IBT Staff Reporter

The Bank of England voted to inject more cash into the economy to shore up a fragile recovery and shield the country from fallout from the unresolved euro zone debt crisis.

Stocks turned lower on Thursday as initial enthusiasm faded over a long-stalled Greek deal and data indicating an improving U.S. labor market.

Big U.S. media companies bought back record amounts of their own shares in the last year, with cash generated by cable television networks that drew strong viewership and advertising dollars despite the economic uncertainty.

Greece's jobless rate rose to a fresh record of 20.9 percent in November, highlighting the pain imposed by austerity on ordinary Greeks as the country negotiates a new pain-for-gain package with its EU and IMF lenders.

Cash-strapped Air India is seeking nearly $1 billion from Boeing Co to compensate for delays in aircraft deliveries, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Furthermore, the department likely will approve a consortium led by Apple and Microsoft to purchase Nortel Networks patents for $4.5 billion.

Credit Suisse posted a surprise fourth-quarter net loss as business at its investment bank slumped and it took almost 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.1 billion) of charges for slashing costs and risky assets to meet tough new capital rules.

Stocks were set for a slightly higher open on Thursday after Greek leaders clinched a long-stalled deal on reforms and data indicated the U.S. labor market continued to improve.

PepsiCo Inc said it planned to pour $500 million to $600 million into its brands this year to increase sales in North America, where it lags behind archrival Coca-Cola Co .

The European Central Bank held interest rates at a record low on Thursday, seeing tentative signs of economic stabilization, but refused to say what part it might play in averting a ruinous Greek default.

Thomson Reuters Corp reported a fourth-quarter loss on Thursday after taking a $3 billion non-cash goodwill impairment charge to account for the decline in its financial services business.

The Bank of England voted to inject another 50 billion pounds into the financial system as part of its efforts to shore up a fragile recovery in the economy, which remains at risk of slipping back into recession.

PepsiCo Inc expects to cut 8,700 jobs as part of a plan to save an extra $1.5 billion over the next three years, as it invests more money in marketing and advertising its brands.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's reworked tablet PC does not look like a copycat version of the iPad, a German court said, affirming a preliminary assessment and dealing another legal blow to Apple Inc.

Credit Suisse posted a surprise fourth-quarter net loss as business at its investment bank slumped and it took almost 1 billion Swiss francs ($1.1 billion) of charges for slashing costs and risky assets to meet tough new capital rules.

There are magazines, television shows and books about food. So why not a social network?

The head of Wegelin -- Switzerland's oldest private bank and which the U.S. has indicted for helping clients dodge taxes -- is standing back from his role as chairman of the country's influential Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily.

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged on Thursday and financial markets' attention will now shift to whether the bank is ready to help Greece avoid a messy default.

The head of Wegelin -- Switzerland's oldest private bank and which the United States has indicted for helping clients dodge taxes -- is standing back from his role as chairman of the country's influential Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily.

The veteran actor has revealed on his blog that the procedure will be performed on Feb 11 to cure the pain in the abdomen.

Sirius XM Radio reported a quarterly profit in line with expectations, as net subscriber additions jumped 65 percent, but revenue came in slightly below Street estimates.

Stock index futures slipped on Thursday as Greek leaders had not yet reached a deal on fiscal reforms and ahead of policy decisions from the Bank of England and the European Central Bank and data on the U.S. labor market.

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 both down 0.1 percent, while Dow Jones futures were up 0.2 percent at 6:28 a.m. ET.

U.S. prosecutors expanded a criminal case over the alleged theft of industrial secrets from chemical giant DuPont, securing an indictment against a Chinese company on economic espionage-related charges.

China's annual inflation spiked to a consensus-busting 4.5 percent in January as spending jumped during the Chinese Lunar New Year holiday season, breaking a five-month softening trend and forcing a market rethink of policy easing expectations.

European stock markets and the euro extended two months of gains on Thursday as Greece edged closer to a bailout deal and investors bet a brace of central bank meetings would offer further support for the move into riskier assets.

Vodafone posted third-quarter results slightly below forecasts as increasingly tough trading in Spain and Italy overshadowed solid performances in emerging markets and northern Europe at the world's largest mobile operator.

A few months ago economists were all but certain the U.S. economy would slow sharply at the start of this year, with many warning that recession risks were growing.

China's Lenovo Group Ltd beat market forecasts on Thursday with its third-quarter net profit thanks to its fast expanding market share.