IBT Staff Reporter

Employment likely posted a second straight month of solid gains in March, marking a decisive shift in the labor market that should help to underpin the economic recovery.

Apr 01, 2011

For Fumihiro Shimizu and his family-owned auto parts plant in this company town, being a second-tier supplier for Japan's top car makers has never been easy.

Apr 01, 2011

April Fool's Day frenzy grips Twitter, with tweeps playing pranks, and a flood of jokes on celebrities like Rebecca Black, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga.

Apr 01, 2011

As the world keep a close eye on the earthquake-crippled Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, US Department of Energy has released Japan's radiological assessment results.

Apr 01, 2011

Barry Callebaut , which makes chocolate for Nestle and Hershey , expects to outpace the market in the second half of its fiscal year despite unrest in the top cocoa growing Ivory Coast region.

Apr 01, 2011

Portugal sold 1.65 billion euros in an extraordinary sale of short-term bonds on Friday, but analysts said its high cost of borrowing was still likely to force it into an international bailout within months.

Apr 01, 2011

Oil prices rose on Friday, with Brent nearing $118, as investors anticipated U.S. payrolls data later in the session will confirm the improving economic outlook of the world's largest oil importer.

Apr 01, 2011

Factories in China and India bumped up production in March as manufacturers drew in more new orders, keeping price pressures intact and making further monetary tightening necessary.

Apr 01, 2011

Portugal will seek to sell up to 1.5 billion euros of bonds at an extraordinary auction on Friday, testing investor appetite for its debt after its president on Thursday called a snap election for early June.

Apr 01, 2011

World stocks rose and the euro weakened slightly against the dollar on the opening day of the second quarter, ahead of U.S. jobs data expected to give further impetus to those investors betting on improving world growth.

Apr 01, 2011

World stocks rose and the euro weakened slightly against the dollar on the opening day of the second quarter, ahead of U.S. jobs data expected to give further impetus to those investors betting on improving world growth.

Apr 01, 2011

The heads of bailed-out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were paid fat salaries without proper written procedures or analysis, according to a report published by the Inspector General of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA-OIG).

Apr 01, 2011

Morgan Stanley , Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase & Co will soon join Citigroup and Bank of America Corp in allowing shareholders to vote on executive compensation, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Apr 01, 2011

World number Rafael Nadal and third seed Roger Federer are set to clash in the semis of the Sony Ericsson Open, which is incidentally their first clash on American soil in six years.

Apr 01, 2011

A Chinese-Australian writer whose disappearance in China ignited alarm during a crackdown on dissent said on Friday he is safe and plans to return to Australia in coming days.

Apr 01, 2011

Asian shares outside Japan rose to their highest in nearly three years on Friday, looking to extend a three-quarter winning streak, while the yen slipped on the view Japanese interest rates will stay near zero for a long time to help the quake-ravaged economy.

Apr 01, 2011

Rebecca Black has taken the next step towards realizing the 'next Justin Bieber' tag by becoming the singer of 'most disliked' song on YouTube with 'Friday' beating 'Baby'.

Apr 01, 2011

Asian shares rose on Friday, looking to extend three straight quarters of gains, while the dollar strengthened against most major currencies after hawkish comments from a senior U.S. Federal Reserve official.

Apr 01, 2011

China issued a white paper on national defense, aiming to enhance its military's transparency and boost the world's trust in its commitment to peaceful development, the Xinhua reported on Thursday.

Apr 01, 2011

China has set its total output of rare earth at 93,800 tonnes this year, 4,600 tonnes more or 5.16 percent higher compared to last year's, the Ministry of Land and Resources said on Thursday.

Apr 01, 2011

Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> President Akio Toyoda said on Friday that the devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeast Japan would hurt the company's earnings, but said that was not on his list of priorities.

Apr 01, 2011

Plans for nuclear power investment in the United States will be sidelined but not derailed by the problems Japan is having with the Fukushima nuclear plant, experts said in a panel discussion on Thursday.

Apr 01, 2011

Japan will take control of Tokyo Electric Power Co <9501.T>, the operator of a stricken nuclear plant, in the face of mounting public concerns over the crisis and a huge potential compensation bill, a local newspaper reported on Friday.

Apr 01, 2011

Brent crude was steady above $117, after earlier touching near a four-week high, as investors awaited an expected positive U.S. March payroll report due later on Friday for clues to demand prospects by the world's largest oil importer.

Mar 31, 2011

Chinese authorities found three companies linked to Google Inc broke tax rules and are investigating possible tax avoidance, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Thursday, raising the risk of fresh pressure on the Internet search giant.

Mar 31, 2011

Chinese authorities found three companies linked to Google Inc broke tax rules and are investigating possible tax avoidance, a Chinese state-run newspaper said on Thursday, raising the risk of fresh pressure on the Internet search giant.

Mar 31, 2011

Japanese business morale improved slightly in the three months to March, the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey showed, but the devastating earthquake earlier this month and a subsequent nuclear crisis are seen hurting confidence in coming months.

Mar 31, 2011

Japanese manufacturers' business sentiment improved slightly in the three months to March, the Bank of Japan's closely watched tankan survey showed, but analysts anticipate a downturn in confidence this quarter following last month's devastating earthquake and tsunami and subsequent nuclear crisis.

Mar 31, 2011

A top NATO official on Thursday said there is no purely military solution to the crisis in Libya, as the coalition of North American and European nations took control of protecting civilians while rebels fighting Gaddafi-backed forces suffered setbacks after gains earlier in the week and talk of arming them grew.

Mar 31, 2011