UNITED STATES

U.S. stocks fell for a third-straight day on Friday, dragged lower by technology shares after Google Inc's revenue and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc's sales outlook disappointed investors.

Consumers spent more than five hours on social networking sites in December, representing an 82 percent jump over the previous year, marking the longest consumption times on record.

U.S. confectionery group Hershey on Friday ruled itself out of making a rival bid for Cadbury Plc after the British confectioner agreed a takeover by Kraft Foods earlier this week.

EU regulators are seeking market views on whether a Microsoft Corp plan to use Yahoo Inc's search technology would help the U.S. software firm compete against dominant search engine Google Inc.

China hit back at U.S. criticism of Internet censorship and hacking on Friday, warning that relations between the two global heavyweights were being hurt by a feud centered on web giant Google.

U.S. stocks turned negative for the year on Friday, led lower by technology shares after Google Inc's revenue and chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices Inc's sales outlook disappointed investors.

Major European economies offered support on Friday for U.S. President Barack Obama's plan to limit banks' size and trading activities but indicated they had no plans to follow suit.

Two U.S. Senate Democrats on Friday said they would vote against Ben Bernanke for a second term as Federal Reserve chairman, adding an element of uncertainty for Wall Street.

General Motors Co and Volkswagen are best positioned in the largest and fastest-growing emerging markets at a time when auto sales in those countries could grow over 40 percent by 2014, a study released on Thursday said.

Toyota Motor Corp said on Thursday it will recall millions more vehicles in the United States, its second massive recall in four months, this time to fix potentially faulty accelerator pedals.

McDonald's Corp posted higher quarterly profit helped by strength in Europe and a small rise in December sales in the United States, where high unemployment and rampant discounting are straining results.

President Barack Obama believes the Senate will confirm Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for a second term to lead the U.S. central bank, the White House said on Friday.

Venture capitalists invested less money in US startups in the fourth quarter and showed signs of spreading out those fewer dollars among more companies, according to a new report.

Shares of several major U.S. financial institutions fell on Friday along with the broader market a day after President Barack Obama's proposals to further restrict banking activity.

More U.S. investors believe the stock market is poised to rise in the year ahead than any time in the past two years, a survey showed on Friday.

General Electric Co posted quarterly earnings that topped Wall Street expectations as it kept costs in line despite sluggish demand for jet engines, railroad locomotives and other heavy equipment.

IT employees stand a better chance of finding a job in India than in the U.S., according to quarterly reports. IT companies in India had strongest quarterly growth last quarter, compared to previous dismal quarters, and expect to see it rising.

Dutch conglomerate Philips Electronics is set to give a new timeline for reaching its mid-term targets in the coming weeks, a move which could boost its shares as much as 10 percent, analysts said.

Kimberly-Clark Corp posted a lower-than-expected quarterly profit and gave a disappointing outlook as paper goods such as its Cottonelle toilet paper remained under pressure while consumers choose cheaper items.

Three major regional banks said loan problems buffeted fourth-quarter results but may be coming under control after two hard years.

U.S. stocks dropped on Friday as proposed sweeping restrictions on U.S. banks and the delayed confirmation of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke overshadowed solid earnings from General Electric and McDonald's.