AP - A Japanese court convicted four former executives of disgraced dot-com company Livedoor of inflating earnings reports Thursday in a scandal that destroyed one of the country's highest-flying Internet startups.

FT.com - London equities mirrored the strong performance on Wall Street and in Asia overnight, opening sharply higher as investors were cheered by the Fed's decision to keep US interest rates on hold.

FT.com - RAB Capital has decided not to move to the main London market even though the Aim-listed hedge fund manager would have been a member of the FTSE 350 index, it said on Thursday.

FT.com - Retailer Next was the biggest gainer in London as the FTSE rose for a fifth consecutive session.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets soared on Thursday after solid gains overnight on Wall Street and earlier in Tokyo, as investors focused on prospects for a cut in US interest rates later this year.

AP - A Japanese court convicted four former executives of disgraced dot-com company Livedoor of inflating earnings reports Thursday in a scandal that destroyed one of the country's highest-flying Internet startups.

BusinessWeek Online - Package delivery company FedEx said Mar. 21 that it's been struggling to grow profits during recent months. Fuel costs cut into profits, while snowstorms made it tougher for trucks to deliver packages. And as the U.S. economy slowed, customers who might have insisted on shipping everything overnight express during easier years downgraded to less expensive services.

AP - Stocks slipped in early trading Thursday as investors awaited more economic data to see if they should extend this week's big rally or cash in some of their gains.

FT.com - Wall Street stocks were set for a slightly higher start on Thursday as a profits warning from Motorola (NYSE:MOT) tempered investor enthusiasm generated by the Federal Reserve qualified its stated bias towards raising interest rates.

AP - Barnes & Noble Inc., the nation's largest bookseller, reported on Thursday a slight increase in fourth-quarter profit but forecast a loss for the first quarter.

AP - The foodmaker General Mills Inc. said on Thursday that its third-quarter profit rose 9 percent as increased sales helped offset rising prices for ingredients, and the company raised its guidance for the year.

AP - KB Home, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, said Thursday fiscal first-quarter earnings plunged as the continuing housing slump hurt sales and profit margins.

AP - ConAgra Foods Inc. earned $192.6 million in the third quarter despite a massive recall of all of its peanut butter products after they were linked to a salmonella outbreak, the company reported Thursday.

AP - Stocks slipped Thursday as lingering worries about the subprime mortgage market and rising oil prices led investors to reconsider extending this week's big rally.

AP - KB Home, one of the nation's largest homebuilders, said Thursday fiscal first-quarter earnings plunged as the continuing housing slump hurt sales and profit margins.

AP - Stocks wobbled Thursday as lingering worries about the subprime mortgage market and rising oil prices led investors to reconsider extending this week's big rally.

Reuters - KB Home , the No. 5 U.S. home builder, said on Thursday net profit fell 84 percent and warned that higher foreclosures and tighter lending standards in the broader market could prolong weakness in the sector.

AP - Wall Street finished mixed Thursday, nudging the Dow Jones industrials higher for the fourth straight session but moving cautiously as investors awaited new data to assess whether their hopes for an interest rate cut are justified.

Reuters - U.S. stocks ended nearly flat on Thursday as investors consolidated gains and reassessed the view that the Federal Reserve was moving closer to an interest rate cut.

FT.com - European and Asian stock markets on Thursday rode the wave of euphoria that followed the Federal Reserve's apparent softening of its stance on interest rates, although Wall Street turned cautious as a profit warning from Motorola (NYSE:MOT) raised concerns about the US earnings outlook.

Reuters - U.S. stocks barely budged on Thursday as investors consolidated Wednesday's gains and second-guessed expectations that the Federal Reserve's next policy move will be an interest rate cut.

Reuters - Palm Inc. , the current subject of takeover speculation and maker of the Treo smartphone, on Thursday posted a lower quarterly profit as costs rose and it booked charges.

AP - Palm Inc. reported a 61 percent drop in its third-quarter profits Thursday as speculation of a buyout continued to swirl. Sales of the company's Treo smart phones reached record levels, but increased costs, $5.7 million in stock-based compensation, and $3.7 million in acquisition-related charges hurt Palm's bottom line.