but the companies on it make headlines every day. Here, then, are today's highlights of news and happenings coming from the biggest names in business.
By Shelley DuBois, reporter
IT'S LIKE IT'S 2008 AGAIN for the oil industry, which, because of the high price of oil during the first quarter, will likely see a spike in earnings across the board. MORE
Apr 25, 2011 11:05 AM ET
Editor's Note: This Saturday, tens of thousands of Berkshire (BRKA) faithful will fill Omaha's Qwest Center to hear CEO Warren Buffett and vice-chairman Charlie Munger discuss everything from the state of their investments to their psychological make-up (questioners rarely hold back, and neither do Buffett or Munger). The most diligent in attendance will have already studied Buffett's annual chairman's letter, a lengthy report -- by turns folksy and financial -- that MORE
Apr 24, 2011 8:33 AM ET
Image via CrunchBase
The Fortune 500 comes out just once a year, but the companies on it make headlines every day. Here, then, are today's highlights of news and happenings coming from the biggest names in business.
By Shelley DuBois, reporter
YOUR SMARTPHONE TRACKS YOU, probably. Phones made by Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) send location data from the devices back to the companies. That information is valuable to Apple and Google since they're MORE
Apr 22, 2011 12:09 PM ET
Image via Wikipedia
The Fortune 500 comes out just once a year, but the companies on it make headlines every day. Here then are today's highlights of news and happenings coming from the biggest names in business.
By Shelley DuBois, reporter
WE'RE MAKING STUFF in the United States. The first quarter saw an increase in profits for many U.S. manufacturers, causing stocks to rise for companies including United Technologies (UTX), Caterpillar (CAT) and Boeing MORE
Apr 21, 2011 11:29 AM ET
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