DOWN

Costco Wholesale Corp on Thursday reported an in-line 6 percent fall in sales, hit by a slide in demand during the recession for higher ticket items such as cameras and cell phones.

Some South Korean and U.S. Internet sites were down or slowed to a crawl for a third day on Thursday after attacks by a hacker that Seoul's National Intelligence Service said may be linked to a cyber warfare unit in the North.

The U.S. office market vacancy rate reached 15.9 percent in the second quarter, the highest level in four years, and rent fell by the largest amount in more than seven years as demand remained weak, according to a leading real estate research firm.

U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday as investors turned cautious ahead of earnings season, and talk of a second stimulus package underscored worries about the U.S. economic recovery.

The U.S. office market vacancy rate reached 15.9 percent in the second quarter, its highest in four years and rent fell by the largest amount in more than seven as demand from companies and other office renters remained weak, real estate research firm Reis said Inc.

The U.S. office market vacancy rate reached 15.9 percent in the second quarter, its highest in four years and rent fell by the largest amount in more than seven as demand from companies and other office renters remained weak, real estate research firm Reis said Inc.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced Saturday she is resigning from office by the end of the month, after deciding not to seek re-election in 2010.

U.S. housing prices will fall by a double-digit percentage from already beaten-down levels, resulting in an overall 40 percent plunge by the time foreclosures peak in the second half of 2010, Barclays Capital economist Michelle Meyer said.

Putnam Investments said Charles Ed Haldeman Jr. will step down on Tuesday as chairman of the Boston investment company, ending a turbulent seven-year run at the firm.

As the financial crisis further deepens, China's software sector saw a 5.7% drop in the revenue growth rate during the first five months of 2009 and the ongoing industrial restructuring continued, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released in a report this week.

John Hurley, the governor of Ireland's central bank and a member of the European Central Bank's Governing Council, will retire from the positions on September 25, his spokesman said on Saturday.

The Nasdaq rose on Friday, on strong demand for Palm's Inc's Pre smartphone, while the Dow was dragged lower by sliding oil prices and strength in some financial stocks helped cushion the S&P 500's decline.

Micron Technology Inc , the largest U.S. maker of computer memory chips, reported its tenth consecutive quarterly loss on Thursday as revenue fell, sending its shares down nearly 5 percent.

First Solar Inc on Wednesday said it expected to cut manufacturing costs by a third or more over the next five years, mainly by making its solar panels more efficient at transforming sunlight into electricity.

Nike Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings but its forward orders fell 12 percent, sending shares of the world's largest athletic shoe and clothing company down 5 percent.

Federal investigators are looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains to see why the computerized system failed to work even though the emergency brake was pushed down.

The Federal Reserve is expected to emphasize the U.S. economy's fragile state in a policy statement on Wednesday as it talks down expectations for a rate hike this year and holds fire on expanding asset purchases.

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday resumed a two-day meeting that was expected to end with a statement emphasizing the U.S. economy's fragile state, an effort to dissuade financial markets from expecting an increase in interest rates this year.

A security crackdown appears to have quelled street rallies against Iran's disputed poll, but the leadership faced a new challenge on Wednesday from calls by reformist clerics for national mourning for dead protesters.

Airport fast lane security pass services gave notice to its members on Monday night that it would cease operations on its website.

Opel labour leader Klaus Franz hopes General Motors Corp's (GMGMQ.PK) planned sale of a majority stake in the German carmaker to a consortium led by Magna (MGa.TO) will make it a more attractive partner for rivals.