IBT Staff Reporter

Canada's Sandvine Corp posted a narrower third-quarter loss, helped by higher revenue and lower cash operating expenses. The company, which helps broadband and telecom operators manage data traffic, posted net loss of C$4.4 million, or 3.2 Canadian cents a share, compared with a loss of C$6.3 million, or 4.6 Canadian cents a share in the year-ago quarter.

British software firm Autonomy said on Thursday it expected to report third-quarter results ahead of market expectations after seeing significant demand for its products, sending its shares up 3 percent.

Insolvent German luxury fashion house Escada has attracted interest from more than 10 potential investors, a source close to the matter told Reuters.

Daimler aims to invest tens of millions of euros in its Hambach plant in the French region of Lorraine to manufacture an electric version of the Smart ForTwo car, powered by a lithium-ion battery.

Stocks rose on Thursday as a surprise profit from Alcoa Inc and reassuring monthly sales from major retailers, including Macy's Inc , bolstered economic recovery hopes.

Marriott International posted a third-quarter profit that surpassed analyst estimates on Thursday, but said the pricing environment in 2010 would remain difficult.

Cadbury chairman Roger Carr has emerged victorious from many bid battles but if U.S. food giant Kraft ups its multi-billion pound offer the tough-talking takeover veteran will be under pressure to soften his stance.

Luxury retailers, rejoice: the global economic downturn hasn't dented demand for pricey designer goods in China, where a study shows the affluent are buying handbags, watches and jewelry in force.

Banco Santander's Brazilian unit, the biggest IPO of the year, lagged far behind much smaller Warren Buffett-backed Verisk Analytics in their stock market debuts on Wednesday -- a sign that valuation remains a key concern as the IPO market revives.

Japan's top wireless operator NTT DoCoMo Inc is easing the pace of its M&A activity in Asia as it focuses on existing acquisitions, an executive said.

HSBC has resumed talks with Royal Bank of Scotland over the purchase of the remaining retail and commercial units that bailed-out RBS owns in Asia, sources said on Thursday.

The head of Alcatel-Lucent, the French telecoms equipment maker seen as a possible takeover target, said on Thursday that deals were not the best solution for the company's problems.

Display and imaging products maker Microvision Inc said it has secured an initial purchase order from a consumer electronics original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to private label its PicoP display engine-based accessory laser Pico projector.

After retreating to the safety of yen deposits in the wake of the financial crisis, Japan's wealthy investors are slowly regaining their appetite for risk and are eyeing foreign currencies and bonds for higher returns.

Don't look now but mortgage rates are really, really low -- practically at record low levels. Homeowners who still have adequate equity might want to jump on this and refinance one more time. Or start using their home equity line again. Or switch to a fixed-rate loan. Or give up on their plans to pay off their home quickly and stretch it out as long as possible.

Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG gained exclusive worldwide rights to a drug candidate already in late-stage trials for treatment of drug-resistant bacteria like MRSA, it said on Thursday.

The European Central Bank kept its main refinancing rate unchanged at a record low of 1.0 percent on Thursday, as expected by economists.

Stocks rose at the open on Thursday after a surprise profit from Alcoa Inc boosted the start of the earnings season.

Alcoa Inc shares rose more than 4 percent on Thursday after the aluminum producer reported its first profit in a year in what Wall Street viewed as a bellwether of how industrial companies are recovering from the recession.

Don't look now but mortgage rates are really, really low -- practically at record low levels. Homeowners who still have adequate equity might want to jump on this and refinance one more time. Or start using their home equity line again. Or switch to a fixed-rate loan. Or give up on their plans to pay off their home quickly and stretch it out as long as possible.

The Bank of England left interest rates at a record low of 0.5 percent for the seventh month running on Thursday and said it would keep its 175 billion pound asset buying programme in place, as expected.

More than a dozen drugs including a cancer therapy and a bowel medicine are under early scrutiny for potential side effects, U.S. regulators said in a quarterly list released on Thursday.

The Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it is reviewing the health impacts of an herbicide known as atrazine, a widely used weed killer that recent studies have tied to birth defects, low birth weight and premature babies.

U.S. bookseller Barnes & Noble Inc said on Thursday it expects lower same-store sales for its current quarter and full year after adjusting its financial reporting period to reflect a recent acquisition.

South Korea's LG Group plans to go ahead with a long-considered merger of its three telecom units in the near future, to boost its consumer base and strengthen service offerings, LG Telecom said on Thursday.

German Herta Mueller, a Romanian-born writer who produced tales of the disenfranchised and fought for free speech, won the 2009 Nobel prize for literature Thursday.

American actor Harry Connick Jr got extremely angry when a group of contestants in the popular show Hey Hey It's Saturday! were imitating the Jackson Five- showed up with their faces painted in black.

Adam Yauch is feeling healthy, strong and hopeful that he has beaten cancer, the Beastie Boys member shared in a message to fans this week.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.