NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp has made an unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo Inc for $44.6 billion in cash and stock, seeking to join forces against Google Inc in what would be the biggest Internet deal since the Time Warner-AOL merger.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. employers cut 17,000 non-farm jobs in January, the first time in nearly 4-1/2 years that U.S. payrolls shrank as continuing losses in construction and manufacturing reflected the economy's waning momentum.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp said on Friday record oil prices boosted its fourth-quarter earnings to $11.66 billion, the highest ever operating profit by a U.S. company.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eight banks have formed a consortium to seek a rescue plan for MBIA Inc , Ambac Financial Group Inc and other troubled bond insurers, CNBC said on Friday, citing an unnamed source.
LONDON/BEIJING (Reuters) - China teamed up with U.S. aluminium producer Alcoa to buy a $14 billion stake in Rio Tinto on Friday and said it may make a bid, threatening miner BHP Billiton's efforts to win Rio.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Chevron Corp , the second-largest U.S. oil company, on Friday said its fourth-quarter earnings rose as record prices for oil outweighed relatively weak refining profits.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks were set to open little changed on Friday as weaker-than-expected jobs data offset optimism about Microsoft Corp's $44.6 billion offer to buy Internet media company Yahoo Inc .
PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Societe Generale , the French bank hit by a rogue trader scandal, was studying bid defense options on Friday as a newspaper said a second domestic rival had hired advisers to consider a takeover.
DETROIT (Reuters) - U.S. auto parts maker Delphi Corp said on Friday it posted a $964 million net loss for December as it continued its effort to emerge from bankruptcy by the end of March.
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Ericsson Chief Executive Carl-Henric Svanberg said on Friday the Swedish firm would eye any assets put up for sale by U.S. rival Motorola Inc , but would be "very cautious" about any deal.
