Tokyo is full of cafes catering to a wide assortment of tastes, but in recent years a new breed of coffee house has emerged for people who love to hang out with rabbits. Ra.a.g.f, pronounced “raf,” opened last fall in the fashionable Jiyugaoka area in Meguro Ward, and is usually packed at weekends with customers reveling in the company of the cafe’s 20 to 30 rabbits. “I came... 

Italy’s luxury carmaker Ferrari announced record results for 2011 on Friday, with revenues exceeding two billion euros ($2.63 billion) for the first time, despite the widespread economic crisis. “The year ended with extremely positive results that were in certain instances unprecedented in Ferrari’s history,” the company said in a statement. Revenues reached 2.251 billion euros,... 

There aren’t too many celebrity CEOs in the world. But without a doubt, Tony Hsieh is one of them. As CEO of giant online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos, Hsieh has grown the company from a fledging start-up in 1999 to the behemoth it is today. Amazon acquired Zappos in 2009 for a reported $1.2 billion and Hsieh (pronounced Shay) remained as CEO. In Australia running a series of workshops for... 

Boeing aims to ramp up production of its much-delayed 787 Dreamliner to 10 planes a month by the end of 2013, up from the current two to three, a top company executive said Sunday. Mark Jenks, vice president of development of the 787 program which is running three years behind schedule, said the company has fixed the latest problem in the planes currently under production. Boeing said last month it... 

UK manufacturing production jumped in December by five times as much as economists forecast and the trade deficit shrank to the smallest since 2003. Factory output increased 1 per cent from the previous month, while the trade gap narrowed by more than half to 1.11 billion pounds ($US1.7 billion). The European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold today, while President Mario Draghi signaled the... 

Fewer Americans than forecast filed claims for jobless benefits last week and consumer confidence rose to the highest level in a year, pointing to gains in spending as job prospects brighten. Applications for jobless benefits decreased 15,000 in the week ended Feb. 4 to 358,000, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. Economists forecast 370,000 claims, according to the median estimate... 

Whether you’re unemployed, underemployed, fearful of a layoff or just bored with your job, at some point you’ve probably thought about starting your own business. And like most people, you’ve probably been held back by a host of concerns: whether your idea is good enough, how to get funding, whether you can live without vacation and medical benefits, whether you even have the chops.... 

Automaker Fiat-Chrysler set out lower but still ambitious targets for 2012, with newly profitable Chrysler Group forecasting an 18 per cent jump in US revenue to make up for depressed conditions in Europe. Chrysler said on Wednesday it swung to a full-year net profit of $US183 million in its second year managed by Italy’s Fiat SpA, a key milestone after it went bust in 2009 and was bailed out... 

Manufacturing in the US grew in January at the fastest pace in seven months, adding to signs of a global pickup from Germany to China. The Institute for Supply Management’s index climbed to 54.1, from 53.1 in December, the Tempe, Arizona-based group’s report showed today. Figures greater than 50 signal expansion. Other reports showed US construction spending increased at the fastest pace... 

US auto sales, an early snapshot of consumer demand each month, have been a bright spot for the economy, which is in the midst of a slow recovery. In 2011, light vehicle sales rose 10.3 per cent to 12.8 million and in December the sales rate was nearly 13.6 million. Chrysler Group posted a 44 per cent rise in US auto sales in January, led by gains for its Jeep brand. Volkswagen of America rose 48 per...