Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive, stung by higher costs, saw fourth-quarter net income decline more than 5 percent but said Thursday that it had raised prices in North America for the first time in two and a half years.

Expect to pay more this year for many consumer goods -- from diapers to toothpaste to Big Macs. Just as the typical American family will finally have a few more dollars to spend, inflation will take a chunk of that extra cash.

Some stocks may seem like bargains when they're really duds. Here's how you can find stable, defensive stocks that might provide market-beating returns. You can start with these nine high-quality stocks that should do well for buy-and-hold investors.

In a case that tested the boundaries of the Supreme Court's recent expansion of Second Amendment gun rights, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that some limits still apply: A federal law banning the possession of a gun with an obliterated serial number is constitutional, the court said.

Colgate-Palmolive's first-quarter earnings fell 30% because of a big charge related to Venezuela's currency devaluation. The decline came even as its sales grew 9.3% worldwide.

The dirty little secrets of Glade, Pledge and Windex are all coming clean courtesy of venerable consumer products company SC Johnson. The Racine, Wis. outfit said last week it had launched a new website that lists the ingredients of more than 200 of its products. The WhatsInsideSCJohnson site...