IBT Staff Reporter

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Thursday the company could look to extend its search engine partnership with Yahoo outside the United States, if it gets regulatory approval.

Wall Street cash bonuses are set to increase by about 40 percent this year, the Wall Street Journal said citing a report by compensation consulting firm Johnson Associates.

Gold prices retreated on Thursday from the record highs they hit in the previous session as the dollar rose ahead of policy decisions from the UK and the euro zone, which curbed appetite for assets seen as higher risk.

Toyota Motor Corp's surprise quarterly profit and halving of its annual loss forecast failed to convince investors the world's No.1 carmaker is back on track, as government subsidies peter out and a strong yen takes its toll.

U.S. shares were expected to fall on Thursday, after ending only marginally higher in the previous session, following the Federal Reserve's statement that it was keeping rates close to zero for an extended period.

World stocks slid on Thursday following the Federal Reserve's decision to keep interest rates near zero for an extended period and ahead of policy decisions by the European Central Bank and Bank of England.

Costco Wholesale Corp reported a 5 percent increase in October same-store sales, helped by a weak U.S. dollar that helped push up international sales.

Toyota Motor Corp's surprise quarterly profit and halving of its annual loss forecast were not enough to convince investors that the world's No.1 carmaker had escaped the worst, as government subsidies peter out and a strong yen takes its toll.

Toyota Motor Corp reported a surprise quarterly profit and slashed its annual loss forecast by more than half as sales and cost cutting beat its forecasts, putting it on track to follow Japanese rivals into the black next year.

Asian shares fell on Thursday, while the dollar recovered most losses made after the U.S. Federal Reserve vowed to keep rates near zero for an extended period and saw a sluggish recovery in the world's biggest economy.

Oil fell toward $79 a barrel on Thursday, after a steep decline in U.S. crude inventories sent prices up 1 percent the previous day, as traders look to the fall in equities markets and firming dollar to take profits.

Asian shares dipped on Thursday, and the dollar fell after the Federal Reserve vowed to keep rates near zero for an extended period and said the recovery of the world's biggest economy would be sluggish.

Spot gold inched lower on Thursday but remained within striking distance of $1,100 an ounce after hitting an all-time high for the second straight session on a weak dollar the previous day.

Google Inc is selling a special search product to online retailers, as the Internet giant widens its hunt for new sources of revenue.

The U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday expressed growing confidence that an economic recovery was building, even as it stuck to its commitment to keep borrowing costs near zero for an extended period.

Rock band No Doubt sued video game publisher Activision Blizzard Inc over the use of their likeness on its new Band Hero product, accusing the company of turning the rockers into a virtual karaoke act.

Wireless chip supplier Qualcomm Inc on Wednesday forecast weaker than expected full- year results, but its extension of a key deal with Korea's Samsung Electronics helped offset the disappointment for some investors.

Cisco Systems Inc posted a stronger-than-expected profit for its fiscal first quarter and said business was recovering as customers are buying more network equipment again after cutting back for the past year.

An Afghan policeman killed five British soldiers at a checkpoint in Afghanistan and the Taliban said he was one of their fighters who had infiltrated the force.

News Corp and Time Warner Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly profit as movie studios and cable network gains helped offset declines at their newspaper and magazine units.

Prudential Financial Inc , the No. 2 U.S. life insurer, said on Wednesday it had a third-quarter profit, reversing a year earlier loss, on record annuity sales and better performance in its investment portfolios.

Cisco Systems Inc posted a stronger-than-expected profit for its fiscal first quarter and said a recovery in business was well under way because customers are investing in network equipment again after cutting back for the past year.

Fed Stays Course on Policy; Democrats Shrug Off Losses; Cisco Beats Street

Wireless chip and technology supplier Qualcomm Inc on Wednesday set a quarterly and

Democrats pushing for healthcare reform shrugged off their losses in two governors races and said on Wednesday the results made it more imperative to deliver on campaign promises to overhaul a failing system.

GMAC Financial Services, a lender that has received $12.5 billion in government bailouts, posted a third straight quarterly loss on Wednesday, hurt by red ink in its mortgage business.

Molson Coors Brewing Co said beer volumes continue to decline in the current fourth quarter as consumers remain focused on value, and shares fell 8.5 percent.

Allstate Corp , the largest publicly traded U.S. home and auto insurer, swung to a profit on Wednesday from a year ago loss, helped by lower catastrophe and investment losses.

Enlist allies in the media and public policy to highlight little known but pressing issues, said the ex-Federal Reserve president who had forewarned for years about the growing dangers of financial companies considered “too-big-to fail.”