FT.com - London equities eased in opening trade on Friday as Royal Bank of Scotland's confirmed it would make a counterbid for Dutch bank ABN Amro.

AFP - Europe's main stock markets fell in opening deals on Friday, with London's FTSE 100 index of leading shares down 0.21 percent at 6,455.50 points.

Reuters - Insurer Coventry Health Care Inc. on Friday posted an increase in quarterly profit, helped by a 15 percent rise in revenue.

AP - Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. kicked off 2007 with a 10 percent rise in profits, its best-ever first quarter, as higher margins on refining and chemical operations offset lower prices for crude oil and natural gas.

AP - Chevron Corp.'s first-quarter profit surged 18 percent, propelled by the sale of a Netherlands refinery and high gasoline profits, the company reported Friday.

AP - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on Friday reported a first-quarter loss of $174 million because of continuing costs from a settled strike and lower sales in North America.

Reuters - Chevron Corp.'s first-quarter earnings rose on a one-time gain from the sale of a refinery, the No. 2 U.S. oil company said on Friday.

AP - Burger King Holdings Inc. said Friday it swung to a profit in the third-quarter, fueled by sales of new sandwiches at the second-largest hamburger chain.

AP - Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler, said Friday its first-quarter profit rose 19 percent from a year ago, helped in part by revenue growth at its commercial collection and landfill businesses.

AP - Mazda Motor Corp., Japan's fourth biggest automaker, posted a 24 percent jump in profit for its fourth fiscal quarter and record annual earnings for the third straight year amid strong U.S. demand for a new sport utility vehicle and other models.

AP - Wall Street traded flat Friday after the government's estimate of first-quarter economic growth was weaker than investors expected, but earnings kept coming in strong.

FT.com - Wall Street stocks fell, bonds rallied, and the dollar fell to an all time low against the euro on Friday as weak gross domestic product data aggravated investors' concerns about the health of the US economy.

AP - Burger King Holdings Inc. said Friday it swung to a profit in the third-quarter, fueled by sales of new sandwiches at the second-largest hamburger chain.

AP - Chevron Corp.'s first-quarter profit surged 18 percent, propelled by the sale of a Netherlands refinery and high gasoline profits, the company reported Friday.

AP - Waste Management Inc., the nation's largest garbage hauler, said Friday its first-quarter profit rose 19 percent from a year ago, helped in part by revenue growth at its commercial collection and landfill businesses.

Reuters - Chevron Corp. , the No. 2 U.S. oil company, posted better-than-expected quarterly earnings on Friday due to higher margins for gasoline and other refined products.

AP - Stocks traded flat Friday as investors weighed a weaker-than-expected estimate of first-quarter economic growth with fresh evidence that corporate profits remain robust.

Reuters - U.S. blue-chip stocks inched higher on Friday, helped by rise in Microsoft Corp.'s shares after the technology bellwether joined a string of companies posting stronger-than-expected profits.

Reuters - The dollar slumped to a record low against the euro on Friday after the weakest reading on U.S. economic growth in four years, but later pared its losses in a technical rebound.

AP - Stocks showed modest gains Friday when investors weighed a weaker-than-expected estimate of first-quarter economic growth against fresh evidence that corporate profits remain robust.

Reuters - U.S. stocks rose on Friday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average to a record, as technology bellwether Microsoft Corp. reported solid profits.

AP - Stocks finished a memorable week mostly flat Friday as investors tried to reconcile a weaker-than-expected estimate of first-quarter economic growth Friday with fresh evidence that corporate profits remain robust. A modest advance in the Dow Jones industrials sent the blue chips to their third record close in as many days.

Reuters - The Dow Jones industrial average rose on Friday, with robust earnings pushing the blue-chip index to its third straight record close even as data showed the economy grew in the first quarter at its slowest pace in four years.

FT.com - A fresh batch of strong earnings updates pushed Wall Street stocks to historic highs this week, but the advance remained more symbolic than substantial.

AP - Stocks finished a strong week mostly flat Friday as investors tried to reconcile a weaker-than-expected estimate of first-quarter economic growth with fresh evidence that corporate profits remain robust. A modest advance in the Dow Jones industrials sent the blue chips to their third record close in as many days.

Reuters - The dollar dropped to a record low against the euro on Friday after the weakest reading of U.S. economic growth in four years suggested the economy could be at danger of falling behind the rest of the world.

AP - Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on Friday announced more cost cutting measures, including plant closures, that helped boost its shares to their highest in a year.

Investor's Business Daily - Apac Customer Service's industry may be dull, but back in the mid-1990s its stock performance was anything but boring -- particularly for investors who knew when to get on board and when to head for the exit.