IBT Staff Reporter

Sears Holdings Corp's quarterly profit plunged 38 percent as sales lost momentum late in the quarter and higher costs and markdowns weighed on margins, pushing its shares down 7.3 percent.

Ever wonder why overhearing a cellphone conversation is so annoying? American researchers think they have found the answer.

Opera Software has seen daily downloads of its browsers in European countries as much as triple after Microsoft started to give consumers greater access to rival browsers.

A federal appeals court in New York has put on hold a ban on the financial news service Theflyonthewall.com Inc from quickly reporting hot news' about analyst research from three Wall Street banks.

Germany said restoring confidence in the euro was its top priority, demanding tougher regulation and oversight on Thursday to protect the single currency, and joint EU action on withdrawing support for its economies.

(Reuters) - Health ministers on Thursday agreed to try to curb binge drinking and other growing forms of excessive alcohol use through higher taxes on alcoholic drinks and tighter marketing regulations.

(Reuters) - One in five people in the United States visit an emergency room every year, and most of them have health insurance of some kind, according to a U.S. government survey released on Wednesday.

(Reuters) - The United States does not produce or import anywhere near enough fruits and vegetables to provide Americans the right kind of diet to prevent cancer, government researchers said on Wednesday.

As many as 20 bidders are interested in buying software company Novell Inc , which has put itself up for sale and is this week accepting bids, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Global shipments of smartphones may grow 50 percent this year and drive explosive expansion in high-end OLED display sales over the next five years, a Samsung Mobile Display executive said on Thursday.

A senior euro zone official said on Thursday financial markets were acting irrationally over the euro area's debt problems and while he was concerned about the fall in the euro, immediate action was not needed.

Steven Barg, UBS's head of global capital markets for Asia, has resigned from his post, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, marking a blow to the bank's regional ECM franchise.

The number of workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance unexpectedly rose last week for the first time since early April, government data showed on Thursday, dealing a blow to the labor market recovery.

All U.S. stocks will probably be subject to so-called circuit breakers by the end of this year, Duncan Niederauer, chief executive officer of stock exchange operator NYSE Euronext, said on Thursday.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday as concerns grew that recent share declines caused by euro-zone turmoil in the handling of the sovereign debt crises could lead to a wider correction.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday as concerns grew that recent share declines caused by euro-zone turmoil in the handling of the sovereign debt crises could lead to a wider correction.

World crude steel production for the 66 countries reporting to the World Steel Association (worldsteel) was 122 million metric tons (mmt) in April. This is 35.7% higher than April 2009.China's crude steel production for April 2010 was 55.4 mmt, an increase of 27% compared to April 2009. It is the highest amount of crude steel China has ever produced in a single month.

Amid widespread speculation over future gold prices, experts in the industry are of the opinion that the gold price bubble will soon scale down to significantly lower levels in the short to medium term. Giving the gold price outlook for the short to medium term, Rajesh Mehta, Chairman of India's largest gold jewellery maker and exporter, Rajesh Exports Ltd (BOM:531500) maintained that the bull-run in the bullion metal will come to a halt and prices will soothe somewhat in near term.

The Internet is a lifeline for Asian mothers, with a survey finding two-thirds use it to shop for themselves and their children and an even bigger number going online to research purchases and talk about them.

A senior euro zone official said on Thursday financial markets were acting irrationally over the euro area's debt problems and while he was concerned about the fall in the euro, immediate action was not needed.

A senior euro zone official said on Thursday financial markets were acting irrationally over the euro area's debt problems and while he was concerned about the fall in the euro, immediate action was not needed.

A senior euro zone official said on Thursday financial markets were acting irrationally over the euro area's debt problems and while he was concerned about the fall in the euro, immediate action was not needed.

Sears Holdings Corp's first-quarter profit slipped 38 percent, hit by weaker margins and slightly higher costs.

The British Airways cabin crew trade union, Unite, won an appeal on Thursday against a High Court ruling this week that had blocked a new wave of walkouts by the airline's staff.

The euro remained vulnerable in volatile trade on Thursday as uncertainty over unity in the euro zone weighed on the single currency, with extreme short positioning exacerbating moves.

Japanese online mall operator Rakuten said on Thursday it will acquire Buy.com Inc for $250 million, foraying into the U.S. market for the first time as it steps up its push to expand overseas.

Just a few weeks ago, there was virtually unanimous agreement among investors and economists that China was on the cusp of dropping the yuan's peg to the dollar, while the debate centred on how it might happen.

Toyota Motor Corp remains confident that its electronic throttles are sound and not behind instances of unintended acceleration that led to huge recalls, federal investigations, and lawsuits, the company's U.S. sales president said on Wednesday.

Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.4 percent at 0836 GMT (4:36 a.m. ET).