MARKETS / FINANCE

Merck & Co on Thursday reported weaker-than-expected quarterly sales and predicted relatively flat 2012 results as the No. 2 drugmaker girds for cheaper generic forms of its biggest product, asthma drug Singulair.

CME Group , the biggest U.S. futures exchange operator, on Thursday said fourth-quarter profits rose sharply because of tax benefits and said it would institute a special annual dividend on top of its regular quarterly payout, which it also increased.

Stock index futures pointed to slight gains at the open on Thursday after jobless claims fell more than expected, boosting optimism about the upcoming January payrolls report.

Facebook filed for an initial public offering with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Wednesday, for the first time doing a public financial strip tease.

Youku.com, China's largest online video company, filed a lawsuit against its No.1 rival, Tudou Holdings Ltd, saying it incurred losses because of claims by Tudou that Youku had misused copyrighted material, the government-run Xinhua news agency reported on Thursday.

There are now more than 26,000 prisoners above age 65. There are more than 124,000 prisoners age 55 or older.

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors looked ahead to weekly jobless claims data, one last clue about the state of the labor market before Friday's key jobs report.

Investors are needlessly exposing themselves to huge potential losses by defying two golden rules for making money through bonds - lend more to those who will pay on time in full and less to those already saturated in debt.

Learn about Glencore and Xstrata Plc, which are expected to announce a plan to combine as early as this week.

The number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms surged in January to its highest level in four months as retailers and financial firms cut jobs, a report on Thursday showed.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange suffered a major glitch in cash-share trading for the first time in six years on Thursday that prevented morning trade in some 240 shares and instruments, including Sony Corp , and provoked anger among traders.

Now that the Facebook filing is available, it's pretty clear that before he turns 28, CEO Mark Zuckerberg will be a billionaire. Maybe, if the IPO is as successful as hoped, he'll be worth about $28 billion.

Greece's prime minister faces the daunting task of rallying reluctant political leaders behind unpopular wage and pension cuts demanded by lenders as the price for bailout money that is essential to avert a chaotic default.

Gold prices rose for a second straight day on Wednesday in correlation with the euro. It came on the same day that the Global Investor Confidence index measured by State Street Global Markets fell just more than two points, suggesting that the continuing economic turbulence is fueling investors to seek out more stable assets like gold.

Picture President Barack Obama's reelection campaign as a showroom. Over there, at one stand, is an overall improving economy -- he hopes. And somewhere in the showroom, either as a part of the economy stand or standing on its own, will be the health and restoration of the United States automotive industry. If the past week and a half is any indication, Obama plans to use it as a critical point in his reelection campaign as the industry continues a dramatic recovery from dire straits just mor...

China is considering providing greater involvement in the rescue funds aimed at resolving the European debt crisis, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told journalists on Thursday.

Josef Ackermann's reign at Deutsche Bank ended in a surprise quarterly loss on Thursday, with the bank hit by a downturn in bond trading due to the euro zone crisis and writedowns on holdings in drug and gambling companies.

Gold prices Thursday extended last month's rally after positive manufacturing from China to the Europe to the U.S. and Greece appeared close to a settlement with its creditors.

China is considering greater involvement in the European Financial Stability Facility and the upcoming European Stability Mechanism , Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao told journalists on Thursday.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures flat and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.2 percent at 4:45 a.m. ET.

Facing stiff global headwinds and a downturn in its property sector, China should cut taxes and slash banks' reserve requirements this year to underpin growth, a senior government economist said on Thursday.

European shares hit a six-week high on Thursday adding to solid gains after global manufacturing data eased fears about the growth outlook, but with Greek debt talks unresolved, gains were limited.

Asian shares rose on Thursday as encouraging manufacturing data soothed fears about the global economic fallout from the euro zone debt crisis, but the euro lost steam as the ongoing Greek debt talks reminded investors of the complexity of the problem.

Italy's bonds have made sizzling returns this year but fears the country will lose its investment-grade status are putting off long-term investors whose support Rome needs to tackle a mountain of refinancing and ease worries about its debt.

Glencore International is nearing an agreement to combine with Xstrata in a deal that may value the combined entity at 52 billion pounds ($82.46 billion), Bloomberg reported on Thursday, sending Glencore shares sharply higher in Hong Kong.

China's securities regulator has for the first time published a full list of Chinese companies that have applied for an initial public offering on the Shanghai or Shenzhen markets, in a move aimed at boosting transparency of the system.

Japan's punch-drunk corporate sector looks to be out for the count, having been knocked off its feet by a strong yen just as it was staging a wobbly recovery from natural disaster.

Want a slice of the billions of dollars China spends each year on farm subsidies? Become a middleman and open a toll road.

JPMorgan Chase & Co surprised Wall Street by winning a leading role in Facebook's much anticipated public offering, besting other banks that have competed for months for the coveted position.