Fiat slashes targets for next two years due to languishing Europe sales

MILAN: Fiat sharply cut its group targets for the next two years on Tuesday, saying languishing sales in austerity-hit Europe may mean its trading profit in 2014 is a third lower than it targeted two years ago.

Medium-sized firms 'optimistic' about overseas expansion

Some 78% of the 100 UK firms surveyed expected revenue from foreign ventures to grow over the next three years.

Nintendo's Wii U games console will be sold at a loss

Nintendo has confirmed that it will lose money on every sale of its Wii U console at launch. The Japanese firm's president revealed the news after the firm cut its profit forecast.

Apple's investment manager wrestles with $120bn problem

It is one of the world's largest hedge funds, with $121bn under management, but its name is virtually unknown in financial circles.

Samsung posts $7.4 bn profit, handsets mask weak chips

SEOUL: South Korean technology powerhouse Samsung Electronics Co posted a fourth straight record quarterly profit - of $7.4 billion - with strong sales of its Galaxy range of phones masking sharply lower sales of memory chips.

Europe warns Microsoft on antitrust

LONDON (CNNMoney) -- European antitrust authorities moved a stepcloser Wednesday to issuing a hefty fine against Microsoft for failing to offer Windows users a choice of Internet browsers.

Yahoo sees modest rise in revenues under new boss

Yahoo has posted a 2% rise in revenues for the first three months under the leadership of its relatively new chief executive Marissa Mayer.

FedEx to add 20,000 seasonal workers, sees shipping up 13 pct

FedEx Corp said on Monday it plans to hire 20,000 seasonal workers, the same as last year, to handle holiday shipping volume that it expects will be up more than 13 percent.

Fast food sales slow in China

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- China took a bite out of junk food in the third quarter. Last week, Coca-Cola (KO, Fortune 500) said that sales in China grew an anemic 2% compared to 11% a year ago.

American Companies That Give Back The Most, 2012

Which of America’s big companies are the most philanthropic? Each year The Chronicle of Philanthropy does a major project on corporate giving, and compiles two lists, one that tallies philanthropy in terms of raw dollars and another that looks at giving as a share of pre-tax profits.

McDonald's sales growth cools, chilled by competition

(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp posted its worst quarterly restaurant sales growth performance in nine years on Friday, lifting the curtain on the fast-food industry's ruthless fight for customers in a weak economy.

Google shares suspended after profit results error

Trading in Google shares was suspended for two-and-a-half hours after the internet giant released its third-quarter results early by mistake.

RBS leaves government's toxic asset insurance scheme

Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has moved a step closer to becoming a private company after withdrawing from a government scheme that insures the bank's riskiest assets.

Bank of England panel divided on future stimulus

LONDON (AP) — The likelihood that the Bank of England might approve more economic stimulus next month decreased on Wednesday as minutes from the latest policy meeting showed the rate-setters disagreed on the program's effectiveness and official figures showed the unemployment rate has dropped.

Coca-Cola third quarter profit rises

Coca-Cola Co reported quarterly revenue that came in short of Wall Street expectations on Tuesday, hurt by declines in Europe and Asia where it sold more lower-priced drinks.

Yahoo appoints Google's Henrique de Castro as COO

Yahoo has appointed Google executive Henrique de Castro as its next chief operating officer (COO), the second big name it has hired from its rival in recent months.

Toyota recalls 7.43m cars over power window defect

Toyota’s recovery has suffered a major setback, with the recall of more than 7m vehicles worldwide to fix faulty power window switches, after reclaiming the top spot as the world’s biggest car maker from General Motors and Volkswagen earlier in the year.

Tata Steel Europe to rationalise operation; cut output, jobs

New Delhi: Battling slowdown in demand for steel in Europe, Tata Steel plans to go for more layoffs and cut production in its European operations besides infusing funds to make it an "all-weather company".

US firms less optimistic, but will still invest in China: Survey

WASHINGTON: Many US companies are less optimistic about doing business in China even though sales there are still rising, and most of those firms are planning to increase investment, according to an annual survey of business executives released on Wednesday.

Japanese Car Sales Plummet in China

HONG KONG — Japanese automakers suffered plunging sales in China last month and have cut manufacturing by up to half in China this month after violent anti-Japanese protests in which Japanese-brand cars and even their owners were targeted.

Barclays to acquire ING Direct UK

Barclays Bank has agreed to buy ING Direct UK, taking on its £10.9bn deposits and £5.6bn mortgage book. The deal will involve the transfer of 750 ING Direct staff and 1.5 million customers to Barclays.

Russia's Rosneft to invest $18 billion in old refineries, says report

MOSCOW: Russia's state oil company Rosneft plans to spend $18 billion on its refinery infrastructure over the next three years, a report said Saturday after the company's chief met with investors.

Samsung sees record profits on smartphone sales

Samsung Electronics has estimated record profits in the three months to September, led by strong sales of its Galaxy smartphones.

Debt-laden companies cashing in on ECB pledge

(Reuters) - Heavily indebted euro zone firms are reaping the benefits of the European Central Bank's pledge to pull the region out of crisis, allowing them to borrow more cheaply and draw investors back into their shares.

Volkswagen eyes budget cars for emerging markets in 2 years

FRANKFURT: Europe's biggest car maker Volkswagen today said it is considering selling " budget cars" for as little as 5,000 euros (USD 6,500) in emerging markets "within two years".

Hewlett-Packard shares plunge 13% on turnaround fears

Hewlett-Packard shares plunged to a 10-year low after its boss said it will take time to turn around the company that built its success on printers and computers.

General Motors, Ford see slower truck sales as Toyota gains

DETROIT: General Motors Co, the largest US automaker, posted a small gain in September US sales as demand for passenger cars offset a drop in pickup trucks, while Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp reported a large sales increase.

EADS and BAE: Bosses urge political support for merger

The bosses of BAE Systems and EADS have issued a joint appeal for support for their proposed $45bn (£28bn) merger.

Samsung wins reconsideration of Galaxy Tab sales ban

(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court ruled on Friday that a lower court should reconsider a sales ban against Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 won by Apple in a patent dispute with the South Korean electronics maker.