Stocks rose modestly Wednesday but concerns over Wall Street?s bet on subprime loans have not gone away.

The Energy Department said it would invest up to $385 million in six bio-refinery projects that would produce a type of ethanol made from nonfood crops and agricultural waste.

Mel Karmazin said the companies would agree to price controls and other measures to gain regulatory approval for the deal.

The recent philanthropic moves by Warren E. Buffett raise the question of exactly what the other billionaires have in mind for their money.

The recording industry?s trade group will give hundreds of college students a chance to reach settlements before being sued for copyright infringement.

Amgen received an informal inquiry from the S.E.C. seeking more information about a Danish study of the company?s Aranesp anemia drug.

Interpublic posted slightly lower quarterly revenue but swung to a profit as expenses fell and public relations clients increased spending.

Federal prosecutors charged an ex-partner of McGuireWoods with fraud, claiming that he illegally obtained and sold shares of various companies.

Merck released a forecast for first-quarter profit well above analysts? expectations, and also increased its forecast for 2007.

Lawmakers have asked the top executives of NYSE Group, what will be done about any technical problems that contributed to Tuesday?s steep stock drop.

The House of Representatives voted to revise rules for foreign investments in the U.S., seeking to make them clearer for businesses while preserving national security.

Stocks in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong continue to fall, after two days of heavy world losses.

Virgin Media customers lose access to BSkyB channels after a row over TV rights goes unresolved.

Investors were concerned that a slowing U.S. economy could spell trouble for Asia?s export-dependent economies.

US car giant Ford says its restructuring programme aimed at revitalising the company is set to cost it $11bn.

Virgin Media customers lose access to some BSkyB channels after a row over TV rights goes unresolved.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) reports a pre-tax profit of £9.2bn for 2006 - 11% up on the previous year.

Reuters - Movie-rental company Blockbuster Inc. is in advanced talks to acquire Movielink LLC, an online movie-downloading company owned by the major Hollywood studios, the Wall Street Journal said on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.

European stock markets recover slightly from recent heavy losses, but Asian markets continue to fall.

German phone giant Deutsche Telekom sees annual profits fall, following tough competition and lower prices.

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) reports a pre-tax profit of £9.2bn for 2006 - 16% up on the previous year.

Reuters - In a direct shot at rival chain Starbucks Corp., , McDonald's Corp. is moving closer to adding lattes and cappuccinos to its menus nationwide, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The global rout appeared to be abating after reassuring comments by the chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve.

The medicine is the first product of an innovative collaboration between a drug company and a medical charity.

Protests take place for a second day at Airbus plants after it said it wanted to cut 10,000 jobs while strike action remains possible.

Nine countries offer China incentives to invest in oil and gas projects as it steps up its hunt for new supplies.

Hundreds of people turn to 'no win, no fee' firms to reclaim penalty charges from banks and building societies.

Reuters - Wall Street stocks are poised for a firm start to Thursday trade as investors continue to claw back the sharp losses notched up earlier in the week amid a hefty batch of corporate earnings and economic data.

Reuters - Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan was quoted as saying on Thursday that a recession in the United States is possible, though not probable this year as inventory problems in the economy are being addressed quickly, Bloomberg reported.

Reuters - In a direct shot at rival chain Starbucks Corp., , McDonald's Corp. is moving closer to adding lattes and cappuccinos to its menus nationwide, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The database software said it would buy Hyperion, which makes business analysis software, for $3.3 billion.

Asia?s stock markets continued to slide today amid concerns that a slowing United States economy could hurt the region?s economies.

The medicine is the first product of an innovative collaboration between a drug company and a medical charity.

The European Commission warns that Microsoft could face further fines for failing to comply with anti-trust rulings.

Stocks remain volatile after recent heavy losses, with European shares fluctuating and Asian markets falling.

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown says public sector workers will get below-inflation pay awards, sparking union anger.

Reuters - Oracle Corp. , the world's largest database software maker, said on Thursday it would buy rival Hyperion Solutions Corp. for $3.3 billion, to boost its position in the market for performance management software.

Reuters - The number of U.S. workers filing for first-time jobless benefits rose 7,000 last week, pushing the four-week moving average of new claims to its highest level in more than a year, a government report showed on Thursday.

Reuters - U.S. incomes rose much more sharply than expected in January, while spending and core consumer price growth also outpaced forecasts, a government report showed on Thursday.

Reuters - Yellow pages publisher R.H. Donnelley Corp. reported a rise in quarterly revenue.

Reuters - Stock index futures extended losses on Thursday after government data showed both core personal consumption expenditures and jobless claims rose more than analysts' forecasts.

AP - Personal incomes rose in January at the fastest clip in a year, bolstered by bonus payments to high-income executives and pay raises for federal workers. The extra income helped support a better-than-expected rise in consumer spending.

FT.com - Japanese stocks continued to fall on Thursday on fears about the US economy and global security.

Concerns that the economy is slowing more rapidly than previously thought have helped feed pessimism among investors from Wall Street to Taipei this week.

A drop in US markets helps push global markets lower for a third day, fanning fears of a sustained sell-off.

US incomes grew at their fastest pace in a year during January, official figures show, while growth in consumer spending slows.

UK Chancellor Gordon Brown says public sector workers will get below-inflation pay awards, sparking union anger.

Ailing US car firm General Motors says it will ask for an extension to file its financial reports.

Reuters - U.S. incomes rose much more sharply than expected in January, while spending and core consumer price growth also outpaced forecasts, according to a government report on Thursday that could heighten inflation concerns at the Federal Reserve.

