COMPANIES

Massachusetts has been dubbed "Taxachusetts" by critics of the state's taxes but at least for this weekend residents will get a break.

The shares of Bank of America Corp (BAC.N), Citigroup Inc (C.N), Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) skidded on Wednesday, renewing evidence that when the market sneezes financial stocks get pneumonia.

Republicans named their six members on Wednesday to a U.S. congressional deficit-reduction super committee, including a favorite of the conservative Tea Party movement and other no-new-taxes hardliners.

Fear returned to Wall Street on Wednesday, sending the S&P 500 to another 4 percent decline, triggered by worries that Europe's debt crisis could engulf French banks and spill onto the U.S. financial sector.

Despite a mix of scandals and failed business purchases, News Corp. was able to beat the Street's expectations with its fourth quarter earnings.

Apple has become the most valuable company in the U.S., passing Exxon Mobil. Here's five reasons why.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) saw its stock plummet Wednesday amid concerns that it won't perform well in a weakened economy.

Apple's market shares could double or even triple in the next few years, according to a new analysis.In a note to investors on Wednesday, Sterne Agee's analyst Shaw Wu called Apple's growth the "ultimate platform adopting story."

The hacking group Anonymous is threatening to "destroy" Facebook on Nov. 5.

The battle for the world's most valuable company has heated up between Apple and Exxon Mobile, as Apple took over the crown during Wednesday trading.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday took the unprecedented step of promising to keep interest rates near zero for at least two more years and said it would consider further steps to help growth, sparking a rebound in stocks.

Apple's delayed launch of the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 is a marketing strategy that reeks of brilliance.

Oil led a rebound among commodities on Wednesday as investors went bargain hunting for riskier assets after the U.S. Federal Reserve promised to extend near-zero interest rates for two more years.

Facebook's new Messenger is already the top free app in Apple's App Store. The communications tool is directly taking on BlackBerry's popular BBM.

Auriga USA has raised its profit estimates of PC maker Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL), saying that the company's margin expansion story will continue even in a more challenging economic environment.

FBR Capital Markets has upgraded the shares of VMWare, Inc. (NYSE:VMW) to "outperform" from 'market perform," saying that the company would be a leading beneficiary of increasing demand for virtualization solutions.

Standard & Poor's, whose unprecedented downgrade of U.S. debt triggered a worldwide stocks sell-off, is pushing back against a U.S. government proposal that would require credit raters to disclose "significant errors" in how they calculate their ratings.

Kansas became on Tuesday the second U.S. state to return a large federal grant meant to help it create a prototype health insurance exchange as part of the Obama administration's healthcare overhaul.

World shares clawed back more ground on Wednesday as investors rattled by a run of heavy losses took comfort from the Federal Reserve's pledge to keep interest rates near zero for two more years.

Global oil demand will grow less than previously projected this year, according to forecasts on Tuesday from the U.S. and OPEC, as a worsening economic outlook will curb consumption in developed countries.

SunPower Corp on Tuesday lowered its 2011 profit outlook but backed its revenue and gross margin forecasts, saying demand for solar panels is strong after a tumultuous first half of the year.

Wall Street investors may look past an advertising rebound and a strong box office for Walt Disney Co and instead zero in on the outlook for its sprawling theme park unit as economic uncertainty grips consumers.

Saab's parent is in "real and substantive" talks with potential investors, the automaker's North American president said on Tuesday.

Caesars Entertainment, the world's largest casino operator by revenue, reported a narrower second-quarter loss after cutting costs.

In another victory for Apple's legal team, courts in Germany ruled against rival Samsung Electronics, barring it from selling its competing tablet computer in most of the European Union.

Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) beat earnings and revenue expectations on Tuesday, behind strong numbers in its ESPN and theme park properties.

Makers of Post Food cereals, Ralcorp Holdings has forged a $545 million deal with Sara Lee for its North American refrigerated dough business that includes private label toaster pastries, specialty biscuits, crescent rolls, pizza and pie crusts in the retail segment. The sale formalities and closure is expected by 2012.

U.S. firm, AgriSol Energy LLC, and its joint venture partner in Tanzania will invest more than $100 million over the next 10 years to develop a large-scale commercial farming project in the east African country, a company director said on Tuesday.

Sudan has granted its main ally and oil buyer China more oil exploration rights as both countries seek to boost ties, Sudan's foreign minister said.