updated Wed January 02, 2008

Acacia Research Reaches Settlement With Sprint Nextel, Enter License Agreement

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) -- Acacia Research Corp., which develops, acquires and licenses patented technologies, said Wednesday its Telematics Corp. unit reached a settlement with Sprint Nextel Corp. related t...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Qualcomm Found to Infringe 3 Broadcom Patents, Launches New Chips Compliant With Injunction

SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Wireless technology developer Qualcomm Inc. said Wednesday Calif. Federal District Judge James V. Selna has ordered Qualcomm to stop making and selling certain cell phone chips and software wh...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

British Pound Falls to Record Low Against the Euro Amid UK Rate Cut Speculation

LONDON (AP) -- The British pound fell to a record low against the euro on Wednesday amid speculation that the slowing domestic economy will lead to further cuts in interest rates.The pound has fallen steadily a...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Indian Shares Climb; Led by Tata Motors, Reliance Energy

MUMBAI, India (AP) -- Indian shares gained Wednesday helped by gains in power utility Reliance Energy Ltd. and automobile major Tata Motors Ltd.The Bombay Stock Exchange's 30-share Sensex index moved up 165 poi...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Most Asian Markets Fall to Open New Year, Weighed Down by Concerns About US Economy

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) -- Most Asian markets fell in light trade Wednesday in the first trading session of 2008, weighed down by an earlier decline on Wall Street and ongoing concerns about the U.S. economy. Th...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Alliance & Leicester Shares Jump 9 Pct on Reports It Held Takeover Talks With Santander

LONDON (AP) -- Alliance & Leicester PLC shares jumped almost 9 percent on Wednesday following reports that the mortgage lender had met with Spain's Banco Santander SA.Several British newspapers reported the...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Hyundai Predicts 2008 Sales Gain on Expanded Production, Marketing

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- Hyundai Motor Co. forecast a double-digit increase in sales for 2008 on expanded overseas production and stronger marketing.Global sales this year will total 3.11 million vehicles, an...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Paris Airport Operator ADP Shares Soar After Vinci Buys 3.3 Percent Stake

PARIS (AP) -- Shares in government-controlled Aeroports de Paris, operator of Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports, soared after French construction company Vinci SA said it had acquired a 3.3 percent stake. ADP...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Depomed Gets FDA Approval for New Formulation of Its Diabetes Drug Glumetza

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) -- Specialty drugmaker Depomed Inc. said Wednesday the Food and Drug Administration approved a new formulation of the company's diabetes drug Glumetza.The FDA approved a 1,000-milligram ...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

US Dollar Mixed, Gold Up in European Trading

LONDON (AP) -- The U.S. dollar was mixed against other major currencies in European trading Wednesday morning. Gold rose.The euro traded at $1.4694, up from $1.4626 late Monday in New York.Other dollar rates:--...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

ECB to Drain As Much As $294.42 Billion From Money Markets

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- After pumping in billions of euros to banks eager for cash in December, the European Central Bank on Wednesday said it would -- as expected by money markets -- remove much of that mon...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

OM Group Closes Acquisition of Rockwood Electronics Business for $315 Million

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Specialty chemicals company OM Group Inc. said Wednesday it closed its $315 million acquisition of Rockwood Holdings Inc.'s electronics business.OM also exercised its option to buy Rockwood's ...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Acergy Gets $700 Million Contract From Total SA to Develop Offshore Angolan Oil Field

NEW YORK (AP) -- Offshore oil and gas engineering firm Acergy SA said Wednesday it was awarded a $700 million contract from Total SA to develop a deepwater oil field off Angola.The total contract is valued at $...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Care Investment Trust Makes $72.4M Equity Investment in 9 Medical Office Buildings

NEW YORK (AP) -- Real estate investment trust Care Investment Trust Inc. said Wednesday it made a $72.4 million equity investment in nine medical office buildings.The purchase price paid to Cambridge Holdings I...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

JPMorgan Analyst Cuts Rating on BJ's Wholesale Club Shares, Expects Sales to Soften

NEW YORK (AP) -- A JPMorgan analyst on Wednesday cut his rating on shares of BJ's Wholesale Club Inc., saying sales at the nation's No. 3 retail warehouse club may soften in coming months.Analyst Charles Grom d...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Chesapeake Energy "Monetizes" Certain Assets to UBS, Deutsche Bank Unit for $1.1B Proceeds

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corp. said Wednesday it sold a non-operating stake in certain producing assets in Kentucky and West Virginia to UBS AG and Deutsche Bank's DB Energy ...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Harbinger Capital, Harbert Management Increase Passive Stake in Leap Wireless Int'l to 15 Pct

NEW YORK (AP) -- A group that includes Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I Ltd. and investment firm Harbert Management Corp. increased its stake in Leap Wireless International Inc., according to a filing w...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Board of Sweden's OMX Recommends Borse Dubai Bid, Nasdaq OMX Share Purchase

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) -- The board of Nordic stock exchange operator OMX AB on Wednesday unanimously recommended Borse Dubai's $4.99 billion cash offer for the company.In the recommendation, the OMX board said...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Dollar Down Against Euro, Up Against Pound on First Trading Day of 2008

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) -- The dollar was mixed in European trading Wednesday, the first of the new year, as markets looked to the release of a key report detailing the health of U.S. manufacturing later in the...

updated Wed January 02, 2008

Analyst Upgrades Health Insurer Humana on Delayed Medicare Cuts, Downgrades UnitedHealth

NEW YORK (AP) -- A CIBC World Markets analyst upgraded shares of health insurer Humana Inc. Wednesday, saying it will be at least three years until Congress can make any cuts in Medicare Advantage programs. He ...