IBT Staff Reporter

Japan's Panasonic Corp said it acquired 50.2 percent of Sanyo Electric Co Ltd , the world's largest rechargeable battery maker, for 403.8 billion yen ($4.6 billion), as shares of Sanyo jumped the most in six months on the completion of the deal.

A new email client unveiled by Mozilla this week contains code from an unusual source -- the French military, which decided the open source product was more secure than Microsoft's rival Outlook.

Nokia will close its two flagship stores in the United States, saving costs on a market where the world's top cellphone maker is struggling to gain ground.

World equities were generally weaker on Thursday, adding to five sessions of losses, although Europe rebounded after recent hits over some of the region's more vulnerable economies.

Japan's Panasonic Corp , which closed its tender offer for Sanyo Electric Co Ltd on Wednesday, said it has acquired 50.19 percent of the world's largest rechargeable battery maker in a deal worth 403.8 billion yen ($4.6 billion).

Government bonds in Australia and South Korea fell on Thursday as investors pushed forward expectations for interest rate rises in 2010 because of bullish growth views, while Asian stocks slid on year-end profit taking.

The Australian dollar surged on Thursday after November jobs growth blew away expectations, while Asian stocks posted small gains ahead of a slew of Chinese economic data on Friday expected to reflect robust growth.

Citigroup Inc plans to pay back TARP by raising money in an equity offering that could be announced as early as Thursday and could be some $20 billion, television network CNBC reported, citing sources.

It wasn't too long ago big-time hedge fund managers like James Pallotta were erecting monuments to themselves. In Pallotta's case, it was a $21 million Georgian-style mansion he built in 2007 in Weston, a leafy Boston suburb uncomfortable with such displays of wealth.

The U.S. House of Representatives will debate on Thursday the most sweeping changes to financial regulation proposed since the Great Depression, including broad new government powers over large banks and tighter regulation of capital markets.

U.S. appeals judges on Wednesday questioned whether a California trial judge went overboard by awarding MGA Entertainment Inc's Bratz doll franchise to Mattel Inc after MGA lost a copyright infringement trial to its rival in 2008.

Mongolia may eventually list state-owned mineral assets in international stock markets so that the country can convert more of its natural resource wealth into cash, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The U.S. House of Representatives approved a procedural rule on Wednesday that cleared the way for floor debate to begin on legislation that would give the government broad new powers over large financial firms and tighten bank and capital market regulation.

As the name implies an Umbrella Line is a candle that looks like an umbrella with a small real body and a long lower shadow. In such candles the upper shadow does not exist or is very small. The real body is also very small comparing to the lower shadow.

U.S. appeals judges on Wednesday questioned whether a California trial judge went overboard by awarding MGA Entertainment Inc's Bratz doll franchise to Mattel Inc after MGA lost a copyright infringement trial to its rival in 2008.

Facebook, the world's No.1 Internet social network, took a step toward opening up parts of its site to outsiders on Wednesday by introducing a broad revision of its users' privacy settings.

Facebook, the world's No.1 Internet social network, took a step toward opening up parts of its site to outsiders on Wednesday by introducing a broad revision of its users' privacy settings.

A former senior IBM Corp executive denied being involved in a sprawling hedge fund insider trading case and asked a court on Wednesday to dismiss civil charges by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, has fired or will sack a number of its real estate portfolio managers amid steep losses for its property assets, according to a report on its web site.

Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, has fired or will sack a number of its real estate portfolio managers amid steep losses for its property assets, according to a report on its web site.

General Motors Co has replaced the head of its mass-market Chevrolet brand as the management shake-up continues at the top U.S. automaker.

Braced to cut costs when Britain is facing the biggest government deficit in its history, a London council is trying the budget airline approach.

GE CEO on Greed; Low Income Housing Woes; A Tablet from Apple?

Egyptian earth-moving machinery was at work on the Gaza Strip border on Wednesday and an Israeli newspaper said a project was under way to build a subterranean metal wall to block Palestinian smuggling tunnels.

Following the revelation last week that Tiger Woods, the World's number 1 golfer, is rumored to have had multiple affairs with women throughout his marriage, marketing gurus are weighing in on the effect this will have on the products that Woods endorses.

Angry London bankers and traders accused finance minister Alistair Darling on Wednesday of lip service to appease the poor with a levy on bank bonuses.

U.S. wholesalers started restocking in October for the first time in more than a year, suggesting the economy could get a lift as a long-running effort by businesses to pare inventories reaches an end.

Rupert Murdoch, the Chairman and Chief Executive of News Corp., believes that U.S. funding for the distressed newspaper industry would be a detriment to freedom of speech.

Angelina Jolie supports seven orphans in Amman, Jordan, according to a report from the National Enquirer.