General Mills is set to pay 800 million euros ($1.12 billion) for half the Yoplait yogurt brand, allowing the company to settle a management dispute and pursue emerging markets growth.
Futures bounced back for a second day on Friday but Japan's nuclear crisis and rising oil prices on possible military action against Libya could keep Wall Street on track for its worst week in seven months.
Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 up 0.4-0.7 percent.
Japan bought billions of dollars to restrain a soaring yen on Friday, kicking off joint market intervention by the world's richest nations to calm global markets made nervous by the threat of a meltdown at a nuclear power plant near Tokyo.
Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa reiterated the central bank's resolve to maintain its ultra-easy monetary policy following Friday's Group of Seven agreement to join in a rare coordinated intervention to restrain soaring yen.
Hawaiian tourism, a keystone of the state's economy just starting to rebound from a long slump, is taking a new hit from a plunge in Japanese leisure travel after the devastating earthquake and tsunami there.
The yen tumbled more than 3 percent on Friday after Group of Seven finance ministers agreed to immediately and jointly intervene against the Japanese currency's surge to a record peak, with Bank of Japan buying pushing the dollar above 81 yen.
CBOE Holdings Inc's second exchange, C2, could quickly boost its market share once it lists the exclusive Standard and Poor's 500 Index option, the head of a rival exchange said on Thursday.
The Group of Seven industrial nations agreed on Friday to jointly intervene in the currency market to stem a sharp yen rise that complicates Japan's battle with the devastation caused by last week's violent earthquake and an unfolding nuclear crisis.
The Group of Seven finance chiefs said authorities from the United States, Britain, Canada and the European Central Bank will join with Japan in joint foreign exchange intervention from Friday, at the request of the Japanese authorities.
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc's plans to launch a rival bid for NYSE Euronext faces hurdles as differences with potential partner IntercontinentalExchange Inc persist, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website on Thursday.
Some of the largest U.S. banks will be notified on Friday whether they passed a second round of stress tests conducted by the Federal Reserve, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
In these dark hours, Japan would do well to heed former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel's memorable maxim that you never want a serious crisis to go to waste.
A U.S. government regulator sued Kerry Killinger and two other Washington Mutual Bank executives accused of pioneering reckless home loans that led to biggest bank failure in U.S. history.
Best-selling author Jane McGonigal is on a mission, spreading a message that playing games, whether electronic or physical, is not a waste of time but can improve lives and solve real world problems.
Now that Illinois has passed a law to collect sales taxes on items bought over the Internet, other states and big retailers are watching for the impact on other parts of the country.
A Senate committee will step up oversight of the government's unpopular TARP bank bailout program now it is losing one of its watchdogs, a top senator said on Thursday.
Consumer prices increased at their fastest pace in more than 1-1/2 years in February as fresh data showed growth was accelerating, but underlying inflation pressures remained generally contained.
Japan is expected to step into the currency markets to curb the yen's surge to record highs against the dollar and has a better chance of success if it wins the blessing of the Group of Seven industrial nations.
A key Republican in the House of Representatives on Thursday said he would try for the third time to eliminate mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac within five years.
The publisher of adult magazine Penthouse has renewed plans to sell shares in an initial public offering, using the money to pay down debt.
Consumer prices increased at their fastest pace in more than 1-1/2 years in February as fresh data showed growth was accelerating, but underlying inflation pressures remained generally contained.
When it comes to privacy, the Internet has long been something of a Wild West but that that is starting to change, with regulators in Europe and the United States beginning to pull in the reins.
Stocks gained on Thursday, bouncing back after three days of declines as investors searched for bargains, but the near-term outlook is bearish as Japan's crisis keeps investors cautious.
FedEx Corp, the No. 2 package delivery company, sees improving revenue and profit this quarter and beyond, even as fuel prices mount, and shares of the economic bellwether rose more than 4 percent.
Regulators probing alleged manipulation of Libor rates, the benchmark for interbank borrowing costs, are focusing on five lenders, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
Industrial conglomerate 3M Co said on Thursday all 2,700 employees in its majority-owned Japan joint venture are safe and its facilities suffered only minor damage, and it is ramping up production of safety-related products.
New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell as expected last week, with the four-week moving average dropping to its lowest level in more than 2-1/2 years, pointing to a strengthening labor market.
U.S. stocks advanced on Thursday, bouncing back after three days of declines as investors searched for bargains, but the near-term outlook remains bearish.
Japan dismissed the need for joint action to curb the soaring yen ahead of a conference call of G7 finance ministers and sources said the group of rich nations was more likely to offer general pledges of solidarity as Tokyo struggles to contain a nuclear crisis.
