CALIFORNIA

Retail shares on Wednesday rose after the Federal Reserve revealed new plans to inject cash into money markets as a way to reduce stress in financial markets.

Wells Fargo & Co Chairman Dick Kovacevich is not against the No. 5 U.S. bank making a major acquisition, but he said on Tuesday the prospect of that happening is unlikely even as large rivals become vulnerable due to shaky subprime lending.

Macrovision Corp announced on Friday it would buy Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc for $2.8 billion in cash and stock to form a broad video entertainment distributor as investor concern over the deal’s price caused both companies’ shares to drop.

A key product delay will mean lower sales for device maker Palm this holiday season during its second fiscal quarter of 2008, the company said Thursday.

Apple products, including the Mac and the iPhone, are increasingly being targeted by computer hackers according to new research, shattering years of relative safety for the Apple camp.

Google is releasing a new application for the iPhone that combines all of the search giant's online tools into one simple interface, optimized for Apple's venerable portable device.

Activision and Vivendi teamed up to create on of the world's largest video-game maker this weekend, rivaling long-time No. 1, Electronic Arts.

In retrospect, once all the Oscar-season fireworks are over, it's often possible to view the eventual winner as an exemplar of the prevailing zeitgeist. Chicago (2002) seemed to ride a growing wave of cynicism about the interplay between celebrity, the media and the justice system.

The Bush Administration is close to agreeing on a pact with major financial institutions that would temporarily freeze interest rates on certain subprime loans, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the negotiations. The plans' details, which could be announced as soon as next week, are still being ironed out, the Journal said.

Apple fans leap for joy as AT&T leaks news of a 3G Apple iPhone in 2008 leaving analysts speculating whether there even exists a market for such a high-speed phone.

AT&T’s chief executive said Thursday that there will be a new edition of the iPhone available next year that will use 3G technology for faster data access.

Ford Motor Co has agreed to settle class-action litigation covering plaintiffs in four states who claimed its Explorer sport utility vehicles were prone to rollovers, Ford said on Wednesday.

Apple Inc. has a number of chic, high-tech products that consumers can't get enough of, but among its computer lines, the MacBook reigns as king.

As consumers flooded to Apple Inc's retails stores this holiday weekend, the firm's widescreen media player garnered the most interest of all the electronic devices, however the buzz did not translate into strong sales for iPhone's cousin.

Housing and credit troubles took more of a toll on the U.S. economy as prices on pre-owned single-family homes tumbled in the third quarter and consumer confidence in November sank to a two-year low, reports on Tuesday showed.

Fresh off multi-billion write downs, officials at two major financial services firms are being sued by shareholders alleging that they concealed heavy exposure to risky subprime mortgages.

China and India may be strong enough to make up for a slowdown in the world's largest economy

Goldman Sachs issued a gloomy report on the U.S. financial services sector, saying housing prices are likely to fall a lot further, write-downs will mount and some mortgage insurers and guarantors will be forced to raise capital just to survive.

Hewlett-Packard, the world's largest personal computer maker, on Monday reported a better-than-expected 28 percent rise in quarterly profit as notebook PC sales increased. The company also said its board authorized an $8 billion additional share buyback program. Net income was $2.16 billion, or 81 cents per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter ended October 31, compared with $1.7 billion, or 60 cents per share, a year earlier.

With the worst Hollywood labor crisis in 20 years headed for its third week, striking screenwriters and major studios have agreed to renew contract talks, offering the first glimmer of hope their deadlock can be broken.

Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Development Co said on Friday it had bought 8.1 percent of U.S.-based Advanced Micro Devices Inc, the second-largest maker of computer processors.