MARKETS / FINANCE

BlackRock Inc said on Thursday that it was buying back all of its shares owned by Bank of America , ending a long-term ownership relationship that helped BlackRock to grow into one of the world's biggest asset managers.

BlackRock Inc said it was buying back all of its shares owned by Bank of America Corp , closing out an ownership relationship that helped BlackRock grow into the world's biggest asset manager.

Commodities trader Glencore made a lukewarm market debut on Thursday that handed it currency for future acquisitions, with its shares struggling to break much above its widely expected launch price of 530 pence.

U.S. stocks barely budged on Thursday after a mixed bag of economic data kept confidence in the economic recovery on shaky ground, but LinkedIn's shares surged in their Wall Street debut.

Stocks rose slightly on Thursday as signs of recovery in the jobs market were partly offset by weak data on housing and regional business conditions.

New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but a rise in the four-week moving average to a six-month high indicated the labor market recovery will remain painfully slow.

Shares of LinkedIn Corp surged nearly 90 percent in their public trading debut on Thursday, a jump reminiscent of the heyday of investors' love affair with Internet stocks in the late 1990s.

Euro zone governments are considering a plan to prevent a Greek default under which private investors would be asked to maintain their exposure to its debt and Athens would receive a new package of EU/IMF aid, euro zone sources said.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Thursday as signs of recovery in the jobs market were offset by weak data on housing and regional business conditions.

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week, but other data on home sales and regional factory activity suggested the economy remained on a moderate growth path.

The longstanding Microsoft-Intel relationship codenamed Wintel, which ruled the PC market for more than decade, is starting to show fault lines after Microsoft refuted Intel's claims about the upcoming Windows 8 OS.

The main option under consideration for Greece now is a voluntary deal by investors to maintain their Greek bond holdings over the period of another EU/IMF program from 2011 to 2014, euro zone sources said.

New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, but a rise in the four-week moving average to a six-month high indicated the labor market recovery will remain painfully slow.

Deutsche Bank AG denied in court that it conspired to cause the collapse of German media mogul Leo Kirch's business empire that led to years of legal battles.

HSBC Holdings Plc , Europe's biggest bank, will find most of the $3.5 billion it wants to save by trimming staff and cutting less profitable operations outside of Asia, its chief executive said on Thursday.

Japan's economy shrank much more than expected in the first quarter and slipped into recession after the triple blow of the March earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis hit business and consumer spending and tore apart supply chains.

The European Central Bank has raised the stakes in its bid to prevent a restructuring of Greek debt, telling euro zone governments it would refuse to accept Greek bonds as collateral in the event of such a move.

Wall Street stocks were set for a higher open on Thursday after weekly jobless claims data suggested the labor market was on track for recovery.

In March 2010, we predicted that gold demand in China would double by 2020, however, we believe that this doubling may in fact be achieved sooner. Increasing prosperity in the world's most populous country coupled with their high affinity for gold will serve to drive demand in the long-term.

Katie came to me seeking to present her human resources credentials on paper in an organized and sensible fashion, downplaying her prior more administratively focused career prior to 2007. Katie's existing résumé was 3 pages in length and extremely crowded with bullet point after bullet point of information, none of which jumped off the page as anything to engage the reader.

The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week, offering hope the labor market recovery remains on track.

The U.S. recovery is proceeding at a moderate pace, but the economy has a considerable way to go before it meets the Federal Reserve's dual mandate of full employment and price stability, a top Fed official said on Thursday.

U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Thursday, with investors bracing for data on the labor market and housing that could determine the direction of the market.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T>, Japan's largest drugmaker, is buying privately held Swiss rival Nycomed for $13.6 billion, giving it access to a newly approved lung-disease drug, which is expected to be a major source of revenue growth.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday, supported by a rise in commodity prices, as investors braced for data on the labor market and housing.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.05 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.04 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.07 percent at 4:10 a.m. EDT.

Commodity trader Glencore has confirmed the price of its bumper $11 billion market debut at 530 pence a share.

Eight New York residents sued Baidu Inc and the Chinese government on Wednesday, accusing China's biggest search engine of conspiring with its rulers to censor pro-democracy speech.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co <4502.T>, Japan's largest drugmaker, said on Thursday it would buy privately held Swiss rival Nycomed for 9.6 billion euros ($13.6 billion) as it seeks to expand in Europe and emerging markets.