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Hershey eyes more cash for Cadbury than Kraft: WSJ
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Hershey Trust, the charitable trust that controls Hershey Co. , is pushing the company to launch an offer for Cadbury PLC that would outbid the $17 billion from Kraft Foods Inc. , The Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition late Friday. Hershey's package is likely to be bigger and offer more cash than what Kraft has proposed.

Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida fails
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida in Fort Myers, Florida was closed by financial regulators on Friday, becoming the 124th bank to fail in 2009 and the 12th in the state of Florida. However, the holding company, Florida Commerce Bancorp, was not included in the closing of the bank or the resulting receivership. All deposit accounts, excluding certain brokered deposits, have been transferred to Central Bank of Stillwater, Minnesota.

Mexico Q3 GDP contracts less than expected
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Mexico's economy was on the mend in the third quarter, with a year-over-year contraction coming in less than anticipated by analysts, as well as growth from the previous quarter. Gross domestic product contracted 6.2% in the third quarter from the same period a year ago, according to Inegi, Mexico's statistics agency. Analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires had expected, on average, a decline of 6.8%. Latin America's second-largest economy grew by a seasonally adjusted rate of 2.93% in the third quarter from the second quarter, above the forecast for growth of 2.4%.

UPS to hike prices by 4.9% for ground packages
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- UPS said late Friday that it will hike its rates by about 4.9% for ground packages in 2010. It will also implement a net increase of 4.9% on its air express and international shipments originating from the United States. The new rates will take effect on Jan. 4.

Stocks end week mixed; lack of conviction reigns
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - U.S. stocks on Friday tallied mild losses to finish mostly lower for the week, as disappointing results from computer maker Dell Inc. dented the technology sector. "Investors are dating this market, they are not married to it. They don't have conviction, they have one foot out the door," Howard Ward, chief investment officer for GAMCO Growth Fund, said of the low trading volume that persisted through the week. Down for a third consecutive day, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 14.28 points, or 0.1%, to 10,318.16, leaving it 0.5% higher for the week. The S&P 500 Index fell 3.53 points, or 0.3%, to 1,091.37, a level that translates into a weekly loss of 0.2%. The Nasdaq Composite shed 10.78 points, or 0.5%, to 2,146.04, down 1% from the week-ago close.

U.S. stocks pare losses in late-session rebound
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks pared losses late Friday, bringing the Dow Industrial Average into positive territory. "A characteristic of this rally for several months is we've had a hard time selling to the downside, as new money comes into the market," said Howard Ward, chief investment officer for GAMCO Growth fund. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 6.28 points to 10,338.72. The S&P 500 Index was off 1.42 points at 1,093.48. The Nasdaq Composite fell 8.04 points to 2,148.78.