AP - U.S. stock futures gained ground on Friday, as investors hoped that the last session's late buying could continue ahead of a critical poll on manufacturing sentiment and data on monthly auto sales.

AP - The Wall Street Journal, whose wide pages and text-rich look have long been an icon of the American newspaper business, is about to undergo several changes that include cutting three inches off its width.

AP - The Wall Street Journal is moving to a smaller format early next year and adding more color, graphics and other user-friendly elements in a bid to make the longtime stalwart of the financial world more appealing to a wider audience.

Reuters - Japanese video game maker Nintendo Co. Ltd. (7974.OS) said on Tuesday it is possible the company will beat its own earnings forecast for the current business year, helped by continued robust sales of its DS handheld games. DS sales for the year to the end of next March may exceed its official forecast of 20 million units, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata told Reuters in an interview.

Reuters - ISS, a global proxy advisory firm, recommended that Euronext shareholders vote in favor of the pan-European exchange's planned merger with New York Stock Exchange NYSE Group , Euronext said on Wednesday.

AFP - US mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae sliced 6.3 billion dollars off earnings reported through mid-2004 as the government-chartered lender restated earnings in the wake of an accounting scandal.

AP - U.S. stock futures were steady on Friday, with the global economic picture in focus not only on an eagerly-awaited U.S. jobs report but also after Japan revised its economic growth figures lower.

AP - Wall Street will wade through a slew of fresh economic data in the coming week as it strives to determine how well the economy is holding up and whether the surge in stocks of the past few months can be sustained through the final weeks of the year.

Reuters - The Nikkei average rose 0.67 percent on Monday as Honda Motor Co. (7267.T) and other exporters advanced on a weaker yen, while shares of Japanese seafood suppliers jumped after Maruha Group Inc. (1334.T) said it plans to merge its operations with smaller rival Nichiro Corp. (1331.T).

Reuters - Nasdaq launched its 2.7 billion pound ($5.3 billion) hostile bid for the London Stock Exchange on Tuesday, appealing directly to investors after being spurned by Europe's biggest stock market.

Reuters - Wall Street stocks are poised to push higher at the start of Wednesday trade, buoyed by a batch of merger activity, as investors shake off cautionary comments from the U.S. Federal Reserve.

Reuters - Costco Wholesale Corp. posted a 10 percent rise in quarterly profit on Thursday, but said it would take a $70 million charge in the second quarter related to company stock options.

AP - China and U.S. agreed to allow the Nasdaq market and New York Stock Exchange open formal business offices in China, Finance Minister Jin Renqing announced Friday at the end of two days of high-level talks with U.S. officials.

AFP - Shareholders in the New York Stock Exchange and the European stock market Euronext are to vote this week on a trans-Atlantic wedding in the face of some concern in Europe that the NYSE will be the dominant partner.

Reuters - Euronext and NYSE Group are close to obtaining approval from the Dutch Finance Ministry for a $14 billion merger plan to create the first transatlantic stock exchange.

Reuters - The London Stock Exchange said on Tuesday its 2006 adjusted earnings would rise at least 58 percent as it reiterated its opposition to a 2.7 billion pound ($5.3 billion) bid from U.S. rival Nasdaq .

AP - Palm Inc. faces challenges not only to compete with a growing number of rivals in the smart phone market but also to drum up investor excitement.

Investor's Business Daily - As it helped clients lose weight this year, NutriSystem ballooned.

AP - Walgreen Co., the nation's largest drugstore chain by revenue, on Friday said fiscal first-quarter profit grew 25 percent as prescription sales rose.

AP - Investors are expected to spend the last week of 2006 getting their portfolios in order, taking advantage of a slow period on Wall Street where volume plunges to its lowest levels of the year.

AP - Tokyo's stock prices slipped Monday as traders held off moves before the release of economic data. Shanghai surged to a new record on buying of bank shares, while most other Asian markets were closed for Christmas Day.

BusinessWeek Online - Qualcomm's contentious relations with communications industy players appear to have come back to haunt the company. On Dec. 22, Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM - News) warned of lower than expected quarterly profit attributable in part to hefty legal costs.

Reuters - The dollar fell against other major currencies on Wednesday, weighed down by continued talk of possible U.S. interest rate cuts next year and as thin volumes after the Christmas holidays accentuated market moves.

AP - Stocks fluctuated Thursday after three reports indicated the economy might be in better shape than expected, a sign the Federal Reserve might need to be more aggressive next year.

AP - U.S. stock market futures hugged the flat line on Friday on the last trading day of the year, with Apple Computer again in focus as traders await the filing of its annual report and with Marsh & McLennan in the spotlight on a report it's near a deal to sell Putnam Investments.

AP - The first trading week of the year may be a short one, but it may help determine whether the stock market's record-breaking run will continue or melt down in 2007.