IBT Staff Reporter

Google Inc's quarterly results fell short of Wall Street's heightened expectations for the holiday season as Europe's economic malaise weighed, a rare miss that triggered a 9 percent slide in its shares.

General Motors Co reclaimed its title as the world's top selling automaker for the first time since 2007, after sales of more than 9 million vehicles globally in 2011.

Intel Corp forecast quarterly revenue in line with Wall Street's expectations as a shortage of hard drives disrupts PC production in a market already hobbled by a shaky economy and a growing preference for tablets.

Stocks rose for the third straight day on Thursday, sparked by results from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley and as the latest jobless claims dropped to a near four-year low.

General Motors Co reclaimed its title as the world's top selling automaker for the first time in three years, after sales of more than 9 million vehicles globally in 2011.

Wall Street axed 2,000 workers in December as poor profits led companies to slice expenses, the biggest reduction since last summer when the industry released its summer interns, James Brown, a labor market analyst with the New York Department of Labor, said on Thursday.

As four big tech bellwethers ready their earnings reports after the bell on Thursday, the big question is whether their results will further fuel a solid rally in the tech sector.

A major Internet content hosting website, Megaupload.com, its founders and employees have been charged by a U.S. grand jury over a massive copyright infringement scheme, the latest skirmish in a battle against piracy of movies and music.

Amazon.com Inc's highly anticipated entrance into India's retail market may be limited to operating an online marketplace for other merchants, the Times of India reported Thursday.

Microsoft Corp's fiscal second-quarter profit fell very slightly as lagging computer sales to cash-strapped consumers in the United States and Europe hurt its core Windows business.

Intel Corp's quarterly results modestly beat Wall Street's expectations as it faces a tough PC market, and the chipmaker said it was sharply increasing its capital expenditures in an apparent bid to speed up its entry into tablets and smartphones.

Canada's main stock index touched a 10-week high on Thursday as the financial and energy-linked sectors climbed on easing concerns about the European debt crisis and encouraging U.S. bank earnings.

Canada's moment in the sun as the fastest-growing economy in the G7 club of rich countries is set to end this year, when it will likely underperform the U. S. for the first time in seven years and struggle with a mounting household debt problem.

The South Carolina primary is on Saturday, and only four candidates -- Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum -- remain. Here are five things to look for when the results come in.

Google Inc's quarterly results fell short of Wall Street's heightened expectations for the holiday season as Europe's economic malaise weighed, triggering a 9 percent slide in its shares.

Top Canadian freestyle skier Sarah Burke, seen as an early Olympic gold medal favorite ahead of the 2014 games, died on Thursday from injuries sustained in a training accident in Utah last week, a family spokeswoman said.

Intel Corp's quarterly results met Wall Street's expectations as it faces a tough PC market, and the chipmaker said it was sharply increasing its capital expenditures in an apparent bid to speed up its entry into tablets and smartphones.

JAN 19 - IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, aims to grow earnings by 10 percent this year after it beat fourth quarter profit estimates, underderscoring signs of confidence in global tech spending.

Herman Cain is raising more than a few eyebrows with his endorsement in South Carolina: The People.

IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, reported an 11 percent increase in fourth quarter profit, beating estimates and underscoring signs of confidence that economic worries had crimped tech spending.

Google Inc's shares fell 10 percent in after hours trading on Thursday after the Internet search giant missed Wall Street's revenue targets.

Microsoft Corp said on Thursday fiscal second-quarter profit fell very slightly, as lower computer sales hurt its core Windows business.

Google Inc's net revenue jumped more than 27 percent in the fourth quarter but fell short of Wall Street targets, sending shares down sharply in after hours trading on Thursday.

The number of Americans filing for new jobless benefits dropped to an almost four-year low last week, and factory activity in the mid-Atlantic expanded moderately, suggesting the economy carried some momentum into the new year.

Stocks rose for the third straight day on Thursday, sparked by results from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley and as the latest jobless claims dropped to a near four-year low.

Wael Ghonim doesn't like being called an activist. The 31-year-old Google employee says he's no different than other Egyptians who took part in the 2011 protests spurred by a Facebook page he created that forced then-president Hosni Mubarak to step down.

JAN 19 - IBM Corp, the world's largest technology services company, reported an 11 percent increase in fourth quarter profit, beating estimates and underscoring signs of confidence that economic worries had crimped tech spending.

Bank of America Corp may give shares worth $1 billion to employees instead of cash as part of bonuses and hold back on dividend increases and buybacks, as the second-largest U.S. bank grasps for ways to boost its capital levels.

Organized crime in Italy controls agricultural and food businesses worth 12.5 billion euros ($16 billion) a year, or 5.6 percent of all criminal operations in the country, according to a parliamentary investigation presented on Thursday.