IBT Staff Reporter

Stock futures rose slightly on Friday ahead of earnings from software giant Microsoft Corp and existing home sales data.

Fed's Political Shift?; Indy Booksellers Upset With Price War; Intel's Reassurances

Intel Corp assured Clearwire Corp it is closely guarding its investment information on the wireless-broadband company after an insider-trading scandal surfaced last week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Clearwire chief executive Bill Morrow.

Japan's Nikkei stock average edged up 0.2 percent on Friday, with construction machinery shares rising on hopes for China's economy and Kirin Holdings (2503.T) gaining ground on a brokerage upgrade.

Interviews with dozens of lobbyists, banking industry insiders, and high-level regulators suggests that the Fed incursion into excessive pay stems more from political expediency than financial concerns. This, many say, raises serious questions about the central bank's independence.

Oil prices edged lower on Friday, back toward $81 a barrel, as skepticism economic recovery was robust enough to spur a convincing rise in fuel demand curbed appetite to extend this week's powerful rally.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open for Wall Street on Friday, as investors awaited results from software giant Microsoft and data on home sales.

World stocks broke a three-day losing run on Friday and hovered near their 12-month high, boosted by the Dow's return above 10,000 points, while the dollar briefly touched a new low for the year against the euro.

Britain's economy contracted unexpectedly in the third quarter of this year, squashing hopes of an end to the downturn and instead making the current recession the longest on record, official data showed Friday.

Liabilities at Japan Airlines Corp would exceed its assets by as much as $8.8 billion if Asia's largest airline by revenues were liquidated, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

Asian shares rose on Friday as investors were encouraged by upbeat earnings reports from the United States and Asia while the dollar resumed a broad slide after a Fed official indicated U.S. rates would remain low.

General Motors Chief Executive Fritz Henderson will get a raise in his compensation package to $5.45 million under new rules advocated by the U.S. pay czar, Bloomberg said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

General Motors Chief Executive Fritz Henderson will get a rise in his compensation package to $5.45 million under new rules advocated by the U.S. pay czar, Bloomberg said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Microsoft is ready to regain its stronghold in operating system war over Apple as the Redmond giant released Windows 7 to fight for the mindshare of consumers after the failure of Vista. Through the comparison below you can see the pros and cons of both operating systems.

Asian shares nudged higher on Friday on the back of upbeat earnings reports from the United States and Asia while the dollar resumed a broad slide after a Fed official indicated U.S. interest rates would remain low.

The American Booksellers Association has asked the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate a recent price war on books sold online between such retail giants as Wal-Mart Stores Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Target Corp ahead of the holidays.

Calpers, the biggest U.S. public pension fund, is reviewing its business relationship with Apollo Global Management, examining fees, performance and the relationship as a whole, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing documents outlining the review.

Corporate spending is showing signs growth despite still low levels, the chief executive of American Express Co. said on Thursday.

CIT Group Inc , a large finance company trying to avoid bankruptcy, reached a tentative agreement with Goldman Sachs Group Inc over a disputed payment on a $3 billion loan, Dow Jones Newswires reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Top global cellphone maker Nokia Oyj on Thursday charged Apple Inc with infringing Nokia patents, accusing the iPhone maker of trying to hitch a free-ride on Nokia's technology investments.

Big banks took a beating from government on Thursday, both in the U.S. Congress where lawmakers backed tougher industry rules, and from U.S. and UK regulators who moved aggressively to restrain bankers' pay.

The Wal-Mart supercenter is getting downsized.

American Express Co posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday as the credit card company trimmed costs, consumer spending declined at a slower pace and credit losses were lower than forecasts.

The Aussie dollar ran into a wall of resistance ahead of 93 cents during yesterday's Asian morning session retreating throughout the afternoon with the market somewhat disappointed by China's envious 8.9% economic growth result.

American Express Co posted stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings on Thursday as the credit card company trimmed costs, consumer spending declined at a slower pace and credit losses were lower than forecasts.

The idea that hundreds of people would line up outside anything to do with Microsoft would have been far-fetched only a few years ago -- but on Thursday that's what happened when the software giant opened its first retail store in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Microsoft Corp launched Windows 7 on Thursday, its most important release in more than a decade, aiming to win back customers disappointed by Vista and strengthen its grip on the PC market.

Amazon.com Inc on Thursday posted quarterly profit that handily beat Wall Street estimates and said holiday sales could come in far above expectations, sending its shares up 15 percent to their highest level in nearly a decade.

The U.S. pay czar on Thursday slashed compensation for top earners at seven bailed-out companies for the final two months of the year, and was immediately slammed by the country's largest bank which claimed the cuts could send talent fleeing.