MARKETS / FINANCE

A monthly gauge of online labor demand in the United States rose 7.0 percent in January compared to the same month a year ago, despite a decline the government employment.

Japanese shares rose on Friday, lifted by news of a mega merger in the steel sector, while a rebounding dollar put a slight dent in a commodities rally that saw copper hit a record $10,000 a tonne in the previous session.

Executives at UBS AG are concerned that pending bonuses will be inadequate to retain top talent at the Swiss bank, one of the hardest hit during the financial crisis, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Employment probably shifted into a higher gear in January to post a fourth straight month of gains, offering more evidence of a broadening economic recovery, though the jobless rate likely rose.

Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, said on Thursday it is seeking shareowner support for its proposal to require a majority vote to elect unopposed candidates to the board of Apple Inc.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday issued a stern warning to Republican lawmakers that delays in raising the United States' $14.3 trillion debt limit could have catastrophic consequences.

Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, said on Thursday it is seeking shareowner support for its proposal to require a majority vote to elect unopposed candidates to the board of Apple Inc.

Thirty years after the first Internet addresses were created, the supply of addresses officially ran dry on Thursday.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Thursday issued a stern warning to Republican lawmakers that delays in raising the United States' $14.3 trillion debt limit could have catastrophic consequences.

Microsoft Corp on Thursday sold $2.25 billion of bonds at close to record low borrowing levels as it looks for cheap ways of raising cash to fund its share buybacks and dividend payouts.

Dow Chemical Co plans to pass along higher energy prices to its customers in 2011, as strong demand for some products and fixed-cost Middle East supplies set it apart from rivals.

Most small businesses in the United States remained cautious about hiring new employees during the past three months, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business.

A Planned Parenthood clinic manager has been fired for behavior captured on an undercover video made by an anti-abortion group, a Planned Parenthood spokesman said on Wednesday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co executives were concerned that Bernard Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme, but they silently stood by for years to protect the bank's investments, the trustee for Madoff's investors said.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to continued gradual improvement in the labor market.

by Tim SifertNEW YORK, Feb 3 - Microsoft Corp on Thursday launched a $2.25 billion sale of bonds in the software giant's third trip to the U.S. dollar investment-grade market.

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc may put itself up for sale, under pressure from a private equity firm that may make a hostile bid, and its shares jumped 13 percent.

Bank of America is shopping online for customers who are not quite wealthy enough to make the cut at Merrill Lynch, posing a threat to entrenched discount brokers and making some of the thundering herd at Merrill see red.

Gold rose over 1 percent in choppy trade on Thursday, with a sudden jump by over $20 per ounce within minutes as large buy orders were apparently triggered in the future markets. This comes unexpected to precious metals experts, as the gold price was supposed to be kept low by the usual large Wall Street players during todays speech by Bernanke, and was set to rally on Friday, when unexpectedly bad labor market numbers will come in and drive gold prices higher.

The following are highlights from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech to the National Press Club on Thursday.

A pawnbroker running a book club to retain staff? Sounds like fiction, but that's one of the strategies employed by entrepreneur John Thedford to help keep his employees happy.

Stocks ended near the session's highs on Thursday, with investors favoring shares of retailers after encouraging chain-store sales raised confidence ahead of Friday's jobs report.

As bailed-out insurer American International Group prepares to return to the public markets, some say it needs a sign from an eminent authority that it is a company with solid operations and a stock worth an investment of hard-earned money.

Dow Chemical Co barely blinked at soaring energy costs in the fourth quarter as it benefited from fixed-cost supplies from the Middle East and boosted its prices by 10 percent.

MasterCard Inc's fourth-quarter profit soared 41 percent, beating expectations, as consumers around the world spent more money using credit and debit cards.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp will reimburse about $10 million to customers to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges it misled them about the safety of a mutual fund.

Corrects sixth and seventh paragraphs to show Anshu Jain said margins have stabilised, not have yet to stabilise

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc may put itself up for sale, under pressure from a private equity firm that may make a hostile bid, and its shares jumped more than 13 percent.

Retailers were a standout in an otherwise flat market on Thursday as a bigger-than-expected rise in sales at U.S. chain stores helped dispel some of the concern about the U.S. consumer.