IBT Staff Reporter

Consumer spending in the United States on deal-a-day offers is likely to go from $873 million in 2010 to $3.9 billion in 2015, representing a 35.1 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR), a new report said.

U.S. and Brazilian drinkers are paying more for their beer and moving to expensive brands according to Anheuser-Busch InBev , the world's largest brewer.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has poached Matthew Koder, a high profile banker from Swiss bank UBS AG , to head its corporate and investment banking business in Asia, in the first major defection in Asia after the bank bonus season.

Global food prices hit a record high in February, the United Nations said Thursday, warning that fresh oil price spikes and stockpiling by importers keen to head off popular unrest would hit already volatile cereal markets.

Yujiapu does not roll off the tongue like Wall Street, but planners in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin hope it soon will.

Twitter has no plan to go public in the near future and does not need additional funds because it is making money, the co-founder of the popular microblogging site said.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iPad's new avatar, the iPad 2, an evolution rather than a revolution -- slimmer, lighter and faster.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.7 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.6 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.7 percent at 5.23 a.m. EST.

Bank of America-Merrill Lynch has poached Matthew Koder, a high profile banker from Swiss bank UBS AG , to head its corporate and investment banking business in Asia in the region's first major defection after the banker bonus season.

A proposal by Venezuela President Hugo Chavez to try to broker a peace deal in Libya briefly pushed oil lower on Thursday, while recently risk-averse stock markets put in some gains.

The Ministry of Defense United Kingdom has released thousands of files with details of UFO sightings and an alien abduction previously classified files documenting sightings of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by the military and members of the public dating back to the 1950s.

Researchers have reported that analysis of a bone fragment that could conceivably be from missing pilot Amelia Earhart’s finger are, to date, inconclusive.

Yujiapu does not roll off the tongue like Wall Street, but planners in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin hope it soon will.

Amid the increasing number of reports on UFO spotting and the probability of existence of alien life, Russian flight controllers have renewed the interest in the extraterrestrial by claiming that aliens spoke to them.

Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, who scored the winner from the spot against Manchester United on Tuesday, has said that the win gives Chelsea a shout at the title.

The rumors of the elusive McLobster is appetizing the internet as it trends on Twitter as well as Google. The sandwich is real and exists in select places seasonally, but McDonalds is not testing it.

Biz Stone, co-founder of popular microblogging site Twitter, denied a report that the company was in talks to sell a $450 million stake to a JPMorgan fund, reiterating that it was committed to remaining independent.

In wake of the recent attention and international developments on rare earth minerals, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has completed its first review of China's rare-earth industry.

Australia's changes to foreign investment rules in 2009 were aimed at limiting Chinese investments in local mining companies, according to confidential U.S. embassy cables.

A Northwestern University professor has released a statement, defending an optional live-sex presentation he held after class last week.

U.S. securities regulator is seeking information from an unknown number of regional and community banks that have restructured troubled loans in order to make them appear healthier than they really are, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the situation.

Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson has won a securities license in Hong Kong, joining the likes of GLG and Soros Fund Management making a beeline for the high potential Asian alternative investment management industry.

China has worked on tougher regulations for rare earth minerals by setting stricter emission limits on miners, which 60% of the local industry would struggle to meet.

More than half of China's mid-sized companies will seek to raise capital within the next two years, highlighting an urgent need for funding to fuel rapid expansion, a survey showed on Thursday.

Sony Music and Japanese entertainment company Avex have rendered a written apology over the choice of attire by Japanese pop group Kishidan, who appeared on MTV Japan's Megavector program on February 23 wearing costumes that resembled the uniforms of the SS.

Internet giant Google has invested $20 million in a technology start-up called Transphorm Inc., which can make electric cars more efficient.

Oil prices dropped on Thursday as the Arab League said a peace plan for Libya put forward by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was under consideration, while upbeat U.S. economic news helped lift Asian stock markets.

Kim Kardashian debuted her new single 'Jam' on Wednesday morning on 'On Air with Ryan Seacrest'. Listen to the debut single in the audio embedded:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) slashed its forecast for airline industry profits in 2011, citing the recent surge in oil and jet kerosene prices. The association warned of substantial deterioration in profits if rising energy costs significantly weakens economic growth.