IBT Staff Reporter

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, but remained at high levels consistent with a severe recession.

Top U.S. retailers saw anemic same-store sales in February as shoppers kept a tight hold on spending, but Wal-Mart Stores Inc again beat expectations and said lower gasoline prices had relaxed some household budgets.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, but remained at high levels consistent with a severe recession.

General Electric Co's finance unit has no short-term liquidity issues, and speculation about its ability to maintain sufficient capital is overdone, the company's chief financial officer said.

Half of institutional investors plan to increase their funding of clean energy compared with 12 months ago, but that will not be enough to drive global growth in the sector this year, a survey published on Wednesday said.

Ford Motor Co expects electric vehicles will represent a major portion of its lineup a decade from now as the automaker breaks away from a recent reliance on pickup trucks and SUVs, Chief Executive Alan Mulally said on Wednesday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc reported a higher-than-expected 5.1 percent rise in February sales at U.S. stores open at least a year, saying lower gas prices meant shoppers had more money to spend in its discount stores.

The Bank of England cut interest rates by 50 basis points on Thursday to a record low of 0.5 percent, and said it would buy 75 billion pounds of assets to expand the money supply and aid a recession-hit British economy.

A Luxembourg court ordered Swiss bank UBS to disclose certain documents relating to its Luxembourg subsidiary's handling of investments in Madoff products, according to a lawyer.

Oil fell more than a dollar to below $44 on Thursday as a record drop in euro zone economic performance heightened expectations that fuel consumption would shrink further.

Stock index futures fell on Thursday, weighed down by a warning from General Motors that there was substantial doubts about its ability to continue as a going concern and caution ahead of key data.

Top former Merrill Lynch executives, including two former CEOs, invested in hedge funds that lost money with alleged fraudster Bernard Madoff, becoming the highest-level Wall Street victims of the scandal to date, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

U.S. stock index futures fell to session lows on Thursday after beleaguered U.S. automaker General Motors Corp said there was substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern.

General Motors Corp said on Thursday that substantial doubt existed about the ability of company to continue as a going concern.

Oil fell more than a dollar toward $44 on Thursday, after surging nearly 9 percent in the previous session on a surprise drop in U.S. crude stocks that could signal recovering demand in the top energy consumer.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 share index futures were down between 0.4 and 1 percent on Thursday, pointing to a lower start on Wall Street.

The euro and European shares slipped on Thursday ahead of expected interest rate cuts by the euro zone and British central banks, while Asian shares dipped on disappointment China did not announce new stimulus plans.

The euro and sterling slipped on Thursday ahead of expected rate cuts in Europe and the UK, while most Asian stock markets gave up early gains on disappointment that China did not announce new stimulus plans.

Oil eased below $45 on Thursday, after surging nearly 9 percent overnight on government data showing a surprise drop in U.S. crude stocks, which could signal recovering demand in the world's top energy consumer.

Asian stocks extended gains on Thursday on hopes that a revival in China will support the weak global economy, while the euro fell on expectations the European Central Bank will cut rates to an all-time low later in the day.

Top former Merrill Lynch executives, including two former CEOs, invested in hedge funds that lost money with alleged fraudster Bernard Madoff, becoming the highest-level Wall Street victims of the scandal to date, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Google Inc plans to let its cash pile up as it weathers an economic recession but doesn't expect to see a fall in revenue, the Web search leader's Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday.

Exxon Mobil Corp. and the National Community Action Foundation entered a new partnership on Wednesday, aiming to enhance worker training programs around the country.

UBS had 47,000 accounts from U.S. Citizens who didn’t pay U.S. taxes on their assets, a top executive from the Swiss bank confirmed on Wednesday.

On Wednesday Britain said it was prepared to engage in direct contacts with the political wing of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, the AFP reported.

Oil hovered above $45 on Thursday, after surging nearly 9 percent overnight on government data showing a surprise drop in U.S. crude stocks, which could signal recovering demand in the world's top energy consumer.

Ira Lee Sorkin, the lawyer representing embattled financier Bernard L. Madoff, has received death threats for defending his client, according to a report.

Oil hovered below $45 on Thursday, after surging nearly 9 percent overnight on government data showing a surprise drop in U.S. crude stocks, which could signal recovering demand in the world's top energy consumer.

Citigroup executives in Mexico have bough millions of shares in the beleaguered U.S. bank as a show of confidence, a spokesman for the bank' Mexican unit told Reuters.