IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks gained on Thursday as signs of improving trends in the job market and a decline in the U.S. October trade deficit reassured investors the economy was on a steady growth path.

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc on Thursday announced that top level managers will receive no cash bonuses this year but instead would be given compensation in the form of stock which can't be sold for five years.

An undercover police officer on Tuesday killed a Times Square scammer believed to be conning tourists along Broadway and 46th Street.

People with cancers of the head or neck seem to have better survival odds if they have private health insurance, research hints.

H1N1 pandemic swine flu is far less lethal than feared, British scientists said on Wednesday, but public health officials should not be complacent in fighting it and vaccination campaigns should continue.

Bone marrow transplants, already used to treat some children with sickle cell disease, also may cure some adults with this deadly genetic defect that causes red blood cells to contort, U.S. scientists said on Wednesday.

A relatively low birth weight and early-age weight gain may increase the likelihood of early puberty, hint findings from a German study. Earlier onset of puberty has been linked to certain cancers, high blood sugar and obesity.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected last week, but a surprise narrowing in the trade gap in October indicated the economy remained firmly on a steady growth path.

Even a minimally savvy youngster can figure out how to access violent or explicitly sexual content in some virtual or Internet worlds, the Federal Trade Commission said on Thursday.

Most customers are generally satisfied with their wireless telephone service, but many are frustrated with fees associated with ending their contract to switch carriers, according to a congressional study released on Thursday.

The trustee in charge of liquidating Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc's brokerage business won court approval on Thursday to transfer about $1.6 billion to $1.7 billion of customer property to new accounts at Barclays Plc .

A Times Square scammer believed to be conning tourists along Broadway and 46th Street was on Thursday killed by a plain clothes policeman.

U.S. fixed home loan rates edged above record lows in the past week, tracking bond yields higher following surprise improvement in November employment, home funding company Freddie Mac (FRE.N)(FRE.P) said on Thursday.

About 3 million Americans suffer from the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation, and that number is likely to double by 2035, new research shows.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday reiterated that if there was a better way than a public option for health care reform she would be open to it, but stopped short of saying she would not pass a healthcare bill without it, as in previous occasions.

Women who took a commonly used class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates had significantly fewer invasive breast cancers than women not using the bone-strengthening pills, according to a new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI).

U.S. households' net worth rose $2.7 trillion to $53.4 trillion in the third quarter for a second straight quarterly advance, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday, which may boost consumers' confidence to spend.

The health care sector's dismal performance has been Wall Street's worst-kept secret this year. And with uncertainly swirling around the health care debate right now, many investors are shying away from health care stocks for good reason - governmental reforms could affect medical businesses enormously.

A new U.S. securities regulatory investigation into potential insider trading began in mid-November with the issuance of subpoenas to a number of hedge funds that may have gotten an advance word on corporate takeovers, said people familiar with the matter.

Stocks gained on Thursday as a surprise narrowing in October's U.S. trade deficit suggested the economy was on a steady growth path.

Lenders stung by the financial crisis are still holding back on extending credit, impeding a recovery in the housing market, Federal Reserve Governor Elizabeth Duke said on Thursday.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc plans to pay top managers their 2009 bonuses in stock, rather than cash, as it seeks to deflect outrage over a near-record pay haul months after it repaid billions of dollars in taxpayer aid.

Prudential Financial Inc's sale of its stake in a brokerage joint venture is on schedule to close next month and is expected to give its capital position a significant lift, the company said on Thursday.

U.N. climate talks are making progress on sharing green technologies but rich nations need to offer deeper cuts in carbon emissions by 2020 to help unlock a deal, the U.N.'s top climate official said on Thursday. There's a general recognition that we need a technology mechanism, as part of a U.N. climate convention, Yvo de Boer told Reuters on the sidelines of December 7-18 talks in Copenhagen, when asked about progress so far.

As Chinese banks try to take advantage of an easier regulatory regime to enter the U.S. market, Asian American banks could become natural targets for these big players, analysts say.

Somali pirates freed the Greek ship Ariana and its 24 Ukrainian crew on Thursday after a helicopter dropped a multi-million dollar ransom onto its deck and ended a more than six-month hostage ordeal.

Sara Lee Corp (SLE.N) would be wise to split the company to strip out fixed liabilities from recent divestitures and rebase its existing operations, like coffee and baked goods, outside the United States, a former company executive and industry analyst said.

China, the world's biggest steel consumer, said it will impose anti-dumping duties of up to 25 percent on specialized steel imports from Russia and the United States, stepping up a trade row with Washington.

U.S. households' net worth rose $2.7 trillion to $53.4 trillion in the third quarter, notching its second straight quarterly advance, Federal Reserve data showed on Thursday.