IBT Staff Reporter

Wednesday, Apple's founder and tech visionary Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56 after his long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Microsoft Corp is considering a bid for Yahoo Inc, resurfacing as a potential buyer after a bitter and unsuccessful fight to take over the Internet company in 2008, sources close to the situation said on Wednesday.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday, following two days of market gains as optimism grew that European policymakers were making progress on concrete plans to shore up stressed banks.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold on Thursday as broadly expected and is expected to launch a set of fresh liquidity measures to help banks to weather the euro zone's worsening debt storm.

The European Central Bank held interest rates at 1.5 percent on Thursday as a jump in inflation last month offset pressure to respond to the euro zone's worsening debt crisis by easing borrowing costs.

General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeff Immelt said on Thursday that despite worries about the state of the U.S. economy, conditions are a lot different than during the credit crisis of 2008 that set the stage for the last downturn.

The European Union's executive proposed coordinated recapitalization of banks on Thursday as the bloc's regulators met to review capital buffers of stressed lenders.

Citic Securities Co Ltd, China's largest listed brokerage, made a weak debut in Hong Kong on Thursday, underscoring poor appetite for new share sales in the face of global market volatility.

The Bank of England voted on Thursday to buy 75 billion pounds ($115 billion) more in assets to shield Britain's economy from the euro zone debt crisis and keep the faltering recovery going.

The death of Apple's inspirational leader is likely to have a deep impact on the maker of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, giving major rivals a greater chance to catch up with the technology giant.

Stock futures pointed to Wall Street rising Thursday, extending a rally into a third day, on optimism that European policymakers are making progress in their efforts to help shore up troubled banks.

Citic Securities Co Ltd, China's largest listed brokerage, fell as much as 10 percent on its Hong Kong stock market debut on Thursday, underscoring poor appetite for new share sales in the face of global market volatility.

The death of Apple's inspirational leader is likely to have a deep impact on the maker of the iPod, iPhone and iPad, giving major rivals a greater chance to catch up with the technology giant.

A draft proposal of the Volcker rule that cracks down on banks' proprietary trading gives firms flexibility to hedge risk, and sets stringent limits on such trading beyond U.S. borders to address fears the rule will put U.S. firms at a disadvantage.

Here are some key quotes from Steve Jobs, the legendary co-founder and former chief executive of Apple Inc, who died on Wednesday after a years-long battle with cancer.

Citic Securities Co Ltd, China's largest listed brokerage, fell more than 10 percent on its Hong Kong stock market debut on Thursday despite a jump in the broader market, underscoring poor appetite for new share sales in the face of global market volatility.

World stocks rose for a second day Thursday while government bonds fell as expectations grew policymakers would take steps to support European banks, under threat from the impact of a possible Greek default.

European stock index futures rose on Thursday, after short-covering and value-hunting lifted Asian shares on optimism that euro zone leaders are acting to aid the bloc's financial sector and U.S. data suggesting the economy could avoid recession.

For the people's obituary of Steve Jobs, look on Twitter.

Computer buffs and admirers of technology rushed to Apple shops from New York to Australia on Thursday to mourn Steve Jobs, praising him as a visionary who transformed the daily activities of countless millions.

Former directors of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc won the dismissal of a lawsuit seeking to hold them liable for losses suffered by the fallen investment bank's employee retirement plan program.

It may look like a glorified salon chair, but a new Japanese hair-washing robot replicates the dexterous touch of a human hand to care for the locks of the elderly and the infirm.

A couple suspected in the brutal stabbing death of an elderly woman in Washington state were arrested in California on Wednesday driving the car of a man found slain in Oregon, police said.

Technology giant Oracle Corp has developed an ambitious array of cloud computing services in a bid to catch up with Amazon.com Inc and Salesforce.com Inc, two leaders in the field.

Mattel Inc will increase the amount of recycled and sustainable fiber used in its packaging and products, months after the toy maker was criticized for packaging that allegedly came from Indonesian rainforests.

U.S. President Barack Obama joined an outpouring of tributes to Steve Jobs, calling the Apple co-founder a visionary and great American innovator.

President Barack Obama on Wednesday remembered Apple Inc co-founder Steve Jobs as a visionary and great American innovator.

Moody's lowered its credit ratings on Italy's two biggest banks, Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit , on Wednesday following its recent downgrade of Italian sovereign debt.

Chances are pretty good that Snoop Dogg is firing up a celebratory hit on his, uh, water pipe right now.