COMPANIES

Over 2,160 Boeing workers in Wichita will be laid off as the airplane and defense company closes its facility in the Kansas city in light of U.S. defense budget cuts.

Italian automaker Fiat increased its majority stake in Chrysler on Thursday to 58.5 percent from 53.5 percent, reaching the goal set by the United States government after it bailed out and restructured the American automaker under bankruptcy protection in 2009.

The New York-based retailer said it expects 2012 consolidated sales between $7.0 billion and $7.2 billion. The company expects full year losses to total $1.10 and $1.40 per share.

Venerable bookseller Barnes & Noble said it will consider spinning off its thriving Nook business – its thriving e-book unit – while determining its own corporate future.

Stocks of Japanese oil refiner TonenGeneral Sekiyu KK keeps dropping following an announcement that ExxonMobil Corp., is considering selling its majority shares of that company.

Struggling phone maker Nokia Oyj basked in brightening prospects for its much-hyped Windows phone on Thursday as it prepared to strengthen the hand of new boss Stephen Elop by replacing its old-guard chairman.

The Nano is not a flop, its creator Ratan Tata said on Thursday, but he acknowledged that his Tata Motors failed to capitalise on the early excitement surrounding the launch of the world's cheapest car.

In a letter to the U.S. Department of State, six lawmakers, including five Republicans and a Democrat, stated the government should investigate whether Huawei - the world's second largest telecommunications equipment maker - had violated the law by providing sensitive technology to the Iranian government.

Apple Inc. is expected to release iPad 3 anytime in the next two months, as reports and analysts forecast suggest February to March time frame.

HTC Amaze 4G, which was released in October for T-Mobile, is expected to face immense pressure from Samsung Galaxy S2, which is considered to be the best Android smartphone yet.

Jefferies & Co. downgraded its rating on shares of Yahoo Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) to hold from buy with a price target of $18, after the company announced the appointment of PayPal's President Scott Thompson as new chief executive officer and director effective Jan. 9.

Google's patent portfolio just got stronger. The software corporation managed to acquire over 200 patents from IBM Corp.

Apple Inc has appointed Adobe Systems Inc's Todd Teresi to head its iAd mobile-advertising business, Bloomberg said, citing three people with knowledge of the matter.

Connecticut's attorney general is investigating a possible data breach in which Wells Fargo & Co may have disclosed customer Social Security numbers as part of a fraud investigation.

Text-messaging has long been a big-time profit generator for U.S. mobile operators, but they now risk losing these profits as consumers find cheaper ways to communicate.

2011 proved to be a sterling year for silver, according to recently released figures from the Silver Institute.

Blackstone Group LP will conclude fundraising for its latest buyout fund in January, raising just over $16 billion, three people familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, in a 4-year process challenged by the global financial crisis.

Fertilizer producer Mosaic posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit as higher prices helped offset a dip in phosphate sales and flat potash volumes.

The United States auto industry put a cap on its best year since crumbling to unforeseen depths in 2008, as the Big Three auto companies all reported strong December sales that met or exceeded analyst estimates.

Verizon Wireless said it expects to report a decline of up to 6 percentage points in its fourth quarter profit margins as costs rose on strong sales of Apple Inc iPhone and other devices.

The surprise departure of PayPal President Scott Thompson from eBay Inc could seriously set back any moves to spin-off the payments business as a separate company, investors and analysts said on Wednesday.

Seagate Technology Inc forecast stronger-than-expected second-quarter revenue and expects sequentially higher shipments in the third quarter, as the hard disk drive maker recovered from the supply chain disruptions caused by the Thailand floods.

Advertising packages reportedly sold for six-figures or low seven-figures, a far cry from the $3.5 million it costs for a 30-second slot on TV.

Mainland China and 21 other countries will finally launch sales for Apple's most advanced smartphone, the iPhone 4S, on Friday, Jan. 13. The phone will be available in black and white and will sell at the same prices as in the U.S.

Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable operator, and Walt Disney Co on Wednesday said they had reached a comprehensive 10-year programming carriage deal for TV, Web and handheld devices.

Nevertheless, Netflix shares are down significantly from the 52-week high of $304.79.

After receiving tepid reviews for his first book of fictional short stories, actor James Franco has sold his debut novel to Amazon Publishing, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Securities regulators charged an Illinois-based investment adviser on Wednesday with using LinkedIn and other social media networking websites to lure investors by offering more than $500 billion in fake securities.

The settlement will require AT&T to pay at least $215 million to TiVo by June 2018, $51 million of which must be paid upfront.