IBT Staff Reporter

More than half of U.S. mid-sized companies are not planning to hire over the next 12 months or may lay people off, and fewer than a third of the firms expect strong economic growth, a survey said on Monday.

China's central bank on Monday raised the amount that lenders must hold in reserve for the ninth time in 13 months, the latest step in its campaign to keep the world's fourth-largest economy in check.

John Malone, the U.S. media mogul and chairman of Liberty Global, is considering entering a $23 billion auction for cable operator Virgin Media, the Financial Times reported on its Web site on Sunday.

Dutch bank ABN AMRO withdrew its recommendation of a takeover by Barclays, leaving it neutral between the British bank's offer and a higher bid from Royal Bank of Scotland's consortium. The Netherlands' biggest bank, the target of a 66 billion-euro ($89.55 billion) offer from Barclays and a 71 billion-euro bid from RBS, Belgium's Fortis and Spain's Santander, also reported a 7.1 percent decline in its second-quarter net profit on Monday.

Oil prices dipped on Monday as investors took profit after U.S. crude prices leapt more than $2 to their second-highest close on record, fuelled by upbeat signals on the U.S. economy and nagging supply worries.

The yen hit a three-month high against the euro in early trade on Monday as the sell-off in global equity and credit markets prompted investors to cut back on risky positions such as carry trades.

As one of the largest international carriers, U.S.-based United Airlines marked a new beginning last year, emerging from bankruptcy protection which began in 2002. After enduring a painful restructuring, the airline is greeting a new era, approaching its passengers as a leaner, more cost-efficient company.

Getting back on the bull will be no easy task next week, particularly after the meltdown stock investors endured over the past two days.

Toyota's quirky Prius hybrid is chosen as the world's most eco-friendly car by the government.

A web video startup by recent college grads is getting backing from Apple and Clear Channel founders.

Beneath the surface, CEOs and their ties with analysts who cover their companies can run deep.

Fame can be used to 'take the focus, when it's put on you, and throw it onto other things,' he says.

State restrictions on use of the Internet have spread to more than 20 countries that use catch-all and contradictory rules to help keep people off line and stifle feared political opposition, a new report says.

Film director Steven Spielberg may quit his position as artistic advisor to the 2008 Beijing Olympics if China does not take a harder line against Sudan over Darfur, ABC News reported.

It used to be lonely being a geek, but with the huge Comic-Con convention underway on Friday it's clear that, more than ever, comic book geeks have a lot of friends from around the globe.

Pratibha Patil has been sworn in this week as the President of India, in the process becoming the first woman president ever since India became a Republic in 1950.

U.S. stocks plunged for a second day on Friday, in the worst week for the S&P 500 in nearly five years, as tightening credit conditions led to concerns that takeovers would slow. Losses accelerated in the final minutes of trading, taking the Dow industrials down more than 200 points, a day after an equities sell-off that wiped out more than $300 billion in the value off the S&P 500.

Shares of Ford Motor Co. on Friday gained nearly 2 percent after the struggling automaker posted a surprise second-quarter profit, prompting Wall Street analysts to forecast a faster turnaround and a narrower loss for the year.

Shares of Blackstone Group LP, the private equity firm that went public late last month, fell as much as 7 percent on Friday, amid a debt market freeze that has shut off funding for leveraged buyouts. Blackstone's stock has fallen 21 percent since its June 21 debut, making it one of the year's worst performers for U.S. IPOs.

The former chief executive of Qwest Communications International, Joseph Nacchio, was sentenced on Friday to six years in prison and ordered to forfeit $52 million in stock gains from insider trading.

A key branch of the Bancroft family plans to vote against accepting News Corp's $5 billion bid for Dow Jones & Co Inc, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site on Friday.

Microsoft Corp.(NASDAQ: MSFT) said late Thursday that it will acquire online advertising exchange AdECN Inc., in a move it hopes will strengthen its advertising solutions against rivals.

Sony Corp. said its first-quarter profit more than tripled, beating expectations, after strong contributions from digital camera sales and a softer yen far outweighed losses on the slow selling PlayStation 3 game console.

Sprint Nextel Corp. and Google Inc. said Thursday they are teaming up to create a mobile Internet portal that will offer web search and social networking on the mobile carrier’s upcoming high-speed wireless network.

Outdoor advertising company Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc. said on Friday its quarterly profit rose 43 percent, helped by growth in ads by automotive, telecommunications and retail companies.

Stocks and high-yield corporate bonds are back to appropriate levels, the world's biggest bond fund manager said on Friday, a day after fears of spreading problems in the housing market triggered a rout in global stock and credit markets.

Economic growth rebounded during the second quarter to its strongest pace since the beginning of last year on a surge in business investment, more government spending and a better trade performance, the Commerce Department reported on Friday.

Consumer sentiment softened slightly in late July from earlier in the month, but optimism about job and income prospects kept it at its highest reading since February, a survey showed on Friday.

Chevron Corp posted a better-than-expected 24 percent rise in quarterly earnings on Friday on higher profits from its refineries and a gain from the sale of its stake in power company Dynegy Inc. Net income in the second quarter increased to $5.38 billion, or $2.52 a share, from $4.35 billion, or $1.97 a share, last year.