IBT Staff Reporter

Reports that some financial institutions have started to exit their gold positions have been circulating this week, says French bank and London bullion dealer Natixis in its latest commodity analysis. Physically-backed ETF trust funds shrank almost 1% this week on Natixis' data - the sharpest weekly drop since we started keeping records in 2008.

Another Vatican letter instructing non-cooperation with civil authorities has come to light, this one from 1984 and addressed to the Bishop of Tucson, Arizona.

TerreStar Networks bankruptcy still has issues to untangle before a buyer comes in.

Google Inc is expected to report a 22 percent jump in fourth-quarter revenue thanks to a busy holiday season, though it will face questions about long-term growth when it unveils results on Thursday.

Intel Corp is set to win EU approval next week for its $7.68 billion purchase of security software maker McAfee Inc after offering more concessions to ease antitrust concerns, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Home resales jumped more than expected in December despite bad weather as sellers cut prices, offering some hope for a sector that has been struggling to recover from its worst slump in modern history.

Wendy's/Arby's Group plans to sell its struggling Arby's roast beef sandwich chain to focus on the Wendy's hamburger business, undoing a 2008 deal engineered by billionaire investor Nelson Peltz.

The Dow and S&P were flat on Thursday while the Nasdaq slipped as investors paused to digest corporate earnings against raised expectations in a market many analysts viewed as extended.

A bankruptcy judge on Thursday gave Blockbuster Inc three more months to negotiate leases, giving it a new lifeline as the video rental chain tries to reorganize its business.

Japan's NEC Corp and China's Lenovo Group Ltd are in the final stages of talks for a tie-up in the personal computer business, the Nikkei business daily said.

The leadership of the Roman Catholic Church is embroiled, once again, in a sexual abuse scandal or, more properly speaking, another aspect of the same sexual abuse scandal that has haunted the Church for over 20 years.

U.S. securities regulators adopted new rules on Thursday that aim to give investors better information before they decide to invest in asset-backed securities, a market still struggling to recover from the financial crisis.

UnitedHealth Group Inc posted a higher-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, helped by moderating use of medical services by its members and enrollment growth across its health insurance plans.

President Barack Obama will deliver remarks at the 50th Anniversary of John F. Kennedy's Inauguration on Thursday

U.S. regulators adopted new rules Thursday that seek to give investors better information before they decide to invest in asset-backed securities, a market that's still struggling to recover from the financial crisis.

U.S. initial jobless claims fell more than expected last week and showed their biggest decline since February, in a hopeful sign for the U.S. labor market.

Wall Street fell for a second day on Thursday as earnings failed to live up to lofty expectations and investors booked profits in a market extended by weeks of gains.

U.S. home resales jumped more than expected in December and claims for new jobless claims last week posted their biggest decline in nearly a year, showing two key economic trouble spots on the mend.

A new survey reveals kids aged 2-5 are more likely to know how to use a smartphone app than tie their shoelaces.

Stocks fell on Thursday as upbeat economic data on jobs and housing failed to offset a selloff in the technology and materials sectors.

Shares of network-gear makers fell in Thursday morning trade, a day after a leading company forecast weak second quarter, raising concerns about the pace of growth in internet traffic.

A quantum computer could be one step closer as scientists at Oxford University have generated billions of quantum bits in silicon.

Morgan Stanley posted a 60 percent increase in fourth-quarter shareholder profit, helped by rising revenue in its retail brokerage business.

The FBI has arrested more than 100 suspected mobsters on Thursday.This FBI Mafia bust is the largest ever in New York's organized crime history.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is headed to Washington to unveil its plan to promote healthier and more affordable food options at its stores.

U.S. online retailer Amazon.Com is to buy the 58 percent of British DVD and games rental firm Lovefilm it does not already own for an undisclosed price, it said on Thursday.

Morgan Stanley's global wealth management division added $14 billion in net new client assets during the fourth quarter, bringing the division back on track to meet ambitious growth targets set by Chief Executive James Gorman.

Intel is expected to win EU approval next week for its $7.68 billion purchase of security specialist McAfee Inc after offering more concessions to ease competition concerns, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Greece and euro zone paymaster Germany tried to fend off talk on Thursday that Athens needed help with debt repayments via a buyback with European funding that could face stiff opposition in national parliaments.