Business & Economy, business and economy

To make the best possible impression at the holiday office gathering, stand with your arms at your side or behind you, try to make eye contact with other guests, be an active listener, smile and by all means, avoid the mistletoe.

The images are stunning and vivid, worthy of National Geographic: Chinese factory workers make high-tech products; Nepalese women gather for a village meeting; Arab businesswomen clad head-to-toe in abayat chat on cell phones.

With the stock market up about 60 percent since bottoming out in March, Wall Street may appear to be not as dangerous a place to those who fled for safer havens when the market collapsed last fall.

But making a long-term decision based on short-term phenomenon can be risky business, as documented in a report T. Rowe Price sent to investors this month.

Volumes have been written about the job interview.

Pre-interview research and preparation.

Proper interview dress.

Promptness -- arrival time.

Body language and interview protocol.

Answers to questions and questions to ask.

Thank you notes and follow through.

Stressed-out consumers want comfort food and comfortable clothes at the right price, and the fact that they're relatively satisfied overall with what they're getting may boost holiday shopping.

Once a novelty, dream-home raffles are becoming a popular but risky way for nonprofit organizations to raise money.

The concept marries two of America's favorite obsessions -- gambling and real estate -- with that good feeling you get from supporting a worthy cause.

Fibs. Fabrications. Falsehoods. No matter what you call them; they don't belong in a resume. It's simply not worth the risk. More often than not, applicants who fudge the facts are found out. Many organizations conduct reference or background checks, and just one exaggeration or half-truth can lead an employer to question your ethics and eliminate you from consideration.

There are thieves on the loose in offices across the country. They're called idea thieves, taking the best from their colleagues and claiming those ideas for themselves.

Though they may not go to jail for their crimes, those who have been their victims probably would love to sentence them to some hard time in an unemployment office.

LAS VEGAS - As a real-time indicator of how confident American consumers feel about spending their money, earnings of the big casino operators on the Las Vegas Strip haven't inspired much confidence lately.

Dear Debt Adviser,