IN BRIEF

NLV casino ruling will have to wait

A decision on Boyd Gaming Corp.'s wish to move a planned casino from one part of North Las Vegas to another will have to wait three months.

The North Las Vegas City Council granted a 90-day extension Wednesday requested by the gaming developer and joint venture partner, the Olympia Group, after a few dozen anti-casino activists attended the council meeting.

Boyd attorney Robert Gronauer asked for the extension. He said many anti-gaming activists who attended the meeting wearing "No more casinos" pins didn't seem to understand that the proposal involves moving an existing casino site, or gaming overlay, from a largely residential neighborhood to a more commercial site.

Boyd is asking to move the site on Centennial Parkway and Lamb Boulevard to a 68-acre site at the Las Vegas Beltway and Losee Road in a commercial area of Olympia's 2,675-acre Park Highlands master-planned community.

NEW YORK

Oil prices rise above $120 a barrel mark

Oil prices jumped back above $120 a barrel Thursday, halting a steep three-day slide after Kurdish rebels claimed responsibility for a fire at a key Turkish pipeline that supplies Western countries.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery rose $1.44 to settle at $120.02 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after prices alternated between positive and negative territory. Gasoline futures also rose, while heating oil and natural gas futures finished lower.

At the pump, retail gasoline prices tumbled further overnight. A gallon of regular fell on average just over a penny to $3.849, more than 6 percent off record highs above $4 a gallon reached last month, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Price Information Service and Wright Express.

Citi agrees to fine, buy back securities

Citigroup Inc. agreed Thursday to pay a $100 million fine and buy back more than $7 billion in troubled fixed-income securities from individuals who have been stranded in the investments for most of this year.

The settlement, with New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and other regulators, figures to put pressure on other banks to cut similar deals over so-called auction-rate securities, which tumbled in value amid the credit crisis in February.

The deal will help an estimated 40,000 individual investors and others, whose holdings have declined by about $500 million.

The nation's largest banking company agreed to repurchase the securities at face value from all small investors, charities and small businesses.

MILWAUKEE

Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee's sales rise

Sara Lee Corp. posted a fourth-quarter loss Thursday as it reduced the value of its bakery business, but analysts say sales increases show the food company is passing on price increases to consumers to offset rising commodity costs.

The Downers Grove, Ill.-based company, which makes breads and Hillshire Farm deli meat, said revenue rose 12 percent, to $3.51 billion from $3.13 billion a year earlier. The performance was helped by a weak dollar, price increases and higher sales in all segments.

Food makers are struggling with soaring costs for commodities such as fuel, corn and wheat -- key ingredients in their products. So they're raising prices and hoping consumers will keep buying.

Sara Lee said its pricing went up $350 million in the year, $120 million of that in the quarter, to help offset an equal rise in commodity prices. That's about a 4 percent across-the-board price increase for consumers, analysts say.

FORT WORTH, Texas

American Airlines ups miles for free trip

It could soon cost you more miles to earn a free trip on American Airlines.

American, which invented the mileage program 25 years ago, said Thursday it will raise fees and mileage requirements for upgrades and free trips.

Under changes that take effect Oct. 1, an upgrade from economy coach on a domestic flight will cost $50, plus the 15,000 miles that was already required.

Miles and fees for upgrades were also raised on international flights. Its moves follow changes at Delta Air Lines Inc.'s mileage program last week.

Depreciation? Maybe, but not in my house

Forget the phrase "Not in my backyard." These days, homeowners are thinking, "Not in my house!"

In its second-quarter survey, released Wednesday, Zillow. com said that 62 percent of the 1,361 homeowners who responded said they believe the value of their home increased over the previous year.

But according to Zillow, a home-value Web site based in Seattle, that high level of optimism is out of sync with reality.

Zillow's data show that 77 percent of U.S. homes depreciated in value over the past year, while only 19 appreciated.

The survey also found that homeowners plan to invest in their homes over the next six months. About 56 percent of all respondents said they would be spending money on improvements. Of those, about 17 percent said they would be spending money on major improvements, while 49 percent said they would be investing in minor improvements.

NEW YORK

Treasurys rebound on jobless report

Treasury bond prices rebounded Thursday as investors sought safe-haven investments after a surprise jump in weekly unemployment claims and disappointing sales reports from retailers.

In late trading, the 10-year Treasury note traded up 1.94 points at 100.59 points. Its yield was at 3.93 percent compared to 4.05 percent late Wednesday, according to BGCantor Market Data.

The new 30-year long bond rose 2.25 points to 97.16 points. Its yield fell to 4.55 percent from 4.70 percent Wednesday.