BUSINESS

The largest U.S. banks including Morgan Stanley, Bank of America and Citigroup are facing what could be a historic shift to lower credit ratings which could increase their cost of funding and reduce competitiveness in their capital markets businesses.

Groupon Inc pared back revenue and net income for the fourth quarter, blaming higher refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in its previously reported numbers.

Groupon Inc pared back revenue and net income for the fourth quarter, blaming higher refunds on deals for the sharp downward revision in its previously reported numbers.

Ford Motor Co boosted Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally's total compensation by 11 percent to nearly $30 million last year, despite the automaker falling short of its targets on market share, quality and costs.

A Canadian court has granted Sino-Forest Corp protection from its creditors and has approved an agreement with some of its noteholders to start the process of selling the embattled Chinese forestry company.

Stocks closed their strongest quarter in more than two years on a positive note on Friday, led by recently underperforming sectors, including energy and health care.

Stocks ended their strongest quarter in more than two years on a positive note on Friday, led by recently underperforming consumer staples and health care sectors.

Sino-Forest Corp , a Toronto-listed Chinese forestry company accused of fraud, is seeking protection from its creditors and a court's approval of an agreement with some of noteholders to put its embattled business up for sale.

Online travel agency Expedia on Friday accused Google of breaching EU rules with a formal complaint to EU antitrust regulators as it joined a dozen other firms that have taken their case to the European Commission in the last two years.

MasterCard Inc, Visa Inc and Discover Financial Services have been victims of a potential security breach, the latest in a string of incidents that have put the personal information of millions of credit cardholders at risk.

Oil companies Exxon Mobil Corp , BP Plc and Conoco Phillips have reached a settlement with the state of Alaska that will allow the companies to build a pipeline from a North Slope natural gas field, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Sino-Forest Corp , a Toronto-listed Chinese forestry company accused of fraud, said on Friday it has agreed with some of its noteholders to put its embattled business up for sale.

Sino-Forest Corp has asked a Canadian bankruptcy court to approve an agreement providing for either the sale of the embattled Chinese forestry company to a third party, or a restructuring enabling note holders to acquire nearly all of its assets.

Stocks bounced back from a string of declines on Friday, on track to close their strongest quarter in more than two years on a positive note.

U.S. consumer spending increased by the most in seven months in February as households shook off a rise in gasoline prices, leading economists to raise forecasts for first-quarter growth.

Now that the Supreme Court has given a glimpse of how it will consider the healthcare overhaul, more investors in health insurance stocks are breathing easier about the eventual ruling.

Apple fans are already clamoring for the iPhone 5, even though nobody outside of Cupertino knows what it looks like, what it can do, or when it's coming out. Thankfully, there are plenty of artists who love to draw up beautiful concept designs of the iPhone 5.

Consumer spending increased by the most in seven months in February as households shook off a rise in gasoline prices, suggesting the economy may not have slowed as much this quarter as economists had thought.

Consumer confidence rebounded to its highest level in 13 months at the end of March as optimism about jobs and income overcame higher prices at the gasoline pump, according to a survey released on Friday.

The S&P cut early gains to turn negative on Friday, putting it on track to extend a losing streak to four straight sessions.

Stocks rose modestly on Friday, rebounding after a string of declines with equities on track for their strongest quarter in more than two years.

In its latest bid to slow dollar inflows in a global currency war, Brazil has dealt an unexpected blow to its own commodity exporters, choking off medium-term trade financing at a vulnerable time for the sector.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Friday after a string of declines, with equities on track for their strongest quarter in more than two years.

Are you a lover of cured meats? How would you feel to be buried for all of eternity in a bacon coffin? The bacon coffin-for those who love bacon to death -- is now a reality thanks to the makers of Baconnaise, but don't worry, it's not made of actual bacon. View the slideshow to see photos of the bacon coffin.

Executives of U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs are due to take their Indian charm offensive to the capital, New Delhi, on Friday, sources said, after courting business leaders and holding their first annual board meeting in the country.

Stock index futures were higher on Friday as bargain hunters entered the market after a string of declines, putting equities on track to record their strongest quarter in more than two years.

Euro zone finance ministers have agreed to boost the currency bloc's debt crisis firewall to roughly 800 billion euros ($1.06 trillion), Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter said on Friday.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.3 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.2 percent at 1007 GMT.

It is a marriage made in heaven for shopping addicts. Social shopping, the merger of social networking and e-commerce which has hooked millions of users in the United States, has now captured the attention of China's Internet giant.