Business Beat for Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014

Hershey might replace corn syrup in some products

Switching to sugar would make Hershey a high-profile example of the move away from high-fructose corn syrup in the food industry.

Walgreen knows where the flu is

Walgreen has launched a flu index based on weekly prescription data from its pharmacies nationwide.

Fannie May online offerings recover after warehouse fire

Fannie May Candy was expanding its online offerings Tuesday afternoon after limiting options because of a warehouse fire in Northeast Ohio.

Groupon reports record sales as shopping season kicks off

The Chicago-based ecommerce company said North American sales from Thursday through Monday were up more than 25 percent compared with last year.

Energy companies lead an advance in US stocks

Energy and health-care companies led major stock indexes higher on Tuesday, even as crude oil resumed its slide.

Automakers to jointly probe Takata air bags

At least five automakers are teaming up to determine what is causing a problem with air bags used in their vehicles and how many cars to recall.

ALSO: Automakers expand passenger air bag recalls

Twitter makes changes to its harassment reporting process

Twitter announced changes to its harassment reporting process and “block” function, allowing users who see abusive tweets to report them even if they’re not on the receiving end.

Tribune Media shares to trade on NYSE

Shares of Tribune Media Co. are expected to begin trading Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

Medline gets tax break to keep its HQ in Illinois

The medical supply distributor in Mundelein will keep its headquarters in Illinois in exchange for nearly $18 million in tax credits, [Crain’s]

US CEOs expect to boost hiring in next 6 months

Chief executives at the largest U.S. companies expect sales to keep growing in the next six months and also plan to step up hiring.

Rolling along: RV industry maintains momentum

RV makers have made up more ground since being sideswiped by the Great Recession and production could soon return to pre-downturn levels.

Insurer UnitedHealth expects earnings jump in 2015

UnitedHealth forecasts double-digit earnings growth next year, as the nation’s largest health insurer expects a smaller hit from health care reform.

Promotions, gas prices boost US auto sales

Black Friday promotions and falling gas prices drove U.S. auto sales higher in November, kicking off what’s expected to be a strong holiday season.

Blackstone selling IndCor Properties for $8.1 billion

The Blackstone Group has canceled an initial public offering for Chicago-based IndCor Properties and will instead sell the industrial real estate company.

RadioShack clashes again with lenders

Trading in shares of RadioShack was halted for most of the session Tuesday after the company disclosed a dispute with one of its lenders.

Corning buying Samsung fiber optics business

Corning is buying Samsung Electronics’ fiber optics business, which will help bolster its portfolio of optical communications products in Asia.