IBT Staff Reporter

Soybeans tumbled on Monday on speculation of cold, wet weather in the U.S. Midwest delaying corn seeding and increase planting of soybeans.

Sun's pursuit to have Java applications run on Apple's iPhone gained momentum as the two firms continued holding talks about the idea, while acknowledging a third party's efforts towards the same goal.

China's Railways Ministry plans to transport 10 million tons of grain from northeast to south in order to stabilize rice prices in south China, the Chinese official media CCTV reported today. The plan will be launched on May 1 and end on June 30, totally 60days.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday for the fourth day after billionaire Warren Buffett financed the $23 billion takeover of Wm. Wrigley Jr. by privately held mars, and investor Kirk Kerkorian bought a stake in Ford Motor Co.

Vodafone India, the arm of UK based world's largest wireless telecom company Vodafone, is likely to bring the much awaited, versatile and Macintosh operating system based Apple's iPhone to India this September as per market speculations ripe in the country.

Brazil's largest private-sector bank, Banco Bradesco, reported a 23.3 percent surge in net profit in the first quarter from the same period last year benefiting from the credit boom in Brazil.

AMD has so far reported six consecutive quarters of net losses as Intel regained much of the market share that it had lost to AMD in 2005 and the beginning of 2006.

Microsoft's plan of buying Yahoo is still in suspense after the deadline of Saturday that the software maker had made for Yahoo, passed without the Internet giant accepting the take-over.

Shares of Continental Airlines and UAL Corp. fell on Monday after the airlines denied rumors that they were in talks of a possible merger.

Mars Inc agreed to buy Chicago-based Wm Wrigley Jr. Company on Monday for $23 billion in cash, bringing together Mars, the maker of M&M's chocolate and Snickers bars together with Wrigley's, which sells Spearmint and Juicy Fruit gum.

Tokyo stocks closed higher Monday, briefly lifting Japan's benchmark Nikkei index above the 14,000 line for the first time in about two months, as optimism prevailed among market participants that the worst of the credit crunch is over.

Dollar managed to close higher for the third day in a row continuing recovery from the record low levels against the Euro despite a downbeat consumer sentiments report from the US.

Sterling rose against the dollar on Friday due to short covering after declining for continuous days.

BP Plc, the largest U.K. oil company, will shut down its Forties Pipeline System located in the U.K North Sea by 5:00 a.m. GMT Sunday due to a strike in a refinery which provides its power, BP reported on Saturday.

Jerome Kerviel, the former trader accused of making risky bets that led to billions of euros in losses at Societe Generale, has started a new job in information technology.

President George W. Bush exhorted the U.S. congress on Saturday to pass legislation that would give the government greater authority to buy federal student loans to ensure that students continue to have access to tuition assistance.

Women beware: your shiny lip gloss and lip balm may boost your risk of getting skin cancer.

Prosecutors at the U.S. Justice Department are investigating Wachovia Corp, the fourth largest U.S. bank, about links to alleged drug laundering activities involving Latin American countries.

Zimbabwe's main opposition movement is on route to win a historic victory over President Robert Mugabe's ruling party, partial results from a recount of votes showed on Saturday, but the outcome of the presidential vote remained unknown.

Whole Foods Market Inc says regulators will not recommend further action be taken regarding online message board postings by the company's chief executive.

Treasuries fell on Friday as bets grew that the Federal Reserve will end it string or rate cuts at its next policy meeting.

The owner of the New York Daily News, Mortimer Zuckerman, has bid $580 million to buy Tribune Company's Newsday newspaper after News Corp. had already made an offer for the same amount, according to a report.

A New York judge dismissed charges on Friday against Clear Channel Communications made by six banks in a case involving the sale of the radio station owner to a private equity group.

Beatings, carjackings, drive-by shootings, drunk driving and hookers. For video game fans, it can only mean one thing: Grand Theft Auto 4 is here, with all the subtlety of a shotgun blast.

Hedge funds are losing money but that doesn't mean the $1.8 trillion industry is losing clients -- yet. Pension funds and endowments, whose big bets on hedge funds helped double industry assets in the last five years, are sticking with loosely regulated hedge funds for now, even as returns sag.

The U.S. Midwest has enjoyed nearly 20 years without a major drought but forecasters worry the corn belt's luck could dry up this year, further squeezing tight global supplies amid soaring food prices.

The head of Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s mortgage department, Dan Sparks, unexpectedly quit the firm on Friday, according to media reports.

Black & Decker said Thursday it will cut 700 jobs, or about 3 percent of its workforce, and close a plant in Atlanta as part of a new restructuring plan.

Charles Schwab Corp. said Friday its Chairman and Chief Executive netted $48 million from 10-year-old stock options that were about to expire.