GE's solar panel push

Stocks staged modest declines. The Dow fell 17 points today to 12,409. The S&P was

down nearly 4 points, while the Nasdaq shed 2 points.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve says consumers in the U.S. borrowed more in

February, so they could buy new cars. At the same time, they cut back on use of

credit cards to make purchases.

NEW YORK (AP) — General Electric plans to spend $600 million to build the nation's

largest solar panel factory. There's no immediate word where it would be built, but

it would eventually employ 400 people.

NEW YORK (AP) — Crude oil futures prices settled higher on the New York Mercantile

Exchange. The near-month contract for the benchmark grade gained $1.47, closing at

$110.30 a barrel.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — Constellation Brands says Americans were buying more wine

through the holiday season, taking advantage of more discounts to trade up to

higher-premium brands. The maker of Robert Mondavi wine, Svedka vodka and Corona

beer reports a nearly $280 million fourth-quarter profit, recovering from a year-ago

loss.