A surge in Galaxy smartphone sales fuelled earnings at Samsung Electronics to a record high in the first quarter, usually a tough season for the global consumer electronics industry, outshining handset rivals such as Nokia Corp.

Lady Gaga is to receive a Hero Award in recognition of her work with the LGBT community.

Microsoft Corp, the world’s largest software maker, reported fourth-quarter profit and sales that exceeded analysts’ predictions as demand from corporations outweighed lacklustre buying from consumers.

MICROSOFT Corp is trying to make Hotmail cool again.

Wall Street pulled back today as investors uneasy after a drop in consumer confidence traded cautiously ahead of the Federal Reserve’s rate decision.

Wall Street pulled back today, retreating from record levels following disappointing results from longtime favourites Caterpillar Inc and Google Inc. The Dow Jones industrials fell nearly 150 points.

Wall Street pulled back today, retreating from record levels following disappointing results from longtime favourites Caterpillar Inc and Google Inc. The Dow Jones industrials fell nearly 150 points.

A European Union panel of data protection supervisors has launched an investigation into whether US-based Google Inc.’s Internet search engine abides by EU data privacy rules.

Stocks climbed higher for the second straight day today as an already buoyant Wall Street embraced robust consumer spending figures and largely overcame disappointment in Google Inc.’s profit report. Both the Dow Jones industrials and the Russell 2000 index of smaller companies closed at new highs.

Wall Street fell for the first time in four sessions today as concerns about the technology and energy sectors overshadowed some 81 billion in takeover activity.

American stocks slipped today as investors awaited the US Labor Department’s jobs report and reacted to Yahoo Inc.’s announcement of its biggest management shake-up in more than five years.

Wall Street drifted to a slightly higher finish today as investors shied away from taking new positions in a holiday-shortened week. Despite the market’s languid tone, Google Inc. surpassed $500 for the first time.

Wall Street drifted to a slightly higher finish today as investors shied away from taking new positions in a holiday-shortened week. Despite the market's languid tone, Google Inc. surpassed $500 for the first time.

The Dow Jones industrial average set its fourth record close in two weeks today, finishing less than a point above its previous closing high.

Stocks rose slightly today with the Dow Jones industrial average briefly touching a new intraday trading high after the UN Security Council condemned North Korea over its claim of an underground nuclear test.

Broad-based gains in employment sent stocks higher today, with the Dow Jones industrials gaining more than 104 points as investors regained some confidence in the economy. However, interest rate concerns remain, and the markets finished mixed for the week.

Stocks ended a lethargic session moderately lower today as a lack of economic news returned investors’ focus to interest rates and inflation ahead of comments from new Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke later this week.

Declining oil prices and weakness in other commodities sent stocks lower today, as investors took profits and beat up the stocks that led Wall Street’s early January rally.

Falling consumer confidence and a smaller-than-expected rise in new jobs sent stocks lower for a second session today, with downbeat earnings from Amazon.com Inc. saddling the technology sector. The major indexes each lost more than 1% this week.

Google today launched the latest version of its famous search engine in China, and defended its decision to self-censor some content as a trade-off that will grant Chinese greater access to other kinds of information.

Disappointing tech sector earnings set off a second day of selling on Wall Street today, though the markets showed strength in the face of a major selloff in Japan.

US stocks rose moderately today as investors digested Tuesday’s gains, which followed the Federal Reserve’s signal that it may be nearing the end of its streak of short-term interest rate hikes.

Wall Street’s hopes of prolonging its year-end rally suffered another blow today as cautious traders sold off stocks and the technology sector posted a steep decline.

Stocks surged higher today after new data soothed inflation concerns and the price of oil tumbled to its lowest level in five months. The advance carried the Nasdaq composite index to a new 52-week high.

Wall Street slipped lower but still held on to most of its recent gains today as investors, their confidence in the economy growing, reacted calmly to oil prices that approached US$60 (€49.36) per barrel.

A surprisingly weak reading on the manufacturing sector sent US stocks mostly lower today as investors feared that the economy has indeed run into a soft patch.

US stocks rose modestly in uninspired trading today as investors looked past a mix of economic data and falling profit forecasts from Google Inc. and Applied Materials Inc.

With the much-ballyhooed initial public offering of Google Inc. behind them and oil chugging to a new record high, investors took a step back today, sending stocks lower.

Investors shrugged off rising crude futures today to capture bargain-priced shares, sending the Nasdaq composite index up 2% ahead of Google Inc.’s much-anticipated initial public offering of stock.

GOLDMAN Sachs Group Inc., the number one underwriter of equities worldwide during the past five years, lost market share in 2003 in the weakest year for initial public offerings in more than a decade.