UNITED STATES

Wal-Mart Stores Inc has agreed to give its U.S. store data to Nielsen Holdings NV , bolstering an industry benchmark that has long lacked insights into sales at the world's largest chain.

Apple is hoarding record amounts of cash, currently holding $76 billion. But the company has not historically made big acquisitions. CEO Steve Jobs says Apple is merely keeping its "powder dry" for strategic opportunities in the future.

As a potentially deadly heat wave scorches 32 states, utilities companies are taking extra precautions to ensure added strain on the electrical grid does not trigger a repeat of the 2003 blackout that temporarily plunged cities from New York to Detroit into darkness.

The 'Gang of Six' senators have a lot riding on their shoulders: They may hold the power to save the United States from default.

Insurance giant MetLife Inc. might put its banking operations up for sale in order to focus more on its insurance side.

Google Inc is introducing a credit card for its advertising customers, offering its clients a credit line to try and drum up business as competition in the online ad market heats up.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: Medco Health Solutions, Robert Half International, Morgan Stanley, Express Scripts, Stryker, CVS Caremark, Nokia, Genworth Financial, AmerisourceBergen and Whirlpool Corp.

AT&T Inc's second-quarter revenue beat Wall Street expectations and its customer growth improved in the first full quarter after it lost exclusive U.S. rights to sell Apple Inc iPhone.

World stocks held below a 1-1/2 week high on Thursday after a disappointing services sector survey in the euro zone while the euro ticked up as investors awaited details of a Franco-German deal on a Greek bailout at a European summit later.

Morgan Stanley reported better-than-expected second-quarter results on Thursday as the U.S. investment bank outperformed rivals in tough trading conditions.

Morgan Stanley beat Wall Street's estimates, but the company still reported a quarterly loss Thursday before the opening bell. Morgan Stanley's bright spot was an increase in trading revenue.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, has his hands full regarding the 'Gang of Six' debt plan. Most Tea Party members of his caucus are likely to oppose it, but if Boehner can recruit enough moderate Democrats to offset Tea Party opposers, the plan should pass the U.S. House -- its likely final hurdler before the bill heads to President Obama.

The United Nations declared famine in two regions of Southern Somalia on Wednesday and warned that it could spread further in two months until donor countries stepped in.

Nasdaq and Dow index futures were lower on Thursday as investors awaited details on a second rescue package for Greece, bringing the euro-zone's debt crisis back into the spotlight.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening on Thursday ahead of key weekly jobless claims data and corporate earnings.

China's factory sector shrank for the first time in a year in July, a survey showed on Thursday, feeding worries among the country's main trading partners that its growth is unsustainable and could lead to a slump.

Morgan Stanley is set to report a second-quarter loss on Thursday, as costs caused by a leftover item from the financial crisis compound the effects of a weak trading environment and stubbornly high expenses.

PepsiCo Inc is expected to report higher quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by growth in emerging markets.

A latest study in the US has revealed that men who pay for sex are more likely to commit crimes against women compared to those who do not. The study was conducted in Boston are.

Apple's latest desktop operating system - Mac OS X Lion - is off to a strong start and is expected to be a runaway success for the technology giant.

Texas inmate Mark Stroman was executed on Wednesday night for hate crimes, making him the seventh person to be executed in the state this year.