IBT Staff Reporter

Charter Communications , the fourth largest-cable operator, filed for bankruptcy on Friday under pressure from a massive debt load built up over years of borrowing to pay for technology and acquisitions.

Google Inc is hiring to fill about 360 jobs, even after it announced plans this week to lay off almost 200 sales and marketing employees in its third round of job cuts this year.

Nokia's pull-back from using subcontractors in phone-making will shed more than $5 billion in revenue from electronics contract manufacturers, research firm iSuppli said on Friday.

In another blow to the beleaguered electronics contract manufacturing business, Nokia—the world’s largest mobile handset brand—announced that it has stopped using outside contract manufacturers for the assembly of its phones.

The Walt Disney Co has cut an undisclosed number of workers at its domestic parks this month in a previously announced plan to consolidate behind-the-scenes operations for Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California, a spokesman said.

In a public-private push which a top government official believes will be very profitable, the U.S. wants public input on how taxpayers should share profits with investors for a proposed program to buy hundreds of millions of dollars in loans which banks have so far been unwilling or unable to sell.

Wall Street capped a strong week on a down note on Friday as investors booked profits in the wake of the recent upward surge and bank shares dropped after bank executives indicated March had been a tougher month for the industry than the previous two.

President Barack Obama will announce the next steps to help General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC on Monday, the White House said, amid signs of progress for GM in talks aimed at slashing its debt and cutting costs in response to slack demand.

U.S. consumer spending rose for a second consecutive month in February and sentiment edged up in March, according to reports on Friday that backed views that the worst of the recession may be over.

A U.S. congressman has asked the Obama autos task force to withhold further emergency aid to Chrysler until the automaker resolves a financial dispute with an Indiana county stemming from a failed plant project.

KB Home posted a quarterly loss that was not as bad as Wall Street had expected, as orders rose and the builder took a smaller charge to write down the value of its landholdings, sending shares up as much as 12 percent.

Stocks closed lower on Friday as investors booked profits following of a recent upward surge and bank shares dropped after executives indicated March had been a tougher month for the industry than the previous two.

Jack Dreyfus, the so-called Lion on Wall Street, died March 27 at New York Hospital, the asset management firm that he founded said on Friday.

Apple could capture nearly 20 percent of China's sizable smartphone market, giving it a considerable boost in users as its popular iPhone crosses the Pacific, analysts contend.

Seldom is there a time when a particular destination grabs my attention, makes me sit up and take notice. My latest journey to Moscow did just that even though I did relive the negative feelings of the late 70’s and 80’s (I am old enough to remember, young enough to make meaningful sense of it).

U.S. stocks slid on Friday as investors booked profits in the wake of a recent surge, and bank shares dropped after several bank executives indicated March had been a tougher month than the previous two.

General Motors Corp remains in talks with the United Auto Workers union on how to restructure the $20 billion it owes to a retiree health care fund and has not reached a deal, a spokeswoman for the automaker said on Friday.

Technology companies like Sybase and VeriSign are looking to tap robust growth in the nascent U.S. mobile banking market as text message use rises and banks aggressively explore ways to save.

General Motors Corp has offered to convert half of a $20 billion funding obligation to a union-aligned retiree healthcare trust into preferred stock, business television station CNBC reported on Friday.

U.S. stocks tumbled further on Friday, with indexes sliding more than 2 percent after comments from JPMorgan Chase's chief executive that March was a little tough.

General Motors Corp has offered to convert half of a $20 billion funding obligation to a union-aligned retiree healthcare trust into preferred stock, business television station CNBC reported on Friday.

Auto interiors and battery maker Johnson Controls Inc said it would close an additional 10 plants and cut more jobs than planned as it expects no near-term recovery in global auto production.

Web entrepreneurs are increasingly embracing new technologies from cloud computing to new computer languages to try and slash costs as investors disappear because of the recession.

Stocks slipped on Friday as investors took profits following a recent surge, and energy shares drooped along with the price of oil.

Charter Communications , the fourth largest-cable operator, filed for bankruptcy after becoming overwhelmed by a $24.2 billion debt load.

UBS said on Thursday a decision by Switzerland and other offshore centers to cooperate more on tax evasion did not weaken the Swiss bank's stance in an ongoing U.S. tax dispute.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is closing an optical lab in Ohio that employs roughly 650 workers, the world's biggest retailer said on Friday.

Japan edged closer to deflation, highlighting a threat to the world economy before next week's G20 summit where Europe and the United States may clash over stimulus plans, but seek common ground on regulating the financial system.

CityCenter, an $8 billion Las Vegas project owned by MGM Mirage and Dubai World , is considering filing for bankruptcy, two sources familiar with the matter said on Friday.