IBT Staff Reporter

MasterCard Inc's fourth-quarter profit soared 41 percent, beating expectations, as consumers around the world spent more money using credit and debit cards.

A political storm in Kenya over the presidential appointment of top judicial figures is likely to rage on after a court declared the nominations illegal, and the speaker of parliament declined to rule on the controversy.

The Southern Africa Customs Union (SACU) is considering a major overhaul of revenue-sharing that will see South Africa keeping a far bigger slice of pooled customs receipts, according to a policy document.

Nestle, the world's biggest food group, said on Thursday it would invest 1 billion Swiss francs expanding capacity in Africa over the next two years.

Ford Motor Co is recalling nearly 363,000 F-150 pickup trucks in North America because of a potential problem with the door handles not working properly, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported on Thursday.

TD Ameritrade Holding Corp will reimburse about $10 million to customers to settle U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charges it misled them about the safety of a mutual fund.

An Egyptian army tank moved against supporters of President Hosni Mubarak as they hurled rocks at anti-Muburak protesters in central Cairo, prompting cheers from demonstrators battered by overnight fighting that killed six.

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Estee Lauder Cos Inc and Elizabeth Arden Inc topped profit expectations and raised their fiscal year forecasts as sales jumped overseas while parts of the U.S. cosmetics market remain under pressure.

Calling AT&T's billing system a rigged gas pump, the a court filing says that AT&T systematically overstates its users data transactions.

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc may put itself up for sale, under pressure from a private equity firm that may make a hostile bid, and its shares jumped more than 13 percent.

Retailers were a standout in an otherwise flat market on Thursday as a bigger-than-expected rise in sales at U.S. chain stores helped dispel some of the concern about the U.S. consumer.

A bill to reduce the likelihood of massive damage awards in patent disputes took a step forward on Thursday with approval by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Retail clothing stores such as Ann Taylor are leading the way so far on strong retail report by the Institute for Supply Management

January sales at major U.S. retailers blew past analysts' expectations as shoppers braved snowstorms in an unexpected sign of consumer strength.

The U.S. economic recovery still needs help from the Federal Reserve despite signs of improvement, the central bank's chairman Ben Bernanke said on Thursday.

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U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday as concerns over increasing disorder in Egypt and signs of exhaustion in the recent market rally weighed on investor sentiment.

At the top end of the art market, the financial crisis seems a distant memory -- surging prices saw Christie's and Sotheby's post impressive 2010 results that were back to, or above pre-crisis levels.

Answers Corp, owner of the popular Q&A website, agreed to be bought by private-equity firm Summit Partners for about $127 million in cash.

Market deregulation since 1999 has fueled speculation on commodities markets which , and that needs to be corrected to curb food price volatility, the head of FAO said on Thursday.

Egypt state TV reported that Gamal, son of embattled Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak, will not run for the country's Presidency.

Growth in the U.S. services sector in January was the fastest in more than five years, another sign the economy started 2011 on a solid footing, with measures of employment showing more strength.

Cyberwarfare of the kind waged against Iran last year offers advanced nations an alternative to ugly military force with its moral costs, a senior Israeli official said on Thursday.

A pair of Democratic Senators have called on their colleagues to stop a pair of bills expected to pass in the House of Representatives prohibit federal funds to be used to subsidize abortion providers.

Protests of addictive pescription drugs such as oxycontin and suboxone could affect pharamceuticals shares.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to continued gradual improvement in the labor market.

January sales at major U.S. retailers blew past analysts' expectations as shoppers braved snowstorms in an unexpected sign of consumer strength.

Merck & Co warned investors that it could no longer vouch for its long-term profit forecast due to pressure to curb prices on its drugs and dimmed hopes for an experimental blood clot treatment.