IBT Staff Reporter

More American companies are bending to shareholder pressure to reveal their spending to sway political campaigns despite court decisions allowing unfettered corporate cash in elections, according to a study released on Friday.

Chevron Corp said its quarterly earnings more than doubled, beating Wall Street forecasts, as the second-largest U.S. oil company benefited from high oil prices and strong refinery margins.

The head of Europe's 440 billion euro bailout fund played down hopes of a quick deal with China to throw its support behind efforts to resolve the bloc's debt crisis but said he expects Beijing to continue to buy bonds issued by the fund.

Stock index futures fell on Friday as investors took profits a day after a powerful rally that propelled the S&P to close above its 200-day moving average for the first time since August.

WPP Plc , the world's largest advertising company, sought to reassure the market with a pledge of improving margins on Friday, after it cut as expected its 2011 outlook due to slowing growth in the U.S. and the euro zone debt crisis.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday as investors took profits a day after a rally that pushed the S&P to close above its 200-day moving average for the first time since August.

Agricultural Bank of China Ltd <1288.HK><601288.SS>, the country's third-largest bank by market value, said on Friday that its chairman, Xiang Junbo, has resigned.

The student debt relief plan that President barack Obama announced on Wednesday was a nod to the Occupy Wall Street movement, some commentators are saying.

German sports car maker Porsche AG sees its operating profit rising by more than 10 percent this year after demand for luxury cars in China boosted earnings in the first nine months.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Friday after strong gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 0.4 to 0.5 percent.

The head of Europe's bailout fund said Friday he does not expect to reach a conclusive deal with Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing but expects the surplus-rich country to continue buying bonds issued by the fund.

Preference and savings shares in Italian auto maker Fiat SpA and truck and heavy machinery maker Fiat Industrial SpA soared on Friday after the two groups announced plans to convert these share classes into ordinaries.

Preference and savings shares in Italian auto maker Fiat SpA and truck and heavy machinery maker Fiat Industrial SpA soared on Friday after the two groups announced plans to convert these share classes into ordinaries.

Japan's two newest stars have all the basics of being a pop idol down. Their dance moves are sharp, they sing without missing a beat, and their songs have made the top 10.

Amazon.com Inc. is in talks with Chinese regulators to bring in its popular e-reader Kindle and its recently announced tablet Kindle Fire, local media reported quoting an Amazon executive.

Taiwan's Acer Inc. expects fourth quarter sales to fall as much as 10 percent from the previous three months and will raise prices as flooding in Thailand disrupts supplies of hard disk drives for PCs.

Amazon.com Inc is in talks with Chinese regulators to bring in its popular e-reader Kindle and its recently announced tablet Kindle Fire, local media reported quoting an Amazon executive.

Japan's two newest stars have all the basics of being a pop idol down. Their dance moves are sharp, they sing without missing a beat, and their songs have made the top 10.

Taiwan's Acer Inc expects fourth quarter sales to fall as much as 10 percent from the previous three months and will raise prices as flooding in Thailand disrupts supplies of hard disk drives for PCs.

Chinese firms Pang Da Automobile Trade Co. and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co. have agreed to buy all of the shares in struggling carmaker Saab, a court document showed on Friday.

Chinese firms Pang Da Automobile Trade Co <601258.SS> and Zhejiang Youngman Lotus Automobile Co have agreed to buy all of the shares in struggling carmaker Saab , a court document showed on Friday.

Research In Motion has set up a facility in Mumbai to help the Indian government carry out lawful surveillance of its BlackBerry services, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Friday after strong gains in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 down 0.4 to 0.5 percent.

Global stocks headed for their best week in over two years Friday, bolstered by EU leaders' efforts to contain the euro zone debt crisis which have stoked appetite for riskier assets, while the euro held just below a seven-week high.

Actor Charlie Sheen, fired from his previous role on TV's Two and a Half Men, will return to television in summer 2012, in his new Anger Management on FX, the network announced on Thursday.

Japanese factory output fell in September for the first time since the devastating March earthquake, a sign the economy's recovery from the disaster is tailing off in the face of slowing global growth, the strong yen and Europe's lingering debt woes.

Japanese factory output fell in September for the first time since the devastating March earthquake, a sign the economy's recovery from the disaster is tailing off in the face of slowing global growth, the strong yen and Europe's lingering debt woes.

The global cellphone market grew 12.8 percent in the third quarter, showing the second-lowest growth rate over the past two years due to conservative consumer spending and delayed smartphone purchases, research firm IDC said on Friday.

Occidental Petroleum Corp expects to have drilled 195 shale oil wells in its home state of California by the end of this year, although it would like to drill far more if the permitting process allowed it.