IBT Staff Reporter

Sony and Sharp's third straight quarters of losses underscore the challenges they face in flat TV market as they struggle to compete with Samsung Electronics and other South Korean rivals benefiting from a weaker won.

Transatlantic exchange group NYSE Euronext on Thursday said it planned to cut 290 jobs in Europe and the U.S. as second-quarter earnings before one-off items dropped 34 percent to $132 million.

TSMC , the world's largest contract chipmaker, underlined the strong recovery in the once-struggling sector as it clocked its biggest profit in three quarters and raised its capital spending target.

French carmaker Renault on Thursday posted a worse-than-expected loss on for the first half in line with results at its European rivals as auto sales fell sharply but it said the outlook is stabilizing.

World stocks and commodity prices rose on Thursday after China's central bank reaffirmed loose monetary policy and European corporate earnings cheered investors, while the dollar and government bond prices fell.

British Airways is seeking to renegotiate installment payments to Boeing Co for the 787 Dreamliners the carrier has ordered, the Wall Street Journal, reported, quoting the carrier's Chief Executive Willie Walsh as saying in an interview.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Deutsche Bank AG were issued subpoenas by a U.S. Senate panel looking for evidence of fraud in the 2008 mortgage-market meltdown, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

China's central bank pledged to maintain loose monetary policy and use market tools, not quota-style controls, to ensure sustainable credit growth that will support economic recovery.

Chinese stocks see-sawed in skittish trade on Thursday, as the central bank reaffirmed loose monetary policy, while other Asian markets regained enough poise after the previous day's shakeout to edge back to 2009 highs.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc posted a 70 percent fall in net profit in the second quarter, as oil prices and refining margins tumbled, but foreign exchange gains helped the oil major beat forecasts.

Cities in the U.S. Sun Belt states of California, Florida, Nevada and Arizona dominated the record foreclosure spree in the first half of the year, but distress in other regions emerged as joblessness spread, RealtyTrac said on Thursday.

(In July 29 story, corrects paragraphs 1, 5 to ... inter-alliance ... not,... intra-alliance)

Sony Corp posted a quarterly operating loss as a stronger yen and weakness in its TV business countered the impact of cost cuts and the company retained its outlook for an annual loss.

Asian share markets were largely steady on Thursday, struggling to regain multi-month highs, while Shanghai shares see-sawed after a 5 percent sell-off the previous day that sent other markets reeling.

Oil eased toward $63 a barrel on Thursday, after sliding almost 6 percent the day before on data showing a jump in U.S. crude stocks, while the market kept an eye on measures by China to manage credit growth.

One week after the apparent suicide of a Chinese factory worker accused of stealing a carefully guarded Apple iPhone prototype, one question remains unanswered: what happened to the missing phone?

Oil eased toward $63 a barrel on Thursday, after sliding almost 6 percent the day before on data showing a jump in U.S. crude stocks, while the market kept an eye on measures by China to manage credit growth.

Visa Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, as the world's largest credit card network cut expenses and credit-strapped consumers used their debit cards more.

A phone call to the New York Stock Exchange from an investor worried that he'd just been duped helped spark a chain of events early last week that led U.S. authorities to file fraud charges against a Kuwaiti financier, who was later found dead in his home.

A Mac security expert has uncovered a technique that hackers could use to take control of Apple Inc computers and steal data that is scrambled to protect it from identity thieves.

Visa Inc reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Wednesday, as the world's largest credit card network cut expenses and credit-strapped consumers used their debit cards more.

A South Korean fishing boat likely crossed a maritime border into North Korea early on Thursday and is being towed by a North Korean patrol boat to a North Korean port, a South Korean military official said.

Corrects headline to show the company reported its fiscal third quarter results, not second quarter results

Yahoo Inc investors are disappointed it could not milk more money from Microsoft Corp, but said they were relieved a deal was struck that would allow Yahoo to focus on its other, stronger businesses.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Wednesday pressed China's responsibility to lead the global fight against climate change, which, Ban said, was the major focus of his trip in Asia.

Welcome to the Florida Keys, a string of islands, which when connected by route US 1, provide passage to the southernmost point in the United States.

Citi continues to refuse to discuss its 10 percent stake Al Raya Investment, four days after the Kuwaiti firm's chief executive was found dead.

Britain's leading institutional investors could join forces to bypass investment banks in a protest over the fees they charge for rights issues, The Times reported.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday that opposition prisoners arrested during post election turmoil should be released before 7 August.