IBT Staff Reporter

Asian shares edged up on Thursday, buoyed by resource shares, while the dollar was on the defensive after minutes from the Federal Reserve's latest policy meeting suggested the possibility of more stimulus measures for the U.S. economy.

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer unveiled a new Hewlett-Packard Co tablet computer on Wednesday, beating Apple Inc's hotly anticipated move into the market.

After a tumultuous year that saw General Electric Co stock tumble to 18-year lows, then whipsaw back to triple that level, shareholders of the largest U.S. conglomerate may be in for a year of few, if any, gains.

Lockheed Martin Corp on Wednesday said it was continuing work to sharply reduce the costs of the F-35 fighter and did not believe the program was in trouble despite a report that the Pentagon will cut production of 122 airplanes through 2015.

Expect quite a bit of movement within operations roles in both investment banking and funds management, says Anton Murray, director of Anton Murray Consulting.

It’s all very well applying for jobs. However, the most desirable and prestigious ones are not necessarily advertised but filled by headhunters who approach suitable candidates on behalf of whoever’s hiring.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd set robust TV sales growth targets for 2010 and announced its intention of moving into the increasingly crowded electronic reader market.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd is headed for a robust year after October-December profit estimates came above market forecasts as the company rides a recovery in memory chips, its cash cow business.

Motorola Inc plans to make a phone that Google will sell in its direct cellphone sales channel and that device could potentially sport the Motorola brand, the company's cellphone chief Sanjay Jha said in an interview on Wednesday.

A study in mice suggests using cellphones may help prevent some of the brain-wasting effects of Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd , the world's top maker of memory chips and flat screen TVs, estimated its October-December consolidated operating profit at a median 3.7 trillion won ($3.27 billion).

Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc plans to begin selling later this year a long-awaited, affordable home version of its TelePresence videoconferencing system for corporations.

Brutal winter weather across the much of the United States has helped rally commodity markets as energy demand rises, crops are hit with snow or frost and livestock movement is slowed.

AT&T Inc plans to sell seven new smartphones in the first half of this year, including two from Palm Inc and five Android handsets from vendors such as Dell Inc.

A Thai court has set on Wednesday to try the crew members of a North Korea arms plane seized in Bangkok in mid-December and refused to release them on bail, according to Ria Novosti news report.

Online DVD renter Netflix Inc agreed to wait 28 days before offering new Warner Bros titles in exchange for more content that can be sent directly to customers' televisions and computers.

Members of Cadbury Plc's board have been talking with counterparts at Hershey Co as expectations fade for a significantly higher bid from Kraft Foods Inc .

U.S. President Barack Obama is not patient and is demanding immediate changes in airline security, the top U.S. military officer said on Wednesday, as a grand jury indicted the Nigerian man for trying to blow up a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day.

Microsoft Corp and Hewlett-Packard Co will unveil a new tablet computer on Wednesday, sources said, beating Apple Inc's hotly anticipated move into the market.

The U.S. Justice Department will conduct an antitrust review of the proposed $30 billion joint venture between Comcast Corp and NBC Universal, department spokeswoman Gina Talamona said on Wednesday.

China gave Kenya a 540 million shilling grant on Wednesday to support development projects in east Africa's biggest economy.

The Dow and S&P 500 inched higher, while the Nasdaq dipped on Wednesday after Federal Reserve officials said they were still worried about labor market weakness and a report on the services sector showed only slight improvement in the economy.

Jason Alexander, the former star of 1990s hit television sitcom Seinfeld, on Wednesday joined the ranks of celebrities working with weight control company Jenny Craig, Inc. to lose pounds in the new year.

The harrowing tale of a struggling Harlem teen in Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire earned a leading eight nominations for the NAACP Image awards on Wednesday.

General Motors Co Chief Executive Ed Whitacre said on Wednesday he is not hopeful a breakthrough deal can be reached to save Saab and said GM is proceeding with the wind-down of the Swedish brand.

Japan's Prime Minster, Yukio Hatoyama, has chosen his deputy, Naoto Kan as new finance minister on Wednesday amid policy doubts.

A recent special dividend from leading oilfield equipment provider National Oilwell Varco Inc did not signal a change in its strategy of steadily making acquisitions, a company official said on Wednesday.

The Australian Dollar opens at a 5-week high against the greenback on Thursday at 0.9200.