IBT Staff Reporter

Book retailer Barnes & Noble Inc debuted an e-reader on Thursday with a screen that can glow in the dark, a move aimed at improving its position against Amazon.com.

Bank of America Corp and U.S. Bancorp have been sued by a Chicago pension fund that said they failed to protect investors in their roles as trustees for mortgage-backed securities for Washington Mutual Inc.

Exxon Mobil Corp's chief executive earned 20 percent more in 2011 than the year before, and the company said it saw no reason to change its pay practices, as had been urged by some investors.

A stronger firewall is needed to protect the world economy from Europe's debt crisis, but the International Monetary Fund may not need as much money as it thought just a few months ago, the head of the global lender said on Thursday.

Google Inc announced a stock split designed to preserve the control of co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin over the No. 1 Web search engine, as it posted revenue in line with estimates.

Hyundai Motor Co could see U.S. sales top 700,000 vehicles this year despite the Korean automaker's tight vehicle supplies, a top executive said on Thursday.

U.S. Federal Reserve officials, out on a speaking spree on Thursday, suggested the economy would have to deteriorate for the central bank to consider additional monetary stimulus.

Microsoft announced its biggest-ever customer for cloud computing - software that it hosts on behalf of clients and delivers over the Internet - after winning a contract to provide free services to a major Indian education body.

Stocks scored a second day of solid gains on Thursday, led by materials and energy stocks, as investors set aside weak figures on the domestic labor market.

The number of Americans filing for jobless aid hit a two-month high last week and more applications were received in the prior week than initially reported, suggesting a cooling in the labor market recovery.

Google Inc announced plans to give investors a stock dividend on Thursday, as the search giant reported first quarter revenue roughly in line with Wall Street estimates.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is focused on improving results in China and other foreign countries where it already operates, rather than on entering new markets, its top international executive said on Thursday.

The Morgan Stanley investment banker accused of a hate crime in the assault of an Egyptian-born taxi driver over a fare is due back in a Connecticut court next week.

U.S. stocks rose more than 1 percent on Thursday as lower Italian bond yields eased some euro-zone concerns and rumors about China's strong GDP growth bolstered investors' appetite for risk.

Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd ended Nokia Oyj's 14-year leadership of the global cellphone market in the first quarter of the year, outselling the struggling Finnish handset maker for the first time ever, according to a Reuters poll of analysts.

The International Monetary Fund is considering scaling back how much money it needs to rebuild its war chest for handling financial crises, and it may not strike a deal with members next week, the IMF head said on Thursday.

Stocks rose on Thursday as lower yields on some euro-zone debt eased some concerns and rumors about China's strong GDP increased investors' appetite for risk.

Stocks rose on Thursday as lower yields on some euro-zone debt eased some concerns and rumors about China's strong GDP increased investors' appetite for risk.

Dubai Group, part of the investment vehicle headed by Dubai's ruler, has proposed a new solution to its $10 billion debt problem, sources said, reviving talks that stalled more than two months ago.

North Korea may wake on April 15 to find a present for the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung: the country's first functional satellite. And North Koreans may not have long to wait for another big event, as the regime prepares what may be a third nuclear test.

Global smartphones annual sales will cross the billion-unit mark in 2014, helped by strong demand from China and the launch of cheaper low-end handsets, Credit Suisse said.

Stocks edged higher in early trading on Thursday as concerns about rising yields in some euro zone countries eased and on bets corporate America will beat a lowered bar of earnings expectations.

Ailing cellphone maker Nokia has the cash to survive seven quarters like the last, but investors are losing faith that it can break the vicious circle that keeps customers and in turn application developers from its new phones.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in February as exports hit a record high, imports from China and other key suppliers declined and oil import volume fell to the lowest in 15 years, a government report showed on Thursday.

The relentless decline in home prices is nearing an end and prices should rise for the first time in seven years in 2013, but a possible new wave of foreclosures could threaten the recovery, according a Reuters poll of economists.

Producer prices were unexpectedly flat in March as a drop in gasoline costs offset rising food prices, according to a government report on Thursday that also showed moderate underlying inflation pressures.

Stocks were set to rise slightly at the open on Thursday after futures pared gains following an unexpected rise in initial jobless claims in the latest week.

Facebook's willingness to pay $1 billion to buy the 12-person start-up Instagram has Silicon Valley venture capitalists happily re-doing their math on the potential value of hot young companies.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to their highest level since January, a development that could raise fears the labor market recovery was stalling after job creation slowed in March.