Reuters - JDS Uniphase , a maker of optical network gear, on Wednesday posted a quarterly loss that met expectations, while its margins improved and it forecast better-than-anticipated revenue for the current quarter.

AP - Cisco Systems Inc.'s fiscal first-quarter profit slipped as it expensed employee stock options for the first time, but the bigger surprise came when the world's largest network equipment maker predicted weaker-than-expected sales.

AP - Mitsubishi Motors Corp. posted a 63.8 billion yen ($543 million) loss for the fiscal half ended Sept. 30, although that was an improvement over the heftier 178.8 billion yen loss racked up the same period a year ago, the Japanese automaker said Thursday.

TechWeb - Cisco Systems Inc. posted lower fiscal first-quarter earnings but higher sales Wednesday after the network equipment maker was required to take into account the expense of employee stock options for the first time.

AP - U.S. stock market futures couldn't generate much momentum Thursday after a weak sales outlook from Cisco Systems and an earnings restatement at embattled automaker General Motors, with key data on the U.S. trade deficit and consumer confidence to come.

USATODAY.com - General Motors (GM) said Wednesday that it plans to restate its earnings from 2001 because an accounting error led the company to overstate its earnings by up to 35%.

AP - HVB Group AG, Germany's second-biggest lender, on Thursday posted a wider third-quarter profit because of a jump in trading profits and better commission income.

AP - ING NV, the Dutch bank and insurer, said Thursday its third-quarter profit rose 21 percent, due mainly to a strong performance at its banking arm.

AFP - Hannover Re, the world's third-bigget reinsurer after Munich Re and Swiss Re, said it was cutting its full-year forecasts after that nine-month earnings were hit by the huge losses connected with the series of deadly hurricanes in the US recently.

AP - InBev SA, the world's largest brewer by volume, posted a 358 million euro ($420 million) profit for the third quarter on Thursday on the back of strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region and in Central and Eastern Europe.

AP - Cisco Systems Inc.'s fiscal first-quarter profit slipped as it expensed employee stock options for the first time, but the bigger surprise came when the world's largest network equipment maker predicted weaker-than-expected sales.

AP - Stocks were nearly flat Thursday morning as investors digested a record trade deficit and a new spike in unemployment filings.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Stock markets look to a negative open Thursday as the U.S. trade deficit for September came in worse than expected while General Motors said it would be restating earnings.

AP - U.S. stock market futures were trading lower Thursday after a weak sales outlook from Cisco Systems and an earnings restatement at embattled automaker General Motors, with key data on the U.S. trade deficit and consumer confidence to come.

AP - Target Corp., the nation's No. 2 discount chain, on Thursday reported an 18 percent drop in earnings for the third quarter despite higher revenue. The company also announced a $2 billion increase in stock buyback plan.

AP - British telecommunications company BT Group PLC reported a 14 percent drop in second-quarter net profit on Thursday, hurt by a charge to comply with a regulator's order and a further decline in revenues from traditional telephone services.

AP - Netherlands-based insurer Aegon NV, owner of U.S. insurance and investment company Transamerica, reported a 25 percent increase in third-quarter net profit on Thursday, crediting a strong performance by its life-insurance operations.

AP - German reinsurer Hannover Re said the damage caused by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico this summer hurt its bottom line as it posted a third-quarter loss and warned that it would not earn a profit for 2005.

AP - Telecommunications company Swisscom AG said Thursday its third-quarter profit rose 28 percent to 609 million Swiss francs ($465 million), due to lower costs and a charge in the year-earlier quarter. The company's sales declined in the quarter.

AP - General Motors Corp. shares, already at 13-year lows, fell another 3 percent Thursday in premarket trading after the world's largest automaker said it would restate its earnings for 2001 because an accounting error led it to overstate its 2001 profit by up to $400 million.

AP - Stocks were slightly lower Thursday morning as the energy sector weakened on falling oil prices.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - Stock markets were off to a lacklustre start Thursday as investors dealt with disappointing news from market heavyweights General Motors Corp. and Cisco Systems while September's U.S. trade deficit surged to fresh record territory.

AP - HVB Group AG, Germany's second-biggest bank, posted a sharply higher profit Thursday because of a rise in trading profit and commission income.

AP - Unicredito Italiano SPA's said Thursday its third-quarter earnings rose 32.5 percent under International Financial Reporting Standards, thanks to higher commissions and trading fees.

