COMPANIES

Lear Corp., which has faced criticism for accepting billionaire Carl Icahn's $36-per-share buyout offer, delayed a shareholder vote on the deal until July 12, the auto parts maker said on Friday.

Furniture retailer Pier 1 Imports, Inc. reported a wider than expected fiscal first quarter loss Thursday. It also said it may need to close down more stores than originally planned.

Goldman Sachs’ (NYSE: GS) real estate fund, Whitehall, has agreed to acquire hotel owner Equity Inns, Inc. (NYSE: ENN) in a deal worth $1.27 billion, not including debt, the companies announced Thursday.

Researchers at a U.S. company trying to push the margins of stem cell research said on Friday they had grown human embryonic stem cells using a non-controversial method that did not harm the embryos.

Pearson Plc (NYSE: PSO) and General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) dropped plans on Thursday to propose a bid that would have rivaled News Corp.’s $5 billion offer for Down Jones & Co., Inc. (NYSE: DJ), publisher of the Wall Street Journal.

UK oil major BP Plc agreed to sell its interest in the Siberian Kovykta gas field to state-controlled Gazprom at a knock-down price on Friday, as the Kremlin continues to tighten its grip over Russia's oil and gas industry.

Bear Stearns Cos., trying to prevent the collapse of two of its hedge funds, may take over about $3.2 billion of the funds' loans to prevent creditors from seizing more assets, Bloomberg reported on its Web site on Friday.

Archer Daniels Midland Co., the largest U.S. ethanol producer, is considering a purchase of Brazil's Cosan SA as ADM prepares to enter Brazil's sugarcane ethanol business, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Friday.

Jones Apparel Group Inc. is near a deal to sell the Barneys New York high-end clothing chain for $825 million to Dubai's private equity firm Istithmar, The New York Times reported on Friday.

Blackstone Group LP priced its initial public offering at the top end of the range on Thursday, even as lawmakers pushed for its delay, raising $4.13 billion in the largest U.S. IPO since 2002.

If Boeing Co. has been rocked by this week's stack of new plane deals announced by rival Airbus, it certainly isn't showing it.

NYSE Euronext Inc. has entered the competition for the Borsa Italiana by submitting a preliminary bid to rival the London Stock Exchange Group's offer, according to the online edition of the Wall Street Journal.

The London Stock Exchange's offer for Borsa Italiana is worth about 1.6 billion euros ($2.14 billion), sources close to the situation said on Friday, a shade above a reported rival bid from NYSE Euronext and giving Borsa heavy board representation.

U.S. farmers need rain to help them cash in on demand for ethanol, the alternative fuel made from corn.

When Kansas-based real estate investor Phil Ruffin paid $165 million for 41 acres on the famed Las Vegas Strip in 1998, his critics said he overpaid by $15 million.

General Electric Co. and Pearson Plc said on Thursday they will not pursue a joint offer for publisher Dow Jones & Co. Inc., removing a potential challenge to a $5-billion bid by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

H&R Block Inc. (NYSE: HRB) reported a fourth quarter loss on Thursday, on the poor performance of its mortgage lending arm, sending shares down nearly 4 percent.

News Corp. (NYSE: NWS) may swap its popular social networking site for a stake in Yahoo! Inc. according to a published report.

Starbucks Corp.'s chief financial officer said on Thursday the high end of the coffee shop chain's 2007 earnings forecast will be 'very challenging' due to current market conditions, including higher dairy costs.

It has been said only half-jokingly that General Motors Corp. is actually a giant health-insurance provider - just one that happens to make cars.

After a frenzied four days of deals at the Paris Air Show, Europe's Airbus appears to have booked enough orders to move ahead of rival Boeing Co. in the sales race this year.

IntercontinentalExchange Inc. on Thursday urged CBOT Holdings Inc. shareholders and members to reject the proposed sale of the company to Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc.

H&R Block Inc., the largest U.S. tax preparer, on Thursday posted a fourth-quarter loss on the depressed value of a mortgage unit slammed by deterioration in the U.S. subprime market.

Dow Jones & Co. Inc. said on Wednesday its board will take over negotiations related to a $5 billion takeover offer from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., a move that could bring a quicker resolution to the talks.

Top U.S. consumer electronics retail chain Best Buy Co. Inc. is speeding up its expansion in China, banking on robust demand in a fast-growing market that it entered just one year ago.

Morgan Stanley, a top Wall Street firm, has raised an $8 billion real estate fund through its property arm to focus on North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Morgan Stanley on Wednesday said its second-quarter profit rose 40 percent, trouncing expectations as most of its trading and investment-banking businesses achieved record results.

Package delivery company FedEx Corp. on Wednesday reported a profit that missed analysts' forecast and said earnings growth would fall short of expectations due to continued softness in the U.S. economy.

The global wealth management sector showed lavish growth last year, with assets under management rising 14 percent, a survey showed, but the bonanza might be over if stock markets turned.