2010-03-12: AP - Major companies tentatively scheduled to report quarterly earnings next week:

2010-03-12: Reuters - U.S. stocks barely changed on Friday as data showing retail sales rose unexpectedly last month was offset by weaker consumer sentiment, sending mixed signals about the economic outlook.

2010-03-12: AFP - FTSE 100 shares ended slightly higher on Friday on news that retail sales in the United States rose unexpectedly in February for the second straight month.

2010-03-12: AP - Verizon Communications Inc. said Friday it will list its stock on the Nasdaq exchange along with its existing New York Stock Exchange listing.

2010-03-12: Reuters - U.S. stocks turned lower on Friday, as a weaker-than-forecast reading on consumer sentiment outweighed an unexpected increase in retail sales.

2010-03-12: AP - KKR & Co. LP, the parent of private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is planning to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, according to a regulatory filing.

2010-03-12: Reuters - Private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co has filed to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, moving forward with its two-year effort to become a publicly traded company.

2010-03-12: Reuters - U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Friday, a day after the S&P hit a 17-month closing high and as retail sales rose unexpectedly in February.

2010-03-12: AP - LONDON AP) — European stock markets and Wall Street futures rose Friday after better than expected figures for U.S. retail sales and eurozone industrial production helped ease concerns about the pace of economic recovery.

2010-03-12: AFP - Europe's main stock markets rose Friday as investors awaited crucial economic data and tracked US attempts to rein in the banking sector, dealers said.

2010-03-12: AP - Stock futures are trading higher Friday as investors look to consumers for guidance on the economic recovery.

2010-03-12: Reuters - U.S. stock index futures were modestly higher on Friday, a day after the S&P hit a 17-month closing high and ahead of reports that could give clues into the strength of the American consumer.

2010-03-12: Reuters - Stock index futures pointed to a mixed open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.4 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.01 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.01 percent.

2010-03-11: Reuters - The S&P 500 hit a 17-month closing high as rising bank shares led a late rally that lifted stocks on Thursday, more than offsetting worries China may move to cool its overheating economy.

2010-03-11: AP - JUST BY A HAIR: The Standard & Poor's 500 index inched just above its recent peak in January to set a new 17-month high. The achievement is a welcome sign for traders who were concerned the market would stall around the January levels.

2010-03-11: AP - WARNING ON DERIVATIVES: The head of the Securities and Exchange Commission is calling anew for Congress to impose new oversight on financial derivatives. Mary Schapiro warns that allowing risky instruments like credit default swaps to continue unfettered could bring further economic damage.

2010-03-11: AP - Air Methods Corp., which provides emergency medical air transportation, said Friday that its fourth-quarter profit fell 27 percent as severe weather led providers to cancel patient transports.

2010-03-11: AP - Clothing chain Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. reported late Thursday that its fourth-quarter loss widened as sales fell.

2010-03-11: AP - Biotechnology company Xoma Ltd. said Thursday its fourth-quarter profit fell as its contract revenue dipped.

2010-03-11: AP - Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. on Thursday said its fourth-quarter profit rose 65 percent as its sales and merchandise margins improved.

2010-03-11: AP - Ulta Salon Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc. on Thursday said it expects its earnings per share to double or nearly double in its fiscal first quarter compared with a year ago.

2010-03-11: AP - Among the earnings stories for Thursday, March 11, from AP Financial News:

2010-03-11: AP - Quiksilver Inc. reported late Thursday that its first-quarter loss narrowed .

2010-03-11: AP - The government's top securities regulator is calling anew for Congress to impose new oversight on financial derivatives, warning that allowing risky instruments like credit default swaps to continue unfettered could bring new economic damage.

2010-03-11: Reuters - The top U.S. securities regulator said market watchdogs need to supervise credit default swaps, securities blamed for exacerbating 2008's market meltdown and more recently the Greek debt crisis.

2010-03-11: AP - Defense contractor Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. reported a fourth-quarter profit Thursday.

2010-03-11: AP - Chain book store Books-A-Million Inc. reported Thursday that its profit edged up slightly in the fourth quarter despite a drop in sales.

2010-03-11: Reuters - The S&P 500 hit a 17-month closing high as rising bank shares led a late rally that lifted stocks on Thursday, more than offsetting worries China may move to cool its overheating economy.

2010-03-11: AP - Smithfield Foods Inc., the nation's largest hog producer and pork processor, reported a profit on Thursday for its third quarter after more than a year of losses.

2010-03-11: AP - SMTC Corp. on Thursday said it moved to a quarterly profit, which sent shares of the electronics manufacturing services provider higher.