IBT Staff Reporter

Home furnishings retailer Pier 1 Imports Inc posted a first-quarter profit versus a prior year loss, due to a gain on the repurchase of debt.

Like all presidents, Barack Obama is finding it hard to deliver on some of the campaign promises he made last year, in some cases disappointing many ardent supporters who were critical to his election.

Bailed out U.S. insurer American International Group has chosen Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley as joint global coordinators for the more than $4 billion IPO of its Asian life insurance unit, banking sources said on Thursday.

Shire and Johnson & Johnson won the backing of Europe's highest court on Thursday in their battle for data exclusivity against a generic rival for Alzheimer's drug Reminyl, the court said.

The tortuous question of when ailing steel demand might recover from the global economic downturn is likely to dominate talks at an industry gathering in New York next week.

Continental Airlines said a blend of biologically derived fuel and jet fuel performed slightly better than jet fuel alone during a test flight by the world's fifth-largest airline.

The chief financial officer of Q-Cells, Hartmut Schuening, will resign from his post following Thursday's annual general meeting at his own request, the company said on Wednesday.

The U.S. climate bill would not do enough to protect consumers from future energy costs and gives away too many permits to power and natural gas distribution companies to pollute with carbon dioxide, environmental groups said.

French emissions exchange BlueNext has taken its first step toward a carbon trading platform in China with a deal to offer its clients a database of Chinese carbon-cutting projects, its chairman said on Thursday.

LG Electronics will start selling this month flatscreen monitors that can function as virtual computers, saving costs by allowing multiple users to run programs off a single standard PC.

Former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova presented a prototype dress to reporters that is designed to light up when the wearer's mobile telephone rings.

Bank of America Corp has been paying millions in bonuses in order to lure talent and retain investment bankers the company views as vital, the New York Post reported, citing sources.

Southern California Edison, a utility arm of Edison International, said on Wednesday it had signed contracts to buy up to 960 megawatts of power from solar thermal and wind power suppliers.

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday ahead of figures for weekly jobless claims and other indicators that investors hoped would show the recovery was gaining traction.

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Shire Plc and Johnson & Johnson won the backing of Europe's highest court on Thursday in their battle for data exclusivity against a generic rival for Alzheimer's drug Reminyl, the court said.

French group Areva will sign on Thursday an agreement to start exclusive talks with U.S. power group Duke Energy to build a new generation nuclear reactor in Ohio, said a source close to the situation.

Bailed out U.S. insurer American International Group has chosen Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley as its joint global coordinators for a more than $4 billion IPO of its Asian life insurance unit, sources said on Thursday.

Dow Jones futures rose 0.1 percent and S&P 500 futures also rose 0.1 percent while Nasdaq futures fell 0.2 percent by 0913 GMT, suggesting a mixed start for U.S. stock markets on Thursday.

Massive policy stimulus should keep China growing at a respectable rate this year and next, but a robust recovery is unlikely given global weakness and soft non-government investment, the World Bank said on Thursday.

Oil rose further over $71 a barrel on Thursday, buoyed by weakness in the dollar and bullish data on Chinese and U.S. crude inventories.

Bankrupt U.S. auto parts maker Delphi Corp's debtor-in-possession lenders are mulling an offer for the company, the New York Post said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Bank of America Corp has been paying millions in bonuses in order to lure talent and retain investment bankers the company views as vital, the New York Post reported, citing sources.

NYSE Euronext said it had signed a deal with Depository Trust & Clearing Corp to form a joint venture for clearing U.S. fixed income derivatives.

Massive policy stimulus should keep China growing at a respectable rate this year and next, but a robust recovery is unlikely given global weakness and soft non-government investment, the World Bank said on Thursday.

NYSE Euronext , the world's top exchange operator by the size of its listings, is planning to establish a clearinghouse for fixed-income investments, the Wall Street Journal said.

Oil rose toward $72 a barrel on Thursday as the dollar weakened, and bullish data on China and U.S. crude inventories helped lift sentiment.

NYSE Euronext , the world's top exchange operator by the size of its listings, is planning to establish a clearinghouse for fixed-income investments, the Wall Street Journal said.

Asian stocks retreated on Thursday, with some investors booking profits after solid gains in the second quarter sparked by signs the global economy is starting to recover.