IBT Staff Reporter

Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a lower-than-expected 1.4 percent rise in March sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, but the discount retailer said it expected quarterly earnings to be at the high end of its forecast.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a lower-than-expected 1.4 percent rise in March sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, but the discount retailer said it expected quarterly earnings to be at the high end of its forecast.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday after the New York Times reported the U.S. banking industry seems to be in better shape than many people think, citing officials involved in the federal stress tests.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday after Wells Fargo gave first quarter guidance and a New York Times report the U.S. banking industry seems to be in better shape than many people thought.

Fiat Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne is again in the United States for talks with potential partner Chrysler , a source close to the company said on Thursday.

Morgan Stanley's bottom line will be hurt by the recent rebound in its bond prices, the Wall Street Journal said.

President Barack Obama will be flexible about climate change legislation moving through Congress, the White House said on Wednesday, indicating some wiggle room on his demand for full auctioning of carbon emissions permits to industry.

The U.S. banking industry seems to be in better shape than many people think, the New York Times said, citing officials involved in federal stress tests.

Bank of America, the U.S Largest Bank, may need a big capital boost in equity to bolster its capital ratios, analysts at Oppenheimer & Co said Wednesday, according to Bloomberg.

Taiwan chip design company Elan Microelectronics Corp on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc, alleging the company infringed its touch screen patents.

Dell rose nearly 4 percent on Wednesday after Craig-Hallum analyst Christian Schwab raised upgraded the stock from buy to neutral and raised his new price target for the computer maker to $19, nearly double the firm’s closing price of $9.83 yesterday.

A new report from Microsoft shows that Windows Vista provides better security tan Windows XP.

China announced plans Wednesday to inject 850 billion yuan ($124 billion) into reforming its health care system over the next three years, according to a report.

F5 Networks Inc, the global leader in Application Delivery Networking, announced preliminary results on Tuesday, reporting 23 percent sequential growth for the first quarter of fiscal 2009 and exceeded the company's own expectation of earnings per share.

Shares of Western digital rose nearly 5 percent on Wednesday after an analyst raised his rating for the stock to neutral from underweight.

Limbo and Brightkite announced on Wednesday that the two companies have agreed to merge to create the world's largest location-based social network discovery service.

Iran’s judiciary has charged detained an American journalist with espionage, Iran’s Press TV reported Wednesday.

General Dynamics Corp and Northrop Grumman Corp have agreed to a Pentagon deal that will allow all three of the Navy's stealth destroyers to be built at General Dynamics' Maine shipyard, The New York Times reported, citing Pentagon and industry officials.

Biotech firm Genentech Inc, recently acquired by Roche Holdings AG for $47 billion, said Wednesday that it has pulled its psoriasis drug Raptiva from the U.S. market because of its association with rare, but often fatal brain infection.

Part-nationalized British lender Royal Bank of Scotland said it could shed up to 9,000 jobs over the next two years, including 4,500 in the UK, in an effort to cut costs.

Three bidders remain for General Motors Corp's Hummer brand, two sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday, adding that current offers range from $100 million to $200 million in cash, in addition to other commitments.

General Motors Corp and Chrysler launched government-backed assistance programs for parts suppliers on Wednesday, and the task force overseeing the carmakers' restructuring was expected to meet with GM this week to speed up the process.

LyondellBasell, the world's third-largest petrochemical company whose U.S. operations are under bankruptcy protection, said on Wednesday it would cut 3,000 jobs, or 17 percent of its workers, and reduce expenses by an additional $500 million by 2010.

Moody's Investors Service cut its credit ratings on Berkshire Hathaway Inc from Aaa, the top rating, saying the recession and investment losses at insurance operations of investor Warren Buffett's holding company reduced its ability to support funding needs.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband called Wednesday for a united front between Gulf Arab countries and global powers to deal with Iran.

When you tell entrepreneurs that relationships are the “key” to developing a personal and professional network, they often smile and acknowledge the concept without fully appreciating its true meaning.Let me put this noti

Business networking is much more than showing up at networking functions, shaking a lot of hands, and collecting a bunch of cards?networking is about being proactive.

A portion of the revenue from any U.S. system capping carbon emissions must go toward softening the impact of higher energy prices on consumers, a White House official said on Wednesday.

You may be thinking: Hey, I’m not asking anybody to refer me, so word-of-mouth marketing is not something I need to concern myself with. I mean, if I provide good products or services, and if my customer service is up to par, I’ll natural