More contracts signed for home purchases

WASHINGTON » The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes in November rose to the highest level in a year and a half.

The best reading on pending homes sales since a federal home-buying tax credit expired appeared to encourage traders on Wall Street.

Still, the National Association of Realtors cautioned that a growing number of buyers are canceling their contracts at the last minute, making the gauge less reliable.

The Realtors group said Thursday that its index of sales agreements jumped 7.3 percent last month to a reading of 100.1.

Amazon says ‘best holiday ever’ for Kindle

SEATTLE » Online retailer Amazon says 2011 was the best holiday ever for its Kindle-brand e-readers and tablet computers.

Amazon.com Inc. said Thursday that people bought more than 1 million Kindles each week in December. The company has never released specific sales figures for the Kindle. Since the launch of the first Kindle in 2007, the franchise has grown to include several e-readers and the Kindle Fire tablet.

Verizon to charge $2 to pay some bills

NEW YORK » Verizon Wireless, the country’s largest cellphone company, said Thursday that it will start charging $2 for every payment subscribers make over the phone or online with their credit cards.

The company said this "convenience fee" will be introduced Jan. 15.

The fee won’t apply to electronic check payments or to automatic credit card payments set up through Verizon’s AutoPay system. Paying by credit card in a Verizon store will also be free, as will mailing a check.

AMR shares to be dropped from NYSE

FORT WORTH, Texas » American Airlines’ parent company, now in bankruptcy protection, says its stock will be dropped from the New York Stock Exchange.

Shares are sinking 18 cents, or 35 percent, to 34 cents in after-hours trading.

AMR Corp. said Thursday that the NYSE notified the Fort Worth, Texas, company of the move after the average closing price of AMR shares fell below $1 for 30 straight trading days.

J&J seeks OK for new anti-clotting drug

TRENTON, N.J. » Health care giant Johnson & Johnson is seeking U.S. approval for a third use for its new anti-clotting pill, Xarelto.

The company’s Janssen Research & Development LLC unit said Thursday that it has asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve the clot-preventing drug for patients with acute coronary syndrome. That’s a condition in which narrowing or blockage of a blood vessel suddenly reduces blood flow to the heart muscle, causing unstable chest pain or a heart attack.

Xarelto, known chemically as rivaroxaban, was approved eight weeks ago for use in patients who have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem. More than 2 million Americans have the condition, in which the heart’s upper chambers flutter chaotically, reducing blood flow through the heart and increasing the risk of clots and stroke.

Italian premier unveils plan for growth

ROME » Prime Minister Mario Monti on Thursday presented in broad terms his government’s master plan for Italy, which he called "Grow Italy."

Devised to spur growth in a country that has seen little of it in the past 15 years, the proposals would include liberalizing Italy’s closed professions and guilds, encouraging competitiveness and modernizing Italy’s outdated infrastructure.

The government will also tackle labor reform, a thorny issue for labor unions as well as for some political parties that support Monti’s government.

Salary cuts spur tax officials to leave jobs

ATHENS, Greece » Greek tax officials walked off the job Thursday at the start of a 48-hour strike to protest salary cuts and other austerity measures, as the government struggles to meet revenue targets demanded by the country’s international creditors.

The prospect of a shutdown of the tax offices for the last days of 2011 prompted hundreds of Greeks on Wednesday to rush to settle last-minute issues before the strike. Many handed over their car license plates, preferring to keep their vehicles off the highways instead of paying a recently hiked road tax.

ON THE MOVE

Cades Schutte LLP has welcomed the following associates:

» Cheryl A. Kinoshita as an associate in the litigation department. She was previously a law clerk for Barry M. Kurren, magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.

» Erin K. Shimoda as an associate in the trusts and estates department. She was previously a law clerk to Craig H. Nakamura of the Intermediate Court of Appeals, state of Hawaii.

» Megan A. Suehiro as an associate in the litigation department. While attending law school she was a judicial extern to Susan Oki Mollway, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii.