DealBook

Debts Canceled by Bankruptcy Still Mar Consumer Credit Scores

By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG

Officials suspect that big banks ignore bankruptcy court discharges, keeping debts alive on credit reports and impairing borrowers’ ability to secure housing and jobs.

Ángel Franco/The New York Times

Bernadette Gatling said she has lost job opportunities because employers viewed her credit report, which included voided debts.

Books and other items at an Amazon warehouse in Phoenix.

Amazon and Hachette Resolve Dispute

By DAVID STREITFELD

The accord allows the publisher to set prices on its e-books, a major issue in a battle that led Amazon to discourage sales of Hachette books.

Dawn near Winner, S.D. The drop in oil prices has helped farmers who spend hours on the road this time of year hauling crops to market.

Lower Oil Prices Give a Lift to the American Economy

By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ, CLIFFORD KRAUSS and DIONNE SEARCEY

The effect of cheaper crude oil and gasoline is especially significant for those Americans largely left behind by an anemic economic recovery.

Honda Issues Fresh Recall After Death in Malaysia Is Linked to Airbag

By HIROKO TABUCHI

The fatality is the first outside the United States to be linked to defective airbags made by Takata.

Takata Offers Its Rebuttal to Report of Secret Airbag Tests NYT Now

DealBook

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire to Buy Duracell From Procter & Gamble

By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED

Berkshire Hathaway, the conglomerate run by Warren E. Buffett, will acquire Duracell using a transaction aimed at lowering the tax bill.

DealBook

DreamWorks Animation, the maker of Shrek, may join the Hasbro, the maker of Transformers.

Hasbro Is Said to Be in Talks to Buy DreamWorks Animation

By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN and MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED

The deal, in which Hasbro would pay a mix of cash and stock, would form an unusual union of toy maker and animation studio.

YouTube Music Key Is Introduced as New Rival in Streaming

By BEN SISARIO

As YouTube pushes into paid content, other online music outlets are being forced to defend or change their business models to better compensate artists.

U.S.-India Agreement Clears Way for Global Trade Deal

By NEHA THIRANI BAGRI

Talks on the trade deal reached an impasse in July when India said it would veto it unless a dispute over its food security program was resolved.

Obama Aims to Lift the Global Economy, and Maybe Himself 8:54 PMNYT Now

Viacom Chief Faults Nielsen Data-Gathering Methods

By EMILY STEEL

Philippe Dauman said that a large portion of the viewing of Viacom networks occurs through mobile apps and other platforms that Nielsen does not include.

Insight & Analysis

Machine Learning

The Map Apps That Move You in the Right Direction

By MOLLY WOOD

Improvements to navigation systems keep on coming, and a new rival may mean the competition will heat up.

Corner Office

Clockwise from top left, Dara Richardson-Heron, C.E.O. of the Y.W.C.A. USA; Sharon Napier, C.E.O. of Partners + Napier; Jenny Ming, C.E.O. of Charlotte Russe; and Jody Greenstone Miller, C.E.O. of the Business Talent Group.

Executive Women, Finding (and Owning) Their Voice

By ADAM BRYANT

Four chief executives describe the importance of taking stands, and of making sure they’re heard.

DealBook

The billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Singer, who wrote a note to his investors about “fake inflation numbers.”

Fears of Inflation Stem From Worrisome Origins

By JESSE EISINGER

Hedge fund managers howl about “fake” economic data, but the paranoia over inflation is rooted in troubling episodes.

The Upshot

Americans Say They Want Privacy, but Act as if They Don’t

By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER

People are doubtful about the safety of their personal information online or on cellphones. Yet it does not necessarily change their behavior, according to a new poll.

App Smart

Audio Equalizer and Enhancement Apps Beyond the Smartphone Sound

By KIT EATON

If you’re not satisfied with the quality of music produced by your smartphone’s player, there are plenty of options a sharper listening experience.

App Smart Video: Enhance Your Music

The Upshot

Internet Firms Are Far Behind Cable Companies in Political Donations

By DEREK WILLIS

The gap is slowly closing between the two sides in a coming debate over Internet regulation.

You’re the Boss Blog

When It Takes a Woman to Design Products for Women

By COLLEEN DEBAISE

Amy Sheng is a co-founder of CellScope, a smartphone attachment that allows parents to take videos of a child’s inner ear that can be sent to doctors for an ear-infection diagnosis.

Q&A

Assessing Space on a Computer’s Hard Drive

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Plus, comparing HDTV with ultrahigh-definition.

Bits Blog

“The idea here is to give people more accessible information about how Facebook works,” said Erin Egan, the company’s chief privacy officer.

Facebook Tries to Explain Its Privacy Settings but Advertising Still Rules

By VINDU GOEL

The social network will give users simpler explanations on major privacy features, but it is still giving users very little control over how their information is used to sell advertising.

Bits Blog

Twitter’s chief executive, Dick Costolo. The company has laid out a plan to increase its revenue.

Twitter Speaks Up With Growth Strategy Intended to Soothe Wall Street

By VINDU GOEL

The social network, which had been battered by executive turmoil and slow growth, broke a long silence about its strategy and product plans, and its stock price rose by 7.5 percent on Wednesday.