GM to lay off 2,000 workers, cut production, Quiksilver cuts 200 positions, Texas Instruments to shed 3,400 jobs, Pfizer to buy Wyeth for $68B...

DETROIT (AP) -- General Motors Corp. said Monday it will cut 2,000 jobs at two plants and halt production for several weeks at nine other U.S. factories as the company takes steps to stop making cars that people aren't buying.

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Quiksilver Inc. said Monday that it is eliminating 200 positions as part of a restructuring plan to cope with weak consumer demand. The sport and lifestyle apparel company said it plans to save more than $40 million annually with the cost-cutting measures in its Americas region -- a more than 10 percent reduction in its expenses.

DALLAS (AP) -- Texas Instruments Inc., which makes chips for cell phones and other gadgets, said Monday that it will cut 3,400 jobs because demand has slackened amid a slowing economy. The chip maker will shed 12 percent of its work force by the end of September -- 1,800 jobs through layoffs and another 1,600 jobs through voluntary retirements and departures. It expects annual savings of $700 million when combined with another round of cuts announced in October to eliminate 650 jobs.

TRENTON, New Jersey (AP) -- Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drugmaker, said Monday it is buying rival Wyeth for $68 billion in a deal that will quickly boost Pfizer's revenue and diversification and -- if it works as advertised -- help the company become more nimble. By buying Wyeth, Pfizer will mutate from a maker of blockbuster pills to a one-stop shop for vaccines, biotech drugs, traditional pills and nonprescription products for both people and animals.