CISCO SYSTEMS

Investors punished Juniper Networks (JNPR.N) by selling its shares after the networking equipment maker joined Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO.O) in warning that this year's results will miss Wall Street projections.

Troubled networking giant Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) said it will slash 6,500 jobs – representing about 9 percent of its workforce, in a bid to save about $1-billion in annual expenses.

Better yet, high-tech firms are adding far more workers than they are letting go.

Cisco Systems Inc may cut nearly 10,000 jobs, about 14 percent of the company’s workforce, in an attempt to restore the growth in profit.

Cisco is planning a massive job cut that could mean about 5000 employees could lose their jobs in August, according to an analyst at Gleacher and Company.

The Federal Trade Commission on Friday gave a green light to Microsoft's decision to buy Skype for $8.5 billion.

Trademark disputes are nothing new for Apple. The recent lawsuit against Apple's newly announced cloud service iCloud adds to its long list of disputes over using trademarks obtained or claimed by other companies.

Jefferies & Co. initiated coverage of Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) with a hold rating and a price target of $15.75.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Flotek Industries, Symantec Corp, CVS Caremark, TJX Companies, Northstar Realty Finance, Silvercorp Metals, Cisco Systems, Nvidia, Emerson Electric, AU Optronics and Iamgold Corp.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: IncrediMail, VeriSign, Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Symantec, and JetBlue Airways. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Wilshire Bancorp, Cisco Systems, Shire, ARM Holdings, and Sohu.com.

The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Dynavox, Sino Clean Energy, Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Pacific Mercantile Bancorp, Toreador Resources, and VeriSign. The top after-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: Clearwire, Cisco Systems, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Gulfport Energy, and Aeterna Zentaris.

The boss of Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO) said the company is planning some workforce reductions.

A shareholder with only $1,551 in stock has accused Cisco execs of misleading the market.

U.S. stock markets ended higher on Wednesday, led by gains from technology and banking sector stocks.

Following is the full text of an internal memo sent by John Chambers, CEO of Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) to the employees, where he talked about the company's execution issues, loss of credibility and making bold changes.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Questcor Pharmaceuticals, Diamond Foods, Expedia, and ON Semiconductor. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: SemiLEDs, Prospect Capital, Cree, A-Power Energy Generation Systems, Aixtron, and Apple.

Shares of companies active in Friday's early trade are Nike Inc., Cisco Systems, Lorillard Inc., LDK Solar Co., Celera, Under Armour and Longtop Financial Technologies.

China's Huawei Technologies Co has challenged the United States to launch a formal investigation into its business, in an attempt by one of the world's largest telecommunications equipment makers to clear its name from allegations that have blocked U.S. deals.

Access to the professional networking site LinkedIn was disrupted in China on Thursday, following online calls on other sites for gatherings inspired by protests against authoritarian regimes across the Middle East.

Stocks finished narrowly mixed, amidst much speculation that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would voluntary resign from his office. (He later announced that will stay on until September elections).

New applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a 2-1/2-year low last week, pointing to a stronger footing for the labor market as the economic recovery gathers momentum. The fall in claims reported by the Labor Department on Thursday partly reflected the unwinding of a weather-related spike in late January but analysts said it was consistent with other indicators suggesting a strengthening labor market.