IN BRIEF

Nevada again highest in U.S. foreclosure rates

Nevada had the nation's highest rate of foreclosures for the 23rd straight month in November, RealtyTrac Inc. reported Thursday.

The Silver State had one in 76 households in some stage of foreclosure, more than six times the national average, the company said. Filings more than doubled from a year earlier to 13,962.

Overall, U.S. foreclosure filings climbed 28 percent in November from a year earlier, RealtyTrac said.

California had the most filings with 60,491, up 51 percent from a year earlier, and a rate of one filing for every 218 households.

Nevada, Michigan, Arizona, Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Virginia were among the top 10 states with the most filings.

Three metropolitan areas in Florida were among those with the top 10 highest rates, including Cape Coral-Fort Myers in first place with one in 59 households in a stage of foreclosure. Las Vegas ranked second at one in every 61 households in a stage of foreclosure.

HOUSTON

Dollar falls, price of oil jumps 10 percent

Oil prices rose 10 percent Thursday as the value of the dollar sank further and investors dumped money into crude markets.

The falling dollar, which makes commodities like oil more attractive, outweighed a new report from the International Energy Agency, which said energy demand is sliding sharply.

Light, sweet crude for January delivery rose $4.46 to settle at $47.98 a barrel in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, after rising to nearly $49 earlier in the session.

NEW YORK

Video games continue to sell well in America

Americans may be cutting back on holiday shopping, but they are still buying video games -- nearly $3 billion's worth in November, data from market researcher NPD Group show.

U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories jumped 10 percent last month from the year-ago period to $2.91 billion, boosted by strong sales of Nintendo Co.'s Wii, Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360 along with the alien shooter game "Gears of War 2."

NPD analyst Anita Frazier said the industry is on track to rack up $22 billion in U.S. sales this year.

Hardware sales, which include gaming consoles like the Wii and handheld systems like the PSP, jumped 10 percent to $1.21 billion.

Sales of video game software grew 11 percent to $1.31 billion.

ISSAQUAH, Wash.

As consumers spend less, Costco profits flat

Warehouse-club operator Costco Wholesale Corp. reported nearly flat first-quarter profit Thursday, citing the stronger dollar and cuts by U.S. consumers in spending on nonessentials.

Costco said consumers pulled back on spending on nearly all items outside of food.

"I think people's habits have changed," Costco Chief Financial Officer Richard Galanti said.

Profit for the three months ended Nov. 23 rose less than 1 percent to $262.5 million, or 60 cents per share, from $262 million, or 59 cents per share, a year earlier. The results include charges of 5 cents per share related to an accounting adjustment related to life-insurance contracts and a write-down on corporate investments.

Revenue rose 4 percent to $16.39 billion from $15.81 billion.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, on average, predicted a profit of 62 cents per share on revenue of $16.6 billion. Analyst estimates typically exclude one-time items.

Test flight of Boeing's 787 jetliner delayed

Boeing Co. has further delayed the initial test flight and delivery of its highly awaited 787 jetliner, citing the impact of a recent strike and lingering production problems.

The Chicago-based aerospace company said Thursday it was pushing back the inaugural flight of the next-generation passenger jet to the second quarter of 2009 and the first delivery to between January and March of 2010.

The delay put the planned delivery of the first 787 nearly two years behind the original schedule and was the latest in a series of setbacks for the plane, touted for its potential to offer higher fuel efficiency than other large jets due to its construction from lightweight carbon fiber composite parts.

Also Thursday, Boeing said it was restructuring its commercial aircraft operations to improve plane development and production, as it strengthens oversight of its global supply chain.

NEW YORK

Treasury prices rise, sending yields down

Treasury prices rose Thursday, sending yields lower, as demand for safe government debt remained high despite small signs of life in the torpid credit markets.

The 10-year note rose 0.31 points to 109.44, and its yield fell to 2.64 percent from 2.68 percent.

The 30-year bond rose 0.22 points to 127.31, and its yield fell to 3.08 percent from 3.09 percent.