Reuters - Blockbuster Inc. is in talks to buy movie download service Movielink, including long-term contracts with Hollywood's major studios to supply films and TV shows, for under $50 million in cash and stock, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday.

AP - The nation's manufacturing sector expanded in February, reversing the prior month's contraction, a trade group said Thursday.

Stocks prices on Wall Street rebounded today from a steep decline at the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange.

US car giant Ford says its restructuring programme aimed at revitalising the company will cost $11bn.

Reuters - Chrysler Group, the embattled U.S. unit of DaimlerChrysler AG (DCXGn.DE), reported an 8 percent drop in February sales on Thursday, becoming the last of the Detroit automakers to confirm weaker results for the month.

Reuters - Boeing Co would be a logical choice to lead the interceptor part of a planned U.S. defense missile shield in eastern Europe, the head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on Thursday.

Reuters - U.S. consumers spent more than expected in January and manufacturing unexpectedly rose in February, according to reports on Thursday that suggested the economy was poised to grow even as inflation remained a risk.

AP - Retailer Sears Holdings Corp. said Thursday its fourth-quarter earnings rose 27 percent, ahead of Wall Street forecasts as margins improved despite weaker sales at established stores.

Reuters - General Motors Corp. said on Thursday that U.S. sales rose 3.4 percent in February, driven by an increase in retail sales, but set its target for second-quarter production 5 percent lower than a year ago.

Reuters - SLM Corp. , better known as Sallie Mae, said on Thursday it restated nearly three years of financial statements because of several errors in its statement of cash flows.

Reuters - Welcome to the dawn of a new credit cycle, with tighter bank lending, rising costs for riskier borrowers and a slowing economy.

Reuters - The U.S. government on Thursday charged 13 people, including employees at major Wall Street banks, with securities fraud, wire fraud, bribery and other charges in what authorities are calling one of the most pervasive insider trading rings in years.

The accused include a Morgan Stanley compliance official, a UBS research executive and traders for hedge funds and brokerage firms.

Sales flagged as the company struggled with operational and accounting issues in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Detroit?s other automakers experienced significant declines.

The government may be arriving far too late to prevent damage to borrowers from subprime mortgages, and just in time for its intervention to make things worse.

The IEA says the UK should be less dependent on gas power, and develop nuclear and renewable energy sources.

Reuters - Dell Inc. , the world's second-largest personal computer maker, reported on Thursday quarterly revenue that was short of Wall Street expectations, sending its shares down 1.7 percent.

Reuters - General Motors Corp. posted an unexpected rise in February sales on Thursday, bucking a slump that pulled monthly U.S. auto sales lower for its struggling Detroit-based rivals, while Japan's Toyota made further market inroads.

Reuters - Boeing Co. won orders for 51 commercial jets in February, worth about $8 billion at list prices, doubling its tally from the same month last year and making up for a relatively small number in January.

Reuters - U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday in the latest leg of a global equities sell-off as investors' diminishing appetite for risk drove them to safer assets like bonds, but data showing unexpected strength in U.S. manufacturing helped indexes end off their worst levels.

Reuters - Struggling apparel giant Gap Inc. said on Thursday that fourth-quarter net profit fell 35 percent on weak sales at its two main casual clothing chains and dependence on holiday season discounts, but still topped Wall Street targets.

AP - A better than expected performance from the U.S. manufacturing sector in February helped calm investors on Thursday, even as economists cautioned that one month's worth of data is not a cause for too much optimism.

AP - Kohl's Corp. reported a 29.3 percent profit increase in the fourth quarter, as the midlevel retailer benefited from strong sales of its exclusive brands.

The European Commission will probe its approval of a merger between the music businesses of Sony and Bertelsmann.

Dell's profits and sales miss analyst's targets and the computer firm warns earnings will remain under pressure.

Lenovo, the Chinese computer firm which last year bought IBM, recalls about 205,000 batteries made by Sanyo.

US incomes grew at their fastest pace in a year during January, official figures show, while growth in consumer spending slows.

Reuters - Dell Inc., the world's second-largest personal computer maker, reported on Thursday a sharply lower quarterly profit while revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations, sending its shares down 1.7 percent.

Reuters - U.S. stocks slipped on Thursday in the latest leg of a global equities sell-off as investors' diminishing appetite for risk drove them to safer assets like bonds.

AP - Gap Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit fell 35 percent in a gloomy performance that triggered a recent management purge and doomed the slumping retailer's newest chain.

The government may be arriving far too late to prevent damage to borrowers from subprime mortgages, and just in time for its intervention to make things worse.

Reuters - General Motors Corp. posted an unexpected monthly sales rise on Thursday and Japan's Toyota Motor Co. made further market inroads as February U.S. auto sales avoided the slump most analysts had predicted.

Reuters - Employees of some of Wall Street's top banks were among more than a dozen people charged on Thursday in what authorities called one of the most pervasive insider trading rings since the 1980s, accused of using leaked information and even blackmail to make millions of dollars.

U.S. paper mills are a test case for a possible confrontation with China over tariffs on imports of Chinese-made paper.

Federal authorities exposed one of the most far-reaching insider trading schemes on Wall Street in decades.

Alan Greenspan jolted stock markets by uttering the word ?recession? in private remarks, upstaging efforts by his successor to calm investors.

After four years of strong growth, low interest rates and prosperity, investors appear to have become too complacent about risks.

Google is forming partnerships with hundreds of smaller media companies that see value in contributing to the site.

Reuters - Most Asian stock markets extended their recent falls on Friday, still raw from a global sell-off, despite healthy U.S. manufacturing data that barely lifted the dollar above 11-week lows against the yen.