UNITED STATES

CVS Caremark Corp., the largest U.S. pharmacy store chain, reported on Thursday that its first quarter profit soared 83 percent as sales increased following the acquisition of Caremark RX Inc last year.

General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., the two leading U.S. automakers said sales in April fell 16 percent and 12 percent respectively as high gasoline prices lower demand for trucks.

The Kuwait Investment Authority may boost its investments in Citigroup Inc and Merrill Lynch & Co, according to comments by the group's managing director.

Crude prices declined to $111 a barrel on Thursday as the dollar gained strength against the euro, easing demand for commodities.

U.S stocks picked up on Thursday following the release of mixed economic data, with the Nasdaq Composite leading the way up after Symantec Corp.'s strong earnings were announced.

The Home Depot Inc., the biggest U.S. home improvement retailer, said on Thursday that it will close 15 underperforming stores, impacting about 1,300 employees mostly in the Midwest U.S.

British Airways PLC said on Wednesday that it is considering opportunities of cooperating with American Airlines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc.

A majority of credit and risk management executives at the top 50 U.S. banks and credit card issuers say the current credit crisis is a manageable setback, according to new survey.

Sugar tumbled in New York following a decline of crude oil that raised speculation that demand for alternative fuels such as ethanol made from sugar cane would fall.

Coffeehouse giant Starbucks Corp on Wednesday reported a 28 percent drop in quarterly profit, and forecast its first annual earnings drop since 2000.

Copper futures rose after a report on Wednesday said U.S. gross domestic product gained more than expected in the first quarter.

The dollar fell against major currencies on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve made an expected quarter point cut in its benchmark interest rate to 2 percent but left open the possibility to further rate cuts, raising concerns about inflation.

Gold futures rallied in electronic trading Wednesday, recovering losses from their decline in the regular session, after the Federal Reserve's announced its decision to cut the main U.S. interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 2 percent which boosted demand for the precious metal.

Factors Behind High Distillate Prices More Complex Than Gasoline With gasoline and diesel fuel prices continuing to rise at the retail pump, many consumers may be feeling they are taking a bath on fuel expenses. This feeling

Oil futures fell on Wednesday as the U.S. Energy Department reported today crude supplies rose more than expected.

The sole Canadian mobile phone service provider using the GSM standard, Rogers Communications, said on Tuesday that it will start offering iPhones to its subscribers later this year.

Tokyo shares closed lower Wednesday as weakness in commodity-sector shares and a selloff of real estate stocks stalled a two-day rally, despite continued strength in financial stocks and gains at Matsushita Electric Industrial.

U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday as investors awaited the Federal Reserve's decision on interest rates and its assessment of the state of the economy, while consumer-products giant Proctor & Gamble Co. and automaker General Motors Corp. reported better-than-anticipated results.

Citigroup said it sold $4.5 billion of common stock on Wednesday, more than it expected to sell, citing strong investor demand as it seeks to stabilize its finances.

Dollar recovered against the euro with markets awaiting the interest rate decision from Federal Reserve on Wednesday.

MasterCard's profit more than doubled in the first quarter as more customers outside the United States used their credit and debit cards for purchases.