BUSINESS

Google Inc announced a stock split designed to preserve the control of co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin over the world's No. 1 Web search engine, asking investors to trust their long-term vision.

Goldman Sachs agreed to pay $22 million to settle civil charges arising from company procedures that created the risk select clients would receive market-sensitive information, such as changes to Goldman's recommendation lists and its ratings of stocks.

U.S. stocks scored a second day of solid gains on Thursday, led by materials and energy stocks, as investors set aside weak figures on the domestic labor market.

U.S. Federal Reserve officials, out on a speaking spree on Thursday, suggested the economy would have to deteriorate for the central bank to consider additional monetary stimulus.

Bank of America Corp and U.S. Bancorp have been sued by a Chicago pension fund that said they failed to protect investors in their roles as trustees for mortgage-backed securities for Washington Mutual Inc.

A stronger firewall is needed to protect the world economy from Europe's debt crisis, but the International Monetary Fund may not need as much money as it thought just a few months ago, the head of the global lender said on Thursday.

Google Inc announced a stock split designed to preserve the control of co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin over the No. 1 Web search engine, as it posted revenue in line with estimates.

Hyundai Motor Co could see U.S. sales top 700,000 vehicles this year despite the Korean automaker's tight vehicle supplies, a top executive said on Thursday.

U.S. Federal Reserve officials, out on a speaking spree on Thursday, suggested the economy would have to deteriorate for the central bank to consider additional monetary stimulus.

Microsoft announced its biggest-ever customer for cloud computing - software that it hosts on behalf of clients and delivers over the Internet - after winning a contract to provide free services to a major Indian education body.

Stocks scored a second day of solid gains on Thursday, led by materials and energy stocks, as investors set aside weak figures on the domestic labor market.

The number of Americans filing for jobless aid hit a two-month high last week and more applications were received in the prior week than initially reported, suggesting a cooling in the labor market recovery.

Google Inc announced plans to give investors a stock dividend on Thursday, as the search giant reported first quarter revenue roughly in line with Wall Street estimates.

Apple changed the entire smartphone genre with the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, and five years later, Apple fans are anxiously awaiting a new iPhone, rumored to be released between June and October 2012. Nobody outside the enormous complex at 1 Infinite Loop truly knows what the sixth-generation iPhone, presumably called the iPhone 5, will look like or feature, but that isn't stopping us from daydreaming about all of the possible features in Apple's next phone.

The Morgan Stanley investment banker accused of a hate crime in the assault of an Egyptian-born taxi driver over a fare is due back in a Connecticut court next week.

U.S. stocks rose more than 1 percent on Thursday as lower Italian bond yields eased some euro-zone concerns and rumors about China's strong GDP growth bolstered investors' appetite for risk.

The International Monetary Fund is considering scaling back how much money it needs to rebuild its war chest for handling financial crises, and it may not strike a deal with members next week, the IMF head said on Thursday.

Stocks rose on Thursday as lower yields on some euro-zone debt eased some concerns and rumors about China's strong GDP increased investors' appetite for risk.

Dubai Group, part of the investment vehicle headed by Dubai's ruler, has proposed a new solution to its $10 billion debt problem, sources said, reviving talks that stalled more than two months ago.

More and more car manufacturers are going fancy over the in-built car technology trend which focuses on cutting edge features like Windows 8 integration, Xbox, Kinect and others. Similarly, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Gullwing Coupe is a recent addition to this basket of tech equipped cars.

The U.S. trade deficit narrowed unexpectedly in February as exports hit a record high, imports from China and other key suppliers declined and oil import volume fell to the lowest in 15 years, a government report showed on Thursday.

Most tech products in general and Apple products in particular see a lot of chatter in the press before they're finally announced. The rumors and speculations try to envisage what the products will offer and when they will finally land on the users' hands.

The relentless decline in home prices is nearing an end and prices should rise for the first time in seven years in 2013, but a possible new wave of foreclosures could threaten the recovery, according a Reuters poll of economists.

Producer prices were unexpectedly flat in March as a drop in gasoline costs offset rising food prices, according to a government report on Thursday that also showed moderate underlying inflation pressures.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose last week to their highest level since January, a development that could raise fears the labor market recovery was stalling after job creation slowed in March.

Stock index futures edged higher on Thursday ahead of data on the jobs market and producer prices, while a rise in Italian borrowing costs could cap gains in equities and pressure other risk assets lower.

Stock index futures edged higher on Thursday ahead of data on the jobs market and producer prices, while a rise in Italian borrowing costs could cap gains in equities and pressure other risk assets lower.

The disappointing performance of the U.S. labor market in March shows it is too early to conclude the economy is out of the woods, despite months of encouraging economic data, New York Federal Reserve Bank president William Dudley said on Thursday.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.55 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.42 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.59 percent at 3:34 a.m. EDT (0734 GMT).