IBT Staff Reporter

Nasdaq OMX Group said the number of Greater China companies that list on its exchange could double in as little as two years, fueled by a growing appetite for these shares from a wider range of U.S. institutional investors.

Nasdaq listings by companies in the Greater China region could double in 2-3 years, as mainland firms make up a larger percentage of all foreign listings, an executive from Nasdaq OMX Group said on Friday.

Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, accused in the biggest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case, has asked a federal court to unseal records of a 2001 criminal charge against former trader Roomy Khan, one of the government's cooperating witnesses.

U.S. stocks rose 1 percent on Friday as upbeat news from some retailers reinforced hopes of an uptick in consumer spending in the key holiday season, even as an early November gauge of consumer sentiment fell.

German Economy Minister Rainer Bruederle said on Thursday U.S. carmaker General Motors Co does not need state aid for its European unit Opel because the company can shoulder the cost of restructuring by itself.

MTS, Russia's largest mobile phone operator, posted a 4.1 percent fall in its third-quarter net profit as sales fell and debt-servicing costs rose, but its figures were ahead of most analysts' forecasts.

Italian oil refiner ERG SpA swung to a third-quarter net loss below forecasts and warned that refining margins in the final quarter remained very weak.

Hemisphere GPS, a manufacturer of global positioning systems products, posted a wider-than-expected quarterly loss on weak demand in its key agriculture sector, sending its shares down a new 52-week low.

British Airways' pension fund deficit could yet scupper its planned merger with Spain's Iberia , as the UK airline still has to agree the size of the multi-billion pound shortfall with the fund's trustees.

Chinese solar panel maker Yingli Green Energy Holding Co Ltd posted better-than-expected third-quarter profit on strong shipments, sending its shares up 9 percent.

2012 the latest apocalyptic film directed by Roland Emmerich from Independence Day and The Day after Tomorrow hits theaters Friday getting a wave of mixed reviews.

Playboy Enterprises Inc is in talks with Jim Griffiths, a former entertainment president at Playboy, and private equity firm Golden Gate Capital, to sell itself for about $300 million, a source familiar with the matter said Friday.

- U.S. stocks rose on Friday, with the Dow industrials briefly rising more than 1 percent, as robust commentary from some retailers reinforced hopes of an uptick in consumer spending in the holiday season.

Hewlett-Packard Co's $3.1 billion play for 3Com Corp will help the technology giant expand its product portfolio amid rapid industry consolidation -- and few think HP is done shopping.

Two computer programmers provided technical support to falsify documents and trading records for swindler Bernard Madoff and took hush money to help keep the massive fraud going, U.S. authorities said.

White House Counsel Gregory Craig, who has played a central role in the Obama administration's rocky efforts to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, said on Friday he was resigning.

Warren Buffett's warning to Kraft over using its undervalued stock to bid for Cadbury may return to haunt Irene Rosenfeld as the Kraft CEO ponders an increased bid to win over the British confectioner.

U.S. consumer sentiment fell in early November to the weakest in three months amid grim expectations for job and income prospects, a survey showed on Friday.

JPMorgan Chase & Co Chief Executive Jamie Dimon called the idea that any bank is too big to fail ethically bankrupt and said regulators should have the power to wind down even the largest lenders.

The U.S. Federal Reserve is best equipped to supervise the largest, most complex firms, a top U.S. Treasury official said on Friday.

U.S. stocks rose on Friday as robust commentary from some retailers reinforced hopes of an uptick in consumer spending in the holiday season, even as an early November gauge of consumer confidence fell.

Google is set to make its entry into the operating system market earlier than expected, as the product is rumored to be available for download as of next week.

Police have linked DNA found on a bloody sock hidden in a ceiling close to where Yale graduate student, Annie Le, was murdered to Raymond Clark, the Associated Press reported.

Liberty Global, the international cable operator controlled by John Malone, has agreed to buy Unitymedia from a private equity group for $3 billion in its first German acquisition.

U.S. consumer sentiment fell in early November amid a grim outlook for future job prospects, although separate data showing rising imports in September raised some hopes of renewed U.S. economic growth.

Shares of discount retailer Dollar General Corp rose in their debut on the New York Stock Exchange, opening at $22, or 4.8 percent above Thursday's initial public offering price of $21.

The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday the pace of the recovery in the U.S. economy remains sluggish but he does not believe there will be a double-dip recession.

U.S. stocks edged up on Friday as solid earnings from Walt Disney Co and JC Penney Co Inc offset weaker-than-expected consumer sentiment data.

U.S. stocks edged up on Friday as solid earnings from Walt Disney Co and JC Penney Co Inc offset weaker-than-expected consumer sentiment data.