MARKETS / FINANCE

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday said the central bank would spare no effort to boost disappointingly weak growth and lower unemployment but offered no details of steps monetary policymakers might take.

Five years ago, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sent out the first tweet ever to just 7 followers. Today, the most popular person on Twitter (Lady Gaga) has over 13 million followers and Twitter as a platform just hit 100 million active users, announced the company in a blog post.

Google Inc has bought Zagat, the popular restaurant recommendations and ratings authority, to expand its local content in the niche marketplace that includes Yelp and Yahoo Inc.

A federal appeals court on Thursday threw out Virginia's challenge to the constitutionality of the U.S. health care reform act signed into law by President Barack Obama last year.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday said the central bank would spare no effort to boost disappointingly weak growth and lower unemployment but offered no details of steps monetary policymakers might take.

The U.S. economy may be stumbling, but it is still standing.

Stocks fell more than 1 percent on Thursday on investor disappointment that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke gave no new details of steps policy makers might take to mend the economic recovery.

California lawmakers rushed to write a bill to give Amazon.com Inc a one-year reprieve from collecting certain sales taxes in exchange for dropping its ballot measure campaign to undo the tax, aides said on Thursday.

More than 100 million users are active and log onto Twitter daily, or about half its registered members, and a growing number are doing so from a plethora of mobile devices, Chief Executive Dick Costolo told reporters on Thursday.

China should keep tightening monetary policy to fight inflation pressures even as the pace of global growth shows signs of faltering, the International Monetary Fund's China mission chief said on Thursday.

The European Central Bank signaled on Thursday that it had halted a cycle of interest rate rises begun just five months ago, saying euro zone inflation risks were no longer skewed to the upside and economic growth would be slow at best.

Stocks were slightly lower by early afternoon on Thursday as investors awaited a speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and one by U.S. President Barack Obama later in the day.

The Zimbabwe unit of Impala Platinum, the world's second largest producer of the precious metal, said on Thursday that the Zimbabwe government had taken steps to revoke its operating license but it remained in talks with authorities.

Ralph Nader is a five-time candidate for President of the United States, with a particular concern for consumer protection, eviromentalism and democratic goverment. Some claim the lecturer and attorney has been merely a political disrupter over the years, acting as a third-party spoiler for instance in the 2000 U.S. presidential election.

The energy-thirsty United States is on the hunt for a game-changing energy source or energy usage technology -- and batteries and fuel cells are strong candidates. But their mass use could be 20 years away. Meanwhile, a conventional source may bridge that gap, or provide even more upside: natural gas.

Following are comments by European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet at a news conference held after the bank's Governing Council left its benchmark interest rate at 1.5 percent on Thursday.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Thursday called on global finance chiefs to boost growth but said a repeat of the massive coordinated fiscal stimulus efforts of 2009 was no longer possible.

Stocks edged higher in choppy trade on Thursday, led by gains in the technology sector ahead of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama laying out a major jobs package.

New U.S. jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week, further evidence of a weak labor market just hours before President Barack Obama delivers a major address to Congress on the issue.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Thursday as data showed a weaker labor market ahead of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama detailing his plan for jobs growth.

The U.S. economy may be stumbling, but it is still standing.

Semafo Inc., a Canada-based gold mining company, said Thursday it will spend up to $125 million to increase the processing capacity of a key facility in Burkina Faso by 6,000 metric tons per day.

The search is on for new investment safe havens following Switzerland's blocking off of its franc, diverting flows into less traditional assets that may already be too expensive.

In a nation whose love for gold is legendary, financial adviser Biju Daniel is one of scores of Indians who are rethinking how they amass riches through the precious metal.

DirecTV is expanding its NFL Sunday Ticket television package, which lets viewers watch football outside their local markets, to see if it can make some extra money from broadcasting the games on the Internet.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed much more than expected in July as strong Latin American demand helped push exports to a new record and imports fell slightly, a government report showed on Thursday.

Stocks slipped on Thursday after data showed continued softness in the labor market but a shrinking trade gap, ahead of a speech by U.S. President Barack Obama detailing his plan for jobs growth.

Britain's central bank left interest rates at a record low 0.5 percent for the 30th straight month on Thursday, leaving open the possibility that it may restart its quantitative easing program should the economy weaken further.

Anger at Greece's failure to meet fiscal targets that are a condition for its international bailout is nearing breaking point in Germany and the Netherlands, with senior politicians talking openly about a possible Greek exit from the euro zone.