UNITED STATES

The applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. rose more than expected last week, after falling to the lowest level since May 2008 in the previous week.

Goods and services trade deficit in the U.S. edged up to $46.3 billion in January from the revised figure of $40.3 billion in December.

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The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade on Thursday are: H&R Block, Starbucks, Eaton, Jacobs Engineering, Devry, Netapp, Jabil Circuit and Sprint Nextel.

The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Human Genome Sciences, Semtech, Starbucks and Atrinsic. The top pre-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Coldwater Creek, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Canadian Solar, ARM Holdings, and SIGA Technologies.

Starbucks Corp will team up with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc to take on the fast-growing single-serve market.

Stocks were set for a lower open on Thursday after a rating agency downgrade of Spain rekindled concerns over euro zone debt problems and disappointing economic data from China and the United states heightened global growth worries.

The trade deficit widened much more than expected in January to $46.3 billion, as surging imports of oil, capital goods and cars overpowered record exports.

Starbucks Corp has signed a partnership deal with Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc , confirming expectations the pair would team up to take on the fast-growing single-serve market.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after a rating downgrade of Spain rekindled concerns over euro zone debt problems and weak Chinese trade data heightened global growth worries.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday after a rating downgrade of Spain rekindled concerns over euro zone debt problems and weak Chinese trade data heightened global growth worries.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded Spain's government bond ratings by one notch to Aa2 from Aa1 with a negative outlook.

Wall Street is set to open lower on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, Dow Jones and Nasdaq down 0.3-0.6 percent at 1019 GMT.

U.S. stocks ended modestly lower in choppy trading as unfolding events in Libya and their impact on oil prices seem to be the overriding factors to most investors.

European stocks and the euro retreated on Thursday after Moody's downgraded Spain, reigniting worries over the euro zone debt crisis, while ongoing violence in Libya kept Brent crude hovering around $116.

The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: Semtech, China Lodging Group, Fuel-Tech, China Sky One Medical, and Iridium Communications. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Coldwater Creek, The Children's Place Retail Stores, SMTC, SIGA Technologies, and Columbia Laboratories.

Settlements of securities fraud lawsuits are increasingly tied to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission cases, a trend likely to continue as the agency increases enforcement activity, a new report shows.

Global miner Rio Tinto raised its offer for Africa-focused coal miner Riversdale Mining to $3.9 billion on Thursday in a final bid to woo key shareholders, a move that Riversdale said was helping to sway institutions.

HBO Films announced Wednesday that four-time Oscar nominee, Julianne Moore will star as former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in new film titled Game Change.

Download speeds for consumers using WiFi stations are on average 30 percent slower than they are for users of fixed connections, because of physical barriers and interference from devices like microwaves, a study showed on Thursday.

The world's largest bond fund has gone ultra bearish on the United States, dumping all of its U.S. government-related debt holdings.