Free Republic

A federal grand jury indictment alleges that Karatz, who resigned under fire in 2006, orchestrated the backdating of options to his own benefit. Bruce Karatz, who rode the housing boom to become one of the highest-paid executives in the country, was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of manipulating stock options -- becoming one of the few executives to face criminal charges in the nation's options backdating scandal. Karatz, 63, served as chairman and chief executive of Westwood-based KB Home from 1986 to 2006, when he resigned under fire. Over a three-year period ending in 2005, Karatz...

Industrial production and new home construction rose sharply last month, suggesting that the economy is overcoming high energy prices and rebounding from the summer slump. But a spike in consumer prices is also stoking worries that inflation might spread more broadly as the economy heats up. The Federal Reserve reported yesterday that industrial production rose 0.7 percent in October, the fastest pace since July. In addition, the Commerce Department reported that new housing starts had recovered from a September dip to rise 6.4 percent last month. Investors in financial markets seemed encouraged by the emerging panorama of economic strength, as...