BUSINESS

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

World stocks fell on Friday, extending an overnight slide, with renewed pressure on Spanish bonds reflecting fears the euro zone's debt crisis was spiraling out of control.

Japan's big manufacturers led by Panasonic Corp and Nissan Motor Co Ltd are speeding up their shift overseas, in a sign corporate Japan sees the strong yen as a long-term handicap rather than a temporary blip.

A San Jose, California, man faces charges of tax evasion after failing to report $1.3 million in interest income from HSBC Holdings Plc's India unit, U.S. prosecutors said on Thursday.

Asian shares fell for a fourth day in a row Friday as Europe's funding difficulties intensified, with Spanish borrowing costs hitting an unsustainable level and premiums for dollar funds rising further.

Japanese prosecutors are to question a former president of disgraced Olympus Corp over an accounting scandal at the camera and medical device maker, as investigators probe for possible involvement of organized crime, media reports said on Friday.

The trustee liquidating MF Global Holdings Ltd's broker-dealer unit won court permission to distribute $520 million of cash to customers, providing relief to customers whose accounts have been frozen since the futures brokerage went bankrupt.

Asian shares fell for a fourth day in a row and the dollar firmed on Friday as Europe's funding difficulties intensified, with Spanish borrowing costs hitting an unsustainable level and premiums for dollar funds rising further.

London's renowned Claridge Hotel has a new designer this year for creating their iconic Christmas Tree. The luxury hotel has announced that Lanvin's Alber Elbaz will be designing this year's dazzling centerpiece that will be displayed at the main lobby of the hotel.

Japanese officials are investigating an apparent $4.9 billion hole in the accounts of Olympus Corp as well as possible involvement of organized crime in an accounting scandal engulfing the firm, the New York Times said Friday.

The California attorney general's office has sent subpoenas to Fannie Ma e and Freddie Mac in a wide-reaching probe into the government-backed mortgage giants' lending and foreclosure practices, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

Japanese officials are investigating an apparent $4.9 billion hole in the accounts of Olympus Corp as well as possible involvement of organized crime in an accounting scandal engulfing the firm, the New York Times said on Friday.

Bill Miller, a star mutual fund stock-picker who posted a 15-year-long winning streak before losing his touch as the financial crisis hit, will step down from his flagship fund at Legg Mason Inc in April.

Web-based software maker Salesforce.com Inc posted a quarterly net loss as its marketing and sales costs increased, and it forecast current-quarter earnings broadly in line with Wall Street estimates.

Italy's new government has announced far-reaching reforms in response to a European debt crisis that on Thursday pushed borrowing costs for France and Spain sharply higher, and brought tens of thousands of Greeks onto the streets of Athens.

Groupon Inc opened the IPO window a crack earlier this month and now companies, including Yelp Inc, Angie's List and even social-gaming giant Zynga, are climbing through it, too.

Web-based software maker Salesforce.com Inc forecast current-quarter earnings broadly in line with Wall Street estimates and posted a quarterly net loss as its marketing and sales costs increased sharply.

Chip-design software maker Mentor Graphics Corp posted better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by higher bookings, but forecast a fourth-quarter profit below market expectations.

Blue Coat Systems Inc posted quarterly results that whizzed past Wall Street estimates and forecast a strong third quarter, sending the Internet-monitoring gear maker's shares up 17 percent in extended trade.

California-based electric motorcycle maker Zero Motorcycles recently unveiled their 2012 line of bikes, boasting five models, a new powertrain and a battery pack that they claim will last the life of the bike.

General Electric Co plans to hire about 400 people to work in a new software development center it intends to open in San Ramon, California, next year, the largest U.S. conglomerate said on Thursday.

The Senate will take up cybersecurity legislation next year to fight online fraud, espionage and intellectual property theft whether or not Republicans and Democrats reach agreement on a comprehensive bill, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid wrote on Wednesday.

No one has made more of a splash than Ford--more specifically the 2013 Ford Mustang--at the 2011 L.A. Auto Show.

Trigger-happy investors dumped stocks on Thursday, scared by the market's sudden fall through a key technical level brought on by more worries about Europe's debt troubles.

There may be one silver lining to the economic cloud hanging over the United States this holiday season: The odds of having to put in an appearance at the sometimes-awkward company party are at a record low.

Shares of consumer review website Angie's List surged as much as 44 percent on their market debut Thursday as investors continued to lap up internet offerings, but concerns about the company's profitability could loom on the stock.

Swiss bank UBS will slash risky assets by almost half and shift focus back to wealthy people's money as it pledged its first dividend since the financial crisis.

Top European IT services providers Atos and Capgemini said on Thursday they were optimistic on outlook with customers continuing to invest despite macroeconomic worries in many European markets.

The trustee liquidating MF Global Holdings Ltd's broker-dealer unit won court permission to distribute $520 million of cash, providing relief to customers whose accounts have been frozen since the futures brokerage went bankrupt.