IBT Staff Reporter

Canadian utility Fortis Inc's (FTS.TO: Quote) posted a 29 percent rise in quarterly profit, helped by the termination fee it received in relation to its failed merger with Central Vermont Public Service Inc.

Husky Energy Inc's (HSE.TO: Quote) third-quarter profit doubled on robust production and higher realized crude prices.

Yunfeng Capital, Silver Lake and other investors completed the purchase of a 5 percent stake in Alibaba Group, parent of listed Alibaba.com Ltd, worth $1.6 billion on November 1, a source told Reuters on Thursday.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell below 400,000 last week for the first time in five weeks and a trend reading also edged lower, suggesting a modest improvement in the still-moribund labor market.

U.S. chain store sales continued to rise in October, but a number of early sales results missed analysts' forecasts, suggesting that shoppers remain more anxious about the state of the economy than Wall Street thinks.

Toshiba Corporation may be able to restart some of its flood-hit operations in Thailand early in 2012 and be fully up and running in March, its chairwoman said on Thursday.

Stock index futures rose in choppy trade on Thursday on talk the Greek government might collapse, thus avoiding a referendum on its euro zone membership and easing concerns about an imminent default.

Stock index futures edged higher in choppy trade on Thursday on talk the Greek government might collapse, thus avoiding a referendum on a bailout plan and easing concerns about an imminent bailout.

Greece's government was on the brink of collapse on Thursday, casting doubt on plans to hold a referendum on staying in the euro zone, as European leaders contemplated a Greek exit to preserve their single currency.

CVS Caremark Corp posted a higher quarterly profit on Thursday as business improved at its pharmacy benefits management unit, and said this year's profit should come in toward the higher end of its prior forecast.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher opening for equities on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 up 0.1 to 0.2 percent.

LG Electronics, South Korea's loss-making handset maker, plans to issue new shares worth around $891 million to improve its cash flow, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Thursday.

France's biggest listed bank BNP Paribas slashed its exposure to Greece, Italy and Spain by more than 12 billion euros ($16.6 billion) in a bid to protect its balance sheet as the euro zone debt crisis threatens to deepen.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher opening for equities on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 up 0.1 to 0.2 percent.

Chaos over Greece's role in the euro zone swept financial markets on Thursday with early losses in stocks and the euro turning to gains on hopes Athens might ditch its referendum plans.

The euro zone is working on a possible exit of Greece from the euro zone, Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday, saying it was essential that other members of the currency union would not be damaged in such an event.

China's people have a clear message for their government -- don't even think of saving Europe.

The euro zone is working on a possible exit of Greece from the euro zone, Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker said on Thursday, saying it was essential that other members of the currency union would not be damaged in such an event.

China's people have a clear message for their government -- don't even think of saving Europe.

Telecoms firm Cable and Wireless Communications said profit rose 9 percent in the first half, beating a consensus forecast, after receiving a boost from growing smartphone use in Macau, Panama, Monaco and the Maldives.

NYSE Euronext , which wants regulatory support for its planned $9 billion merger with Deutsche Boerse , cited strong trading and technology sales for a 54 percent hike in quarterly profit to $186 million.

Shares in LG Electronics Inc shares dived 14 percent on Thursday, their biggest daily fall in more than three years, on reports it was planning a $890 million share sale to fund new profit generators, as its core handset business struggles.

Mario Draghi faces a storm at his first policy meeting as European Central Bank president on Thursday but is unlikely to be pushed into a dramatic ramping up the bank's response to the escalating euro zone crisis.

NYSE Euronext , which wants regulatory support for its planned $9 billion merger with Deutsche Boerse , cited strong trading and technology sales for a 54 percent hike in quarterly profit to $186 million.

NYSE Euronext , which wants regulatory support for its planned $9 billion merger with Deutsche Boerse , cited strong trading and technology sales for a 54 percent hike in quarterly profit to $186 million.

Shares in LG Electronics plunged by nearly the daily limit of 15 percent late on Thursday, hit by market talk the company was planning a $890 million share sale to support its ailing smartphone business and unprofitable flat-screen unit.

NYSE Euronext , which is vying to win regulatory support for its planned $9 billion merger with Deutsche Boerse , reported adjusted third quarter profits up 54 percent to $186 million.

France's biggest listed bank BNP Paribas reported a 72 percent slide in quarterly earnings on Thursday after booking a bigger-than-expected 2 billion euro ($2.8 billion) charge on Greek debt and sold billions in eurozone bonds to cut risk.

The threat of a Greek exit from the euro zone hung over a meeting of G20 leaders on Thursday after France and Germany made it clear that Athens must decide urgently whether it wants to stay in the 12-year-old currency bloc.