IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks that outperform in a weak economy helped buoy the Dow and S&P 500 on Thursday as concerns about faltering growth and inflation prompted investors to seek out less volatile names.

Shares of RIM dropped one percent today on the news that early reviewers have not greeted RIM’s latest device with much enthusiasm.

The Dow and S&P edged higher in late trading on Thursday as concerns about higher inflation prompted investors to buy staples and health shares, but a Senate investigation of Goldman Sachs hurt financials.

Google Inc fell short of Wall Street's first-quarter profit target as operating expenses surged, driving shares in the world's leading Internet search engine more than 5 percent lower.

U.S. crude oil futures rose nearly 1 percent on Thursday, as a weaker dollar offset worries that surging prices would erode demand.

Nintendo's newest console, according to multiple sources, will be capable of high-definition visuals with graphics comparable to that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's Playstation 3.

The Gmail feature will recognize if a user is sending to the wrong person or if they forget to include someone.

As America and China grow more economically and financially intertwined, the two nations have also stepped up spying on each other. Today, most of that is done electronically, with computers rather than listening devices in chandeliers or human moles in tuxedos.

People surfing European websites will be able to turn off the cookies used to spy on their Internet habits under rules hammered out by the region's online advertisers, an industry body said on Thursday.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is facing a suit that could cost him billions if a judge finds that the documents presented so far are genuine. So the first question is whether they are or not.

Safari is the latest browser to adopt Do Not Track according to a report.

Rumors were circulating the Internet last week about a possible new romance between Dancing with the Stars star Mark Ballas and former American Idol contestant Pia Toscano.

Apple has confirmed the news that the white iPhone 4 would land this spring, but declined to specify a carrier.

The PlayBook tablet computer, Research In Motion's pocket-sized challenger to the iPad, feels rushed into service and limited by its reliance on a BlackBerry smartphone, according to early reviews before it hits North American shelves on Tuesday.

Best Buy Co Inc plans to boost its Web presence and open a greater number of small stores in the United States targeting mobile customers in an effort to win back market share from the likes of Amazon.com Inc and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Several advocacy groups have petitioned the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend reactor licensing until a full review of the Fukushima disaster in Japan is complete.

Prices paid by U.S. factories picked up pace in March as the disruption caused by Japan's earthquake began to be felt in the auto industry and fuel prices rose strongly.

Top technology companies warrant a fresh look as earnings season hits full swing next week after their shares were hard hit by sputtering PC sales and supply issues following Japan's largest-ever earthquake.

Revealed at this year's MIX conference, the announcements are mostly focused on how developers will be able to take advantage of the operating system's new features.

A few weeks following the Rustock take down, the FBI rids the world of the Coreflood botnet.

In Tunisia and Egypt, Facebook vied with Down with the regime on graffiti-filled walls -- so central were social media to mobilizing mass protests that overthrew their authoritarian rulers.

Stocks slipped on Thursday as Goldman Sachs pulled financials lower and an unexpected rise in jobless claims added to bearish sentiment that put the S&P on track for its fifth day of losses in six.

The recent surge in oil prices is no prelude to broader price increases that would force the U.S. Federal Reserve to raise interest rates, two top Fed officials said on Thursday.

Ford Motor Co and U.S. safety regulators have agreed to a greatly expanded recall of the best-selling vehicle in North America, the Ford F-150 pickup truck, the regulators said.

The unfinished feel of the BlackBerry Playbook is shared with many of its competitors.

Best Buy plans to boost its Web presence and open a greater number of small stores in the United States targeting mobile customers in an effort to win back market share from the likes of Amazon and Wal-Mart.

AT&T Inc and T-Mobile USA plan to file paperwork about their planned merger with the Federal Communications Commission next week.

Glencore, the Swiss commodity trader, named former BP Chief Executive Tony Hayward to lead a five-strong team of independent directors, as it launched a flotation that could top $12 billion.

Top commodity trader Glencore aims to raise up to $12.1 billion with a dual listing that will boost firepower for deals at the height of a resources boom and make paper fortunes for its publicity-shy partners.