IBT Staff Reporter

China's annual consumer inflation slowed sharply to a 20-month low in February, and factory output and retail sales also cooled more than forecast, giving policymakers ample room to further loosen monetary policy to support flagging growth.

The result should clear the way for the European Union and International Monetary Fund to release a 130 billion euro bailout package agreed with Greece in February.

Greece has successfully closed a bond swap offer aimed at reducing its colossal debt pile and averting a chaotic default that would pitch the euro zone into a fresh crisis.

Employment likely grew solidly for a third straight month in February, a sign the economic recovery is becoming more durable and in less need of further monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve.

Bank of America, one of five banks in $25 billion settlement with the government over foreclosure practices, has struck a side deal that will allow it to reduce penalties in return for bigger cuts to borrowers' mortgage balances, the Wall Street Journal said.

Citigroup Chief Executive Vikram Pandit finally got his payday. The third biggest U.S. bank company paid Pandit $14.86 million in 2011, compared with a salary of $1 and no bonus in 2010, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Committee.

One late-night visit by the FBI was all it took for the notorious hacker known as Sabu to switch sides and become a valued snitch.

Nathan Acosta is feeling a little overwhelmed.

British satellite broadcaster BSkyB, part of Rupert Murdoch's UK media business, is facing an escalating investigation into whether it is a fit and proper owner of a broadcasting licence, Britain's telecoms regulator said on Thursday.

Wall Street companies hired an extra 4,900 workers from January 2011 to January 2012, the New York Department of Labor said on Thursday in revised data that countered expectations of job losses in the securities industry.

Proview Technology, which is battling Apple over the iPad trademark in China, has asked Chinese distributors to stop selling the popular tablet PC after the U.S. technology giant launched the latest version of its iPad.

Pininfarina and Bertone put new supercar concepts on display at the Geneva Auto Show, demonstrating that the two design houses are putting their financial troubles behind them, executives said.

President Barack Obama summons the image of a scrappy auto worker or high-tech engineer when he calls for expanding a major corporate tax break for manufacturing, but he might just as well evoke the coffee-shop barista or the cable guy.

Securities regulators charged a former Coca-Cola Enterprises executive on Thursday with insider-trading, saying his illegal trades helped him reap $86,850 in illicit profits.

Families took on more debt in late 2011 for the first time in 3-1/2 years but a rise in after-tax incomes left consumers in better shape to spend.

Apple Inc, the biggest U.S. company by market value, was told it cannot now pursue ongoing patent infringement litigation against bankrupt photography giant Eastman Kodak Co.

Stocks rose on Thursday, recovering most of the week's losses, after Greece moved closer to a bond swap with private creditors to avoid a messy default.

For U.S. consumer electronics chains Best Buy and RadioShack , selling Apple products is at best a bittersweet experience.

Convicted swindler Allen Stanford should forfeit some $330 million stashed in foreign bank accounts, a jury found on Thursday.

Greece closed a bond swap offer to private creditors on Thursday after clearing the minimum threshold of acceptance to push the deal through, moving closer to unlocking funds it needs to avoid a dangerous debt default.

The number of Americans filing for jobless benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but not enough to change perceptions that the labor market was strengthening.

The U.S. Justice Department has warned Apple and five major U.S. publishers that it plans to sue them, accusing them of colluding to raise the prices of electronic books, a person familiar with the probe said on Thursday.

Stocks rose on Thursday as Greece moved closer to concluding a bond swap with private creditors that is needed to avoid a messy default.

The Justice Department has warned Apple and five major publishers that it plans to sue them, accusing them of colluding to raise the prices of electronic books, a person familiar with the probe said on Thursday.

The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on a plan to take quick action on the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, a bid that will likely be defeated by Democrats but that gives its Republican supporters an opening to criticize President Barack Obama's energy policies.

The Senate could vote as early as Thursday on a plan to fast-track the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, a bid that is unlikely to attract enough Democratic support to pass but will give its Republican supporters an opening to criticize President Barack Obama's energy policies.

Stocks rose on Thursday as Greece moved closer to concluding a bond swap with private creditors that is needed to stave off a messy default.

Greece moved closer to wrapping up its bond swap with private investors on Thursday, indicating that it had already cleared a vital threshold needed to pass a deal which will hand bondholders steep cuts in the value of their investments.

Stocks extended their gains on Thursday, with the Nasdaq up 1 percent as Greece moved closer to concluding a bond swap with private creditors that is needed to prevent a messy default.