IBT Staff Reporter

Property insurer Travelers Cos Inc blew past Wall Street earnings estimates for the first quarter and raised its dividend 12 percent as natural disaster losses declined and insurance rates continued to rise after years of weakness.

Apple Inc, Google Inc, Intel Corp and four other technology companies were ordered by a judge to face an antitrust lawsuit claiming they illegally conspired not to poach each other's employees.

The state of New York on Thursday sued Sprint Nextel Corp for more than $300 million, accusing the company of tax fraud for deliberately not collecting or paying millions of dollars of taxes for its cell phone service.

Apple Inc, Google Inc, Intel Corp and four other technology companies were ordered by a judge to face an antitrust lawsuit claiming they illegally agreed not to poach each other's employees.

Nokia dropped its sales chief and promised to slash more costs, as Chief Executive Stephen Elop battles to reinvent the cellphone maker to compete with smartphone rivals.

New York on Thursday sued Sprint Nextel Corp for more than $300 million, accusing the company of tax fraud for deliberately not collecting or paying millions of dollars of taxes for its cell phone service.

The European Union will formalize a suspension of sanctions against Myanmar next Monday, allowing for major easing on restrictions against the country over the next year.

DuPont's first-quarter profit beat Wall Street's expectations, helped by price hikes and sales of insecticides and genetically modified seeds.

Stocks rose slightly in a choppy session on Thursday as investors grappled with euro zone uncertainty, a raft of corporate earnings and economic data that painted a mixed picture of the domestic recovery.

Argentina's move to nationalize local oil company YPF, controlled by Spain's Repsol, was a mistake and the wrong thing to do, the head of the World Bank said on Thursday.

New York Times Co reported a better-than-expected profit on Thursday as investors brushed past the company's drop in print and digital advertising revenue and focused more on the company's ability to manage costs.

Stocks opened flat on Thursday as a weak reading on the labor market and rumors of a French sovereign debt downgrade offset better-than-expected results from Bank of America and Morgan Stanley.

Stocks were set to open little changed on Thursday as investors grappled with euro zone uncertainty, a raft of corporate earnings and softer-than-expected data on the domestic labor market.

France and Spain sold all the bonds they wanted at auction on Thursday, though for Spain the cost was rising yields, indicating growing concerns the government will not be able to tame its deficit.

DuPont's first-quarter profit beat Wall Street expectations, helped by price hikes and strong sales of insecticides and genetically modified seeds.

Morgan Stanley's first-quarter results beat expectations, as trading revenue rose sharply and the bank's wealth management business began to improve, sending its shares up in premarket trading on Thursday.

Bank of America Corp reported lower first-quarter profit as the second-largest U.S. bank took accounting charges related to its debt, but results topped analysts' estimates as credit quality improved.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits fell less than expected last week, according to a government report on Thursday that could dampen hopes of a pick-up in job creation in April after March's slowdown.

Ford Motor Co is investing $760 million to build a new plant in eastern China as part of its effort to catch up with U.S. rival General Motors Co in the world's largest auto market.

Stock index futures trimmed early gains on Thursday, tracking European markets lower, as speculation swirled that France's sovereign debt rating may be downgraded.

Nokia ditched its sales chief and promised to slash more costs, as the Finnish cellphone maker runs out of time to reinvent itself under pressure from smartphone rivals.

Morgan Stanley lost money during the first quarter because a quirky accounting rule cost the bank $2 billion, but excluding that special item, its earnings rose on stronger wealth-management revenue and cost cutting.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday after Spain sold all of its debt at an auction and ahead of a raft of corporate earnings and economic data.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday after Spain sold all of its debt at an auction and ahead of a raft of corporate earnings and economic data.

Struggling Finnish cellphone maker Nokia promised more, substantial cost cuts and said its sales chief was leaving after reporting a slightly bigger than expected first-quarter loss.

Energy giant Exxon Mobil Corp is not on the finalized list of 47 pre-qualified bidders for the next round of Iraq energy exploration rights, a statement posted on the oil ministry website showed on Thursday.

Disillusioned by the unfulfilled promise of the cities and feeling stifled by tough austerity measures aimed at coping with an economic downturn, some Portuguese are opting out and returning to the land.

DuPont's first-quarter profit and sales beat Wall Street's expectations, helped by price hikes and strong sales of herbicides and genetically modified seeds.

British legislators said on Thursday they hoped to publish on May 1 a long-awaited report into a phone hacking scandal centered on News Corp's now-closed News of the World tabloid.