AP - InBev SA, the world's largest brewer by volume, said on Thursday it had a 358 million-euro ($420 million) profit in the third quarter because of strong growth in the Asia-Pacific region and in Central and Eastern Europe.

AFP - General Motors shares tanked in pre-opening trade after the world's biggest auto maker said it overstated 2001 profit by as much as 400 million dollars.

Reuters - Target Corp. said on Thursday that quarterly profit rose a better-than-expected 34 percent on strong sales and big gains in its credit card business, but it gave a disappointing forecast, sending its shares lower.

AP - General Motors Corp. shares, already at 13-year lows, fell another 5 percent Thursday after the world's largest automaker said it would restate its earnings for 2001 because an accounting error led it to overstate its 2001 profit by up to $400 million.

AP - Stocks were mixed Thursday as the energy sector weakened on falling oil prices and technology stocks fell after Cisco Systems predicted weaker-than-expected sales.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto stock market tumbled more than 100 points Thursday morning, led by sliding energy stocks as the price of oil continued to retreat and investors took in mixed earnings.

AP - Telecommunications company Swisscom AG said Thursday its third-quarter profit rose 28 percent to 609 million Swiss francs ($465 million), due to lower costs and a charge in the year-earlier quarter. The company's sales declined in the quarter.

The Motley Fool - The maker of the ubiquitous George Foreman Grill continues to get raked over the coals as sales and profits fall. Not only was Salton's (NYSE: SFP - News) quarterly profit entirely due to various one-time gains, but its sales have also shriveled so much that it's fallen out of compliance with its debt covenants.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto stock market was off the lows of the session but still stuck in negative territory as the price of oil continued to retreat, triggering yet another selloff of energy stocks.

AP - The same news that sent stocks sideways Thursday morning sent them sharply higher in the afternoon. The Dow Jones industrial average gained more than 100 points.

AP - A lawsuit that is challenging the New York Stock Exchange's planned acquisition of Archipelago Holdings Inc., is costing the NYSE millions of dollars and makes 'unreasonable demands,' New York Stock Exchange Chairman Marshall Carter said in a memorandum released Thursday.

AP - Movie Gallery Inc. Thursday posted a loss in the third quarter, hurt by acquisition-related charges and a persistent and sharp decline in rental revenue.

AP - Stocks rallied Thursday after a record Treasury auction pushed bond yields lower, raising hopes that interest rates will follow and allaying fears that foreign investors would move away from U.S. debt.

Canadian Press - TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto stock market gave up more ground Thursday as a drop of more than $1 US a barrel in the price of oil sparked a selloff in energy stocks that drove the TSX energy sector down 4.4 per cent.

AP - Delta Air Lines Inc., which is operating under bankruptcy court protection, said Thursday it lost $1.13 billion in the third quarter and blamed high fuel costs for the wider loss. The nation's third biggest carrier said it is concerned that it continues to use borrowed money to fund its red ink.

Reuters - Delta Air Lines Inc. on Thursday said its quarterly loss widened as higher fuel prices outweighed its cost-cutting efforts, sending the carrier into bankruptcy.

AP - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media conglomerate swung to a loss of $433 million in the latest quarter on a $1 billion accounting charge to write down the value of its TV stations' broadcasting licenses.

AP - Kohl's Corp. on Thursday reported third-quarter profit increased 15 percent on higher sales as the department-store chain opened more stores during the period.

AP - Target Corp., the nation's second biggest discount retailer, said Thursday its earnings fell 18 percent in the third quarter from results inflated by one-time gains a year ago. Department store operator Kohl's Corp., meanwhile, reported a 15 percent profit increase from a year ago as it opened more stores and beefed up its fashion assortment with new labels. The results from both companies beat Wall Street estimates.

AP - Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. media conglomerate swung to a loss of $433 million in the latest quarter on a $1 billion accounting charge to write down the value of its TV stations' broadcasting licenses.

AP - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. swung to a loss in the third quarter on one-time charges, including a writedown associated with the disappointing box-office performance of its latest release.

Reuters - The dollar hit a two-year high against the euro on Friday, a day after investors brushed aside data showing a record U.S. trade gap in September and powered the U.S. currency to new peaks.

AP - DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. swung to a loss in the third quarter on one-time charges, including a writedown associated with the disappointing box-office performance of its latest release.

Reuters - The dollar hit a two-year high against the euro on Friday, a day after investors brushed aside data showing a record U.S. trade gap in September and powered the U.S. currency to new peaks.