MARKETS / FINANCE

Viacom is returning popular comedy shows The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report to online video service Hulu in a deal that will also make other programs available to paying subscribers.

Visa Inc's quarterly profit rose 16 percent, slightly beating expectations, as consumer spending ramped up and the company processed more transactions abroad.

Billionaire bond maven Bill Gross in a February report says America needs new priorities and blasts a culture that worships money and greed.

Citigroup on Tuesday swooped in to take control of EMI, a blow to the music company's private equity owner which had fought a long battle to keep hold of the debt-ridden label.

Major automakers shut down plants in six Midwest states and Ontario on Wednesday after a winter storm that swept through the region a day before cut off shipments of parts and raw materials.

Visa Inc said on Wednesday quarterly profit rose 16 percent to $884 million, slightly beating expectations, as consumer spending ramped up and the company processed more transactions abroad.

French telecommunications rivals Orange, SFR and Bouygues Telecom have banded together to create an Internet payment company along the lines of eBay Inc's PayPal, French newspaper Les Echos reported on its front page.

The United States will hit a $14.3 trillion statutory limit on its debt slightly later than previously estimated, the Treasury said on Wednesday as it unveiled a still-hefty debt auction schedule.

Major automakers shut down plants in six Midwest states and Ontario on Wednesday, after a winter storm that swept through the region a day before cut off shipments of parts and raw materials.

U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected in January, the 12th consecutive month that companies took on staff, adding to hopes that the weak American labor market is slowly improving.

Major automakers shut down plants in six Midwest states and Ontario on Wednesday after a winter storm that swept through the region a day before cut off shipments of parts and raw materials.

The number of planned layoffs at U.S. firms in January rose 20 percent from the previous month to 38,519, but the tally was still the lowest for a January since at least 1993, according to a report released on Wednesday.

Germany and France have reached a consensus on steps to boost economic coordination within the euro zone as part of a comprehensive anti-crisis package that will also see the scope of Europe's bailout fund bolstered.

South Africa's trade union Solidarity said on Wednesday workers at diversified miner Exxaro (EXXJ.J) could strike before mid-2011 over benefits and planned retrenchments.

Tackling Spain's dramatic unemployment rate is a priority for the country, said Spain's Secretary of State for the Economy at an investor presentation in London on Wednesday.

Hungary's government will work to boost employment levels from 55 percent quickly, including with unorthodox measures, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. Orban told a news conference the changes are needed

Simon JohnsonIceland's central bank signaled on Wednesday that interest rates may have bottomed out as it cut borrowing costs by 25 basis points to support a slow recovery from a brutal downturn.

Chrysler Group LLC canceled first production shifts at several plants in eight locations on Wednesday due to a shortage of parts.

U.S. private employers added 187,000 jobs in January compared with a revised gain of 247,000 jobs in December, a report by payrolls processor ADP showed on Wednesday.

Toyota Motor Co (7203.T) said on Tuesday that it had offered buyout packages in a bid to reduce the management staff at its U.S. sales headquarters in Torrance, California.

U.S. private employers added more jobs than expected in January, underscoring views the employment picture is slowly improving. The private sector added 187,000 jobs in January compared with a downwardly revised

U.S. private employers added 187,000 jobs in January compared with a revised gain of 247,000 jobs in December, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday.

Nomura Holdings <8604.T>, Japan's top brokerage, reported its biggest profit in three quarters after gains in Tokyo stocks gave a boost to revenues, but higher costs to expand overseas limited earnings growth.

Japan is unlikely to escape from deflation at least through the fiscal year ending in March 2013, prompting the Bank of Japan to stick to its ultra-loose policy, Kazumasa Iwata, former deputy governor of the central bank, said on Wednesday.

Japan is unlikely to escape from deflation at least through the fiscal year ending in March 2013, prompting the Bank of Japan to stick to its ultra-loose policy, Kazumasa Iwata, former deputy governor of the central bank, said on Wednesday.

Japan's economy will emerge from a lull toward spring and is certain to pull out of deflation over time, a Bank of Japan policymaker said, offering an upbeat take on the outlook on budding signs of a recovery.

Moody's Investors Service said it will hold a briefing on its sovereign ratings including its rating for Japan in Tokyo on February 9, while giving no indication if it would take any action.

Nomura Holdings, Japan's biggest brokerage, reported a 31 percent rise in third quarter net profit on Wednesday after gains in Tokyo stocks boosted fees.

Nomura Holdings, Japan's biggest brokerage, reported a 31 percent rise in third quarter net profit from a year earlier as a gain in Tokyo stocks boosted fees.