PUERTO RICO

Oil slid for a second day on Thursday, a day after Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke rekindled unease across financial markets about the pace of economic recovery, while rising U.S. inventories also kept prices in check.

Oil held steady near $77.50 on Wednesday, as rising stock markets and a forming Atlantic storm countered mixed U.S. inventories and disappointing housing data. U.S. crude for September, the front month-contract after Tuesday's expiry of August, rose 5 cents to $77.63 a barrel at 0653 GMT (2:53 a.m. EDT). ICE Brent gained 3 cents to $76.25.

Oil held steady near $77.50 on Wednesday, as rising stock markets and a forming Atlantic storm countered mixed U.S. inventories and disappointing housing data. U.S. crude for September, the front month-contract after Tuesday's expiry of August, shed 10 cents to $77.48 a barrel at 12:06 a.m. ET. ICE Brent fell 14 cents to $76.08.

Oil rose on Tuesday, bouncing as U.S. stocks came off their early lows and ahead of weekly oil inventory reports expected to show crude supplies fell last week. U.S. crude for August delivery rose 61 cents to $77.15 a barrel by 11:57 a.m. EDT. The August U.S. crude contract expires on Tuesday. The more liquid September contract traded 57 cents higher at $77.47.

Oil climbed to $77 on Tuesday as forecasts for a fourth consecutive weekly drop in U.S. crude inventories bolstered the positive influence of rising stock markets in most of Asia. Shares of resource firms and banks clawed back some of their recent losses, helping to boost U.S. crude for August by 47 cents to $77.01 a barrel at 0644 GMT (2:44 a.m. EDT) for a second straight day of gains.

GlaxoSmithKline expects to record a legal charge of 1.57 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) for the second quarter after settling the substantial majority of claims relating to its controversial diabetes pill Avandia.

GlaxoSmithKline expects to record a legal charge of 1.57 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) for the second quarter after settling the substantial majority of claims relating to its controversial diabetes pill Avandia.

GlaxoSmithKline expects to record a legal charge of 1.57 billion pounds ($2.4 billion) for the second quarter after settling the substantial majority of claims relating to its diabetes pill Avandia.

The company that oversees Web addresses ending in .org said on Wednesday it was introducing extra security measures to guard against identity theft.

Walgreen Co will not be a provider for any new or renewed drug plans handled by CVS Caremark Corp's pharmacy benefits manager, which it said bypasses Walgreen pharmacies in favor of its own.

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc will cut 6,000 jobs, or 18 percent of the workforce, at its 78 manufacturing plants over the next five years as it pares back operations following last year's purchase of rival Wyeth.

Drugmaker Pfizer Inc will cut 6,000, or 18 percent, of jobs at its 78 manufacturing plants over the next five years as it consolidates operations following last year's purchase of smaller rival Wyeth.

Nissan Motor Co recalled Infiniti G35 sedans and coupes affecting as many as 134,000 cars due to a connector that could cause airbags not deploy during a crash, U.S. regulators said on Tuesday.

U.S. regulators seized three Puerto Rican banks on Friday and sold their deposits to other banks, costing the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp insurance fund $5.3 billion -- one of the largest hits in the banking crisis.

Organizers of the New York Puerto Rican Day Parade, one of the largest U.S. outdoor events, said they are ending a 30-year relationship with the makers of Captain Morgan Rum citing Diageo PLC's plans to move distillation of the drink from Puerto Rico.

The Federal Reserve on Friday poured more cold water on speculation that a surprise rise in its emergency lending rate signaled it was moving faster to rein in its easy money policies.

Department store operator J.C. Penney Co Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and said same-store sales would improve during 2010, sending its shares up nearly 7 percent.

(Corrects increase in discount rate to 0.75 percent in third paragraph)

The embattled U.S. wealth management business of Swiss bank UBS AG continued to bleed client assets in the fourth quarter, hurt by fleeing advisers and negative publicity from a tax-fraud scandal.

U.S. actress Brittany Murphy, who co-starred in such films as Clueless and Girl, Interrupted but saw her career wane in recent years, died in Los Angeles on Sunday after suffering cardiac arrest in her bathroom, officials said. She was 32.

Actress Brittany Murphy, who starred in such films as Just Married and 8 Mile but suffered waning fortunes in recent years, died on Sunday, officials said. She was 32.