IBT Staff Reporter

Congressional investigators on Thursday sought documents on Thursday from Toyota Motor Corp and U.S. safety regulators about a pair of safety recalls the automaker was racing to address.

Oracle Corp has filed a suit against a little known rival that provides low-cost software maintenance services, in a case similar to one that Oracle is fighting against rival SAP AG.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc is consolidating some U.S. operations and dividing the country into three regions under separate presidents to increase efficiency at more than 3,700 domestic stores.

Toyota Motor Corp is consulting with U.S. safety regulators on a fix that would allow it to avoid the more costly option of shipping brand new accelerators for over 2 million Americans with vehicles under recall, two people briefed on the talks said.

The Senate on Thursday backed Ben Bernanke for a second four-year term running the Federal Reserve, the world's most powerful central bank, despite deep misgivings over his perceived policy missteps.

After being hammered in the regular session, the tech sector is showing modest recovery in after-hours trading.

U.S. stocks dropped on Thursday as poor outlooks from Motorola and Qualcomm dented optimism in the technology sector while worries about Greece's fiscal health dragged on sentiment.

(Corrects paragraph 6 to read Fears that Athens ... and not News that Athens ... regarding ability to service debt)

NASA is set to receive a $6 billion fund injection over the next five years in a bid for ocompanies to develop rockets capable of taking astronauts to the International Space Station.

Ford Motor Co posted its first full-year profit since 2005 on Thursday and said it expects to stay profitable in 2010 despite a still-fragile economy and a debt-heavy balance sheet.

The Australian Dollar opens at 0.8940 after a volatile 24-hour session which saw it trade between a low of 0.8910 during early Sydney trade yesterday and a high of 0.9044 in early Europe.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner joined other Obama administration officials on Thursday who fanned out across the country to talk up prospects for brighter hiring prospects as recovery sets in.

Games maker Nintendo showed greater than expected resilience in its battle for market share last quarter thanks in part to a 20 percent price cut on its Wii product that sliced into profits.

The stock market closed down today on shaky economic data and plunging technology shares, despite news that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was confirmed for a second term.

Microsoft Corp posted a 60 percent increase in quarterly profit, helped by strong sales of its new Windows 7 operating system, and said it expected business technology spending to recover this year.

The talks for the merger of air cargo operations of ailing Japan Airlines Corp and Nippon Yusen KK have reached an impasse over the basic framework of the deal, the Nikkei business daily reported.

Cable giant Comcast and NBC Universal said on Thursday they would continue reporting news, keep broadcast television free and offer more children's programming if the U.S. government approves Comcast's plan to take control of the TV and movie company.

Stocks dropped on Thursday as poor outlooks from Motorola and Qualcomm dented optimism in the technology sector while worries about Greece's fiscal health dragged on sentiment.

U.S. consumers' obsession with using smartphones to find restaurants, surf the web and navigate city streets helped propel a 26 percent rise in AT&T's quarterly profit -- but at a cost for the operator.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods edged higher in December and the number of workers filing applications for jobless aid fell last week, indicating the economy remains on a recovery path.

California and Florida high-speed rail projects were the biggest beneficiaries of more than $8 billion dollars in federal grants announced on Thursday.

Macy's Inc said it is cutting some store-level jobs and adding others as part of its efforts to standardize how it manages stores and staffing.

In the latest demonstration of the strength of the PC sector, Microsoft (MSFT) this posted second quarter results that were well ahead of Street estimates.

Stocks dropped on Thursday as poor outlooks from Motorola and Qualcomm dented optimism in the technology sector while worries about Greece's fiscal health dragged on sentiment.

A majority of U.S. senators on Thursday voted to confirm Ben Bernanke for a second four-year term at the head of the Federal Reserve, suggesting he would win the Senate's needed approval.

The Senate on Thursday approved Ben Bernanke's nomination to a second four-year term running the world's most powerful central bank despite deep misgivings over his perceived policy missteps.

The Senate voted to reappoint Ben Bernanke for a second four-year term as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Miramax Studios is closing its offices in New York City and Los Angeles on Thursday and will end operations as of Friday, the company announced in a statement, according to The Wrap.

The Senate on Thursday voted to clear a hurdle to Ben Bernanke's nomination to serve a second four-year term at the head of the Federal Reserve, a strong indication the votes are in place for final approval.