Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits over the past month than at any time in 14 years as an improving economy prompted employers to hold on to staff.

The consumer-price index climbed 0.1% after decreasing 0.2% in August, a Labor Department report showed in Washington.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., foiled in a bid to merge with CSX Corp., reported third-quarter profit that missed analysts’ estimates as the carrier spent more on stock-based compensation.

Secret changes by Trinity Industries Inc. to its guardrail systems were found by a jury to have cheated the U.S. government, exposing the company to $1 billion in liability and sending shares plummeting as states question the safety of the product.

Sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose in September to the highest level in a year, adding to signs that residential real estate will be a plus for the economy.

Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. said talks about a possible merger with CSX Corp. have ended and no further conversations are planned.

Consumer confidence in the U.S. unexpectedly rose in October to the highest level in seven years, showing a brightening in Americans’ moods as gas prices drop and the labor market gains traction.

New home construction rose in September after slumping a month earlier, indicating halting progress in the U.S. residential real-estate market.

U.S. railroads are rallying customers, including lumber and steel companies, to fight a government proposal to slow trains hauling crude oil.

Industrial production in the U.S. rose in September by the most since November 2012, driven by a surge at utilities and a rebound in manufacturing.