Stocks lost some ground in today's trading, but February was the best for the market since 1998. The Dow fell 53 points, or 0.4 percent, to 12,952. The S&P slipped nearly 7 points to 1,366, while the Nasdaq was down 20 points to 2,967.
• The Federal Reserve says the nation's economy was growing across all 12 of its districts in January and early February. The central bank's Beige Book survey found manufacturing on the rise and home sales doing better in much of the country.Gas prices have risen for a 22nd straight day.The national average for gasoline, at $3.73 a gallon, is up 30 cents from a month ago.
• California's attorney general won't stand in the way of a class-action settlement between Honda and owners of its hybrid cars over inflated claims of fuel efficiency. Several states had asked a judge for more time to file objections after a Los Angeles woman won nearly $10,000 in small claims court, much more than had been offered.
• A judge in Washington has blocked a federal requirement that would have begun forcing U.S. tobacco companies to put graphic images on their cigarette packages later this year. They were to show the dangers of smoking with the goal of discouraging people from smoking.
