COMPANIES

Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a higher quarterly profit on Thursday but said sales at its existing U.S. namesake stores fell during the holiday quarter.

Swiss Re was more confident it could repay a costly convertible loan from Warren Buffett after strengthening its capital and returning to the black in 2009.

A German government advisory panel has raised doubts about whether General Motors' reorganization plan for European arm Opel deserves crucial state aid.

Even before HBO officially unveiled its new broadband strategy Wednesday, the buzz had been building for HBO Go.

Calpers released late on Wednesday a list of 11 firms with which it has invested that did not reply to its request for information on their use of placement agents.

The International Trade Commission said it launched an investigation of Research In Motion and Apple smartphones that contain digital cameras after receiving a complaint from Eastman Kodak Co.

U.S. regulators launched a preliminary investigation into reported steering problems on the Corolla sedan on Wednesday as Toyota Motor Corp faced questions from U.S. lawmakers on whether it had ignored red flags on safety before a wave of vehicle recalls.

Hewlett-Packard Co posted better-than-expected results on strong server and personal computer sales and a resurgence in its printing business, and the company raised its full-year outlook.

EBay would consider acquisitions in the $5 billion Russian online retail market to help maintain a foothold in the country, Chief Executive John Donahoe said.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Co recruited a team of veteran A.G. Edwards financial advisers from their new owners, Wells Fargo & Co.

The U.S. International Trade Commission said it launched an investigation of Research In Motion and Apple mobile telephones that contain digital cameras after receiving a complaint from Eastman Kodak Co.

PepsiCo Inc said on Wednesday that shareholders of both Pepsi Bottling Group Inc and PepsiAmericas Inc approved its proposed merger.

A former Goldman Sachs Group Inc computer programmer pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to charges he stole code from the bank's lucrative high-frequency trading platform before leaving for another company last year.

Genzyme Corp said on Wednesday it is on the way to resolving a manufacturing crisis that led to shortages of two key drugs, but said production of one of them remains below par and the company's shares fell more than 1 percent.

Ford Motor Co on said on Tuesday it will eliminate the second shift at a Michigan assembly plant that builds the Ford Mustang and the Mazda 6 sedan, cutting about 900 jobs at the facility.

U.S. regulators opened an investigation on Tuesday to see whether recent recalls of Toyota Motor Corp vehicles were carried out in a timely manner, the Transportation Department said.

Barnes & Noble Inc said on Wednesday that it would not waive its poison-pill anti-takeover provision to allow billionaire investor Ronald Burkle to nearly double his stake.

L. B. Foster Co said it would acquire Portec Rail Products Inc for about $112 million to expand its rail products business.

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc reported lower stakes in ConocoPhillips, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble Co in the fourth quarter.

Expectations for defaults and losses in residential mortgage-backed securities continue to rise sharply in the United States, while tailing off in Britain, even as its economy has been slower to recover, a survey found.

Energy major Reliance Industries may be forced to raise its offer for LyondellBasell or abandon its bid all together after the target settled a dispute with creditors.

Walgreen Co., is strengthening its position in New York City, as it announced today it has reached an agreement to acquire Duane Reade Holdings Inc.

Simon Property Group Inc sought to pluck General Growth Properties out of bankruptcy on Tuesday, offering to pay $7 billion to creditors and nearly $3 billion to shareholders.

Home-builder sentiment rose more than expected in February as low interest rates and a sharper than expected drop in unemployment boosted confidence for the first time since September, the National Association of Home Builders said on Tuesday.

Carl Icahn on Tuesday launched a tender offer to buy control of Lions Gate Entertainment Corp, potentially triggering a technical default in the studio's bank credit facility.

Verizon Wireless will let its customers make free or low-cost calls by using Skype on its smart phones.

Express, the sixth-largest specialty retail apparel brand in the U.S. on Tuesday filed for an initial public offering of up to $200 million.

Natural gas infrastructure company Chesapeake Midstream Partners LP on Tuesday filed for an initial public offering of up to $345 million.

Kraft Foods Inc quarterly revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations, but said its $18.4 billion takeover of Cadbury Plc would accelerate long-term growth.