UNITED STATES

Prader-Willi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that’s not very well known. Currently, there is a flurry of interest in this disease due to speculation that a Lu Hao, a 132-pound 3-year-old Chinese boy, may have this disease.

Amazon.com Inc is well-positioned to grab market share from Wal-Mart Stores Inc and Target Corp given its competitive pricing and wide assortment, analysts at William Blair & Co said, and upgraded Amazon to outperform.

Best Buy Co Inc beat quarterly profit estimates as strength in its mobile business offset weak demand for televisions and entertainment software in the all-important holiday season.

The 24-year-old actress turned down a plea deal that included jail time and chose to move forward with a trial in her felony grand theft case, People.com confirmed.

U.S. stocks gained on Thursday as portfolio managers and hedge funds purchased high-performing shares near the end of the quarter, but options investors placed more defensive bets on the market.

Approximately a week after it was announced that Julianne Moore will take on the role of Sarah Palin in HBO's Game Change the casting for the presidential nominee, John McCain, has been announced.

European Central Bank policymakers underscored the case for an April rate hike on Thursday as Portugal's political crisis raised the prospect of another spell of reluctant ECB bond market intervention.

U.S. stocks advanced in early trade on Thursday after official data showed that applications for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, recording a drop for a second consecutive week.

Astronomers may have found the coldest stars known, a set of brown brown dwarf stars.

Wall Street was poised for a higher open on Thursday with retail stocks in focus after Best Buy reported higher-than-expected profit, but light trading volume suggested the optimism was limited.

RBC Capital Markets upgraded its rating on shares of MICROS Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MCRS) to outperform from sector perform, as the company's next phase of growth emerged.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it would manage nearly 1,600 stores in 20 eastern U.S. states from Atlanta, putting a closer focus on opportunities to grow its business in states such as New York.

The applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. fell more than expected last week, recording a drop for a second consecutive week.

The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market gainers are: TranS1, Charming Shoppes, China Sunergy, Micron Technology, and TASER International. The top pre-market NASDAQ Stock Market losers are: MediciNova, SkyPeople Fruit Juice, Iridium Communications, James River Coal, and Golar LNG.

Barclays Capital said Apple Inc.'s iPad 2, which began shipping in the U.S. on March 11, remains sold out across retailers with limited sporadic availability at Apple stores themselves and 4-5 week wait times via Apple.com.

According to research group NPD Group, the shuttering of Limewire's music file sharing service has led to a similar decline in the usage of such services throughout the US.

Brent crude see-sawed on Thursday, as concerns about instability in the Middle East were offset by worries about the economic health of the eurozone following the resignation of Portugal's prime minister.

At least four US airlines have reduced their capacity plans for 2011 largely due to the high oil price.

Oil rose on Thursday, as concerns about instability in the Middle East outweighed worries about the economic health of the eurozone following the resignation of Portugal's prime minister.

US stocks defied odds on Wednesday to close slightly positive. The S&P 500 index climbed 3.77 points, or 0.29 percent, to close at 1,297.54. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 67.39 points, or 0.56 percent, to end at 12,086.02. The Nasdaq Composite rose 0.54 percent.

U.S. stocks were expected to open little changed on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones and the Nasdaq 100 trading flat to 0.1 percent higher.