IBT Staff Reporter

British bid target Cadbury (CBRY.L) will paint an upbeat picture for 2010 and upgrade 2009 forecasts next week in a final attempt to fight off a hostile bid from Kraft Foods (KFT.N), analysts said on Friday.

President Barack Obama on Friday is making his promised hard pivot to jobs, following up the morning's release of December unemployment figures with an East Room announcement at 2:40 p.m. ET about stimulus dollars going to clean-tech jobs.

The Dow and the S&P 500 fell on Friday after an unexpectedly weak employment report cast doubts on prospects for a quick rebound in the labor market.

U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 85,000 jobs in December, government data showed on Friday, cooling optimism on the labor market's recovery and keeping

The Nasdaq turned positive, led by advancing biotechnology shares, as stocks pared losses in early trading on Friday.

U.S. electronics chain Best Buy Co Inc on Friday said December same-store sales rose 8.2 percent and it maintained its financial forecast for 2010.

U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 85,000 jobs in December, cooling optimism on the labor market's recovery and keeping pressure on President Barack Obama to find ways to spur job growth.

The U.S. office vacancy rate hit a 15-year high in the fourth quarter and landlords slashed rent last year by the largest amount since at least 1980, real estate research firm Reis Inc said on Friday.

Corporate America doesn't seem to have much faith in the economic recovery.

Tribune Co's Los Angeles Times said it would close its printing operations in Orange County, California, resulting in about 80 layoffs, as part of cost-cutting measures.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will delay submitting its highly anticipated National Broadband Plan report to Congress by one month to better digest all the data and public input, an FCC official said on Thursday.

Palm Inc will sell upgraded versions of its Pre and Pixi smartphones on January 25 through top U.S. mobile carrier Verizon Wireless, getting its devices into more users' hands.

Shares in Japan Airlines Corp tumbled on Friday as media reports and comments from government officials heightened fears Asia's biggest carrier by revenue will file for bankruptcy as part of a state bailout.

U.S. electronics chain Best Buy Co Inc on Friday said December same-store sales rose 8.2 percent and it maintained its financial forecast for 2010.

Cooling optimism on jobs; Fears for JAL; More big bank bonuses

Japan's Toshiba Corp needs to outsource more TV production in the U.S. to better compete against bigger South Korean rivals and focus on high-end products, an executive said.

Stock index futures were little changed on Friday ahead of a key monthly employment report expected to show the economy stopped shedding jobs last month for the first time in two years.

Hopes that Saab will find a buyer rose on Friday after new bidders joined the race just before a deadline expired, despite prospects General Motors will close it down in the absence of a credible offer.

President Barack Obama took ultimate responsibility on Thursday for security failures that led to the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a U.S. airliner and ordered reforms aimed at thwarting future attacks.

It would be good to see more improvement in the U.S. job market before exiting some stimulus programs, a top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Friday.

Formula One motor racing boss Bernie Ecclestone is part of a bid to buy General Motors' struggling Swedish carmaker Saab, the BBC reported on Friday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.04 percent at 4.10 a.m. EST.

Global stocks advanced on Friday, anticipating an improvement in all-important U.S. monthly jobs data, while the dollar fell from a four-month high against the yen after Japan's new finance minister backed off his call for a weaker currency. Crude oil prices dipped, extending losses the previous day on worries about tighter Chinese monetary policy. Safe-haven government bonds were mostly steady. ...

India's Reliance Industries Ltd has sweetened its offer to buy a controlling stake in LyondellBasell Industries that

Former NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman's Electus production house will develop and produce content for Yahoo Inc in a deal that will likely be announced later on Friday, the New York Times said on its website.

Japanese stocks hit a 15-month high on Friday as the yen eased against the dollar, leading most Asian markets higher, but Chinese shares and commodities stumbled on fears that Beijing is ready to tighten policy to cool economic growth.

Japanese stocks hit a 15-month high on Friday as the yen eased against the dollar, leading Asian shares higher, while gold and oil prices fell amid lingering concerns over possible central bank policy tightening in China.

A U.S. government report on Friday is expected to show the economy stopped shedding jobs last month for the first time since it fell into recession two years ago, easing a political weight on President Barack Obama.

Call it a slate or call it a tablet, the technology world is suddenly awash with a novel category of mobile devices seeking to grab the spotlight from a hugely anticipated product launch by Apple Inc later this month.