IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday as investors braced for results of the stress tests for banks, while strong earnings from Cisco may help boost the tech sector.

The Bank of England said on Thursday it would increase the size of its asset purchase program by 50 billion pounds to 125 billion pounds, and left interest rates at a record low 0.5 percent for a second month.

When I die there will be a final waltz playing in my head, Oscar-winning French composer Maurice Jarre once said, according to several newspapers reporting his death in March.

Nintendo Co Ltd reported a 42 percent fall in quarterly operating profit as the yen's strength outweighed robust game sales, and the Japanese video game maker forecast a bigger-than-expected 12 percent profit decline this year, pressuring its shares.

Just a little more than a week after the beta 4 was made available to developers, Apple released its iPhone OS 3.0, beta 5.

A trio of top European banks showed bad debts are ratcheting up as economies worsen and unemployment rises, although investor optimism ahead of U.S. bank stress test results drove shares to year highs.

Nintendo reported a 42 percent fall in quarterly operating profit as the yen's strength outweighed robust game sales, and the Japanese video game maker forecast a bigger-than-expected 12 percent profit decline this year, pressuring its shares.

Anheuser-Busch InBev beat forecasts with stronger first-quarter earnings and clinched the sale of its Korean brewer on Thursday, sending its shares higher, though it warned profit growth would slow.

U.S. car maker General Motors Corp is eyeing a stake in Fiat SpA's car business in exchange for its European and Latin American operations, the New York Times reported on its website.

Shares are set for a mostly higher open on Thursday, ahead of the results of the stress tests for banks.

U.S. carmaker General Motors Corp is eyeing a stake in Italian peer Fiat SpA in exchange for the American automaker's European and Latin American operations, the New York Times reported on its website.

Anheuser-Busch InBev said it agreed to sell its South Korean Oriental Brewery to private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co for $1.8 billion, allowing the world's largest brewer to repay debt.

British bank Barclays Plc said first-quarter profit rose 15 percent as strong growth at its investment banking arm made up for a big jump in bad debts as economies worsen, sending its shares to a seven-month high.

Barclays Plc said its first quarter profit rose 15 percent from a year ago as strong growth at its investment bank arm made up for a big jump in bad debts.

Societe Generale slumped to a surprise loss in the first quarter as higher-than-expected writedowns and provisions hit the bank's earnings.

Societe Generale slumped to a surprise loss in the first quarter as higher-than-expected writedowns and provisions hit the bank's earnings.

Asian shares extended their rally Thursday as encouraging signs about the health of U.S. banks and the global economy bolstered riskier assets such as oil and hurt safe-havens such as the yen.

Regulators are ordering some of the largest U.S. banks to find tens of billions of dollars of capital to cushion themselves in the event of a deep economic downturn.

Anheuser-Busch InBev reported a better-than-expected rise in first-quarter core profit on Thursday and announced the sale of a Korean brewery, but warned of tougher cost comparisons in the rest of the year.

Ericsson chief executive Carl-Henric Svanberg said partner Sony would be a logical buyer for Ericsson's half of handset making joint venture Sony Ericsson, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Microsoft Corp's next version of Windows is stirring fresh complaints of anticompetitive behavior from rivals who say the new version of the operating system gives unfair advantage to Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, the Financial Times reported.

A rally in Asian shares continued on Thursday as encouraging signs about the health of U.S. banks and the state of the global economy bolstered riskier assets such as oil and hurt safe-havens such as the yen.

Chrysler chief executive Bob Nardelli praised a court decision that opens up the way for the bankrupt firm to sell its assets, creating an alliance with Fiat SpA.

Burger King has entered into a partnership with Viacom’s Paramount Pictures to market three movies from the studio this summer, the firms announced this week.

Bank of America chief executive Ken Lewis on top federal officials will be asked by a Congressional panel to testify next month about his claims that the U.S. Treasury and Federal Reserve pressured him to close deal to acquire Merrill Lynch, a person familiar with the investigation told the Wall Street Journal.

Some of the U.S. banking giants have been ordered to find additional capital by regulators to protect themselves in the event of a severe economic downturn.

Bank of America Corp's chief executive and top federal officials will be asked by a Congressional panel to testify next month about claims that the bank was pressured by the government to complete its purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the investigation.

Bank of America Corp's chief executive and top federal officials will be asked by a Congressional panel to testify about claims that the bank was pressured by the government to complete its purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the investigation.

Fixes headline to say BofA CEO will be asked to testify: report, instead of will testify