It is believed that only a handful of positions at Microsoft’s Irish operations will be affected by the decision to cut 18,000 staff from its 127,000 worldwide workforce.

JPMorgan Chase & Co’s first-quarter profit rose 33% to a record, beating analysts’ estimates on cost cuts and an improvement in consumer credit quality that let the bank reduce loan-loss reserves.

Advanced Micro Devices, the long-struggling competitor of giant rival Intel, is facing yet another crisis amid a shifting technology landscape and declining demand for personal computers.

YAHOO!, owner of the second most popular US internet search engine, has reported sales that missed analysts’ estimates as marketers devoted online ad spending to rival sites. The shares fell in late trading.