Reuters - U.S. stocks closed out 2009 on Thursday with their first annual advance in two years, underpinned by strength in technology and natural resource shares on bets that the recovery will brighten the profit outlook.
Reuters - Time Warner Cable Inc said on Thursday it has agreed to a 30-day cooling-off period in its talks over fees with News Corp.
Reuters - Washington Mutual Inc said it could receive an additional $2.6 billion in tax refunds due to a recently enacted law, sending shares of the bankrupt bank holding company soaring on Thursday.
NewsFactor - More customers chose to point and click rather than park and swipe this Christmas season, with a five percent increase in online shopping over the same period last year, a study by the Internet marketing firm comScore says. By comparison, in-store retail shopping grew only 3.6 percent, according to credit-card spending tracked by Mastercard Advisor’s’ Spending Pulse.
AFP - Lithuania Thursday shut its Soviet-era nuclear plant under an EU deal, a move set to drive up electricity prices amid an economic crisis and leave it counting on ex-master Moscow for power.
Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for jobless benefits unexpectedly fell last week to the lowest level in about 17 months, suggesting the economy might be on the cusp of creating jobs.
AFP - The leading stock exchange closed higher in a half-day session on Thursday — the final trading session of 2009 — to chalk up an impressive annual gain of more than 22 percent.
AFP - The leading stock exchange closed higher in a half-day session on Thursday — the final trading session of 2009 — to chalk up an impressive annual gain of more than 22 percent.
AP - Partygoers worldwide have at least one good reason to forget the economic pain, job fears and mortgage woes of 2009: unusually cheap Champagne for New Year’s.
Reuters - Wells Fargo & Co said on Thursday it gave Chief Executive John Stumpf and three other top executives stock payouts worth a total of about $25 million, but it said none of these executives will receive a cash bonus for 2009.