Shares News

SHANGHAI (Dow Jones) -- Alibaba's Jack Ma suddenly making friends, after years of alternately haranguing and declaring victory over archrival eBay, would be...unlikely. Imagine George W. Bush and Al Gore sharing a pistachio ice cream cone. The partnership announced last week between Yahoo, Inc. (YHOO) and eBay, Inc. (EBAY) makes impeccable sense within the U.S. market, targeting both companies' ...

CHICAGO (Dow Jones) -- Chico's FAS turned in a nearly 11% jump in first- quarter profit late Thursday due to strong sales, but lowered its forecast for the year. The dreary outlook didn't bother investors much; Chico's (CHS) was 3.9% higher to $31.15 in late-morning trading Friday. Fort Myers, Fla.-based Chico's said that it made $52 million, or 29 cents a share, compared with last year's pr ...

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) -- Someone forgot to tell General Motors Corp. this week that it's a stodgy member of the Dow industrials on the brink of extinction at the hands of fierce overseas rivals and its own archaic business model. In fact, GM shares (GM) are looking a lot more like an Internet stock circa 1999, having added almost half their value so far this year -- and are up almost 20% th ...

By Florian Gimbel in Hong Kong, John Burton in Singapore and David Turner in TokyoPublished: May 28 2006 20:32 | Last updated: May 28 2006 20:32Companies seeking to tap Asia’s equity markets may be forced to reconsider their plans amid signs of growing nervousness among big investors, including hedge funds. // Investment bankers said recent market volatility was affecting the risk appetite of hed ...

By Carola Hoyos in LondonPublished: May 28 2006 20:48 | Last updated: May 28 2006 20:48When energy ministers of the world’s biggest oil exporting countries arrive in Caracas this week, new armoured Mercedes limousines will take them to hotel suites kitted out with specially commissioned soaps made from exotic fruits. // Members of the committee planning the meeting of the Organisation of the Pet ...

Tony Hetherington, Mail on Sunday28 May 2006 FINANCIAL Mail readers were warned against it. Investment watchdogs in a dozen countries issued public alerts about it. But still the president of Panama cosied up to Prime Forestry, a shady Swiss company that claimed to offer 14% annual returns to anyone who put their savings into growing teak trees. WANT TO KNOW MORE? COLUMNISTS: Tony Hethering ...

Tom McGhie, Mail on Sunday28 May 2006 ROYAL Mail bosses are planning productivity proposals to give the 180,000 workforce an extra half per cent pay rise on top of the 2.9% offer, to try to prevent the first national post strike in ten years. STRIKE THREAT: Post bosses will offer bonuses to beat the threat of action WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Rescue for profitable Royal Mail FREE SERVICE: Company reports OTHER STORIES Tesco to spark PC price war Drained of £26bn ...

28 May 2006 THE junior Alternative Investment Market, hailed as star performer of the recent bull run, has emerged as the worst loser in the recent slump. WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Shares boom is over, says guru TIPS & TACTICS: Midas' stock picks FREE SERVICE: Company reports OTHER STORIES Tesco to spark PC price war Drained of £26bn by water firms Market report: Friday  ...

Simon Fluendy, Mail on Sunday28 May 2006 Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks may have thought he had the job from hell last winter, battling consumer hostility over huge rises in fuel bills in a country used to considering itself self-sufficient in oil and gas. RUNNING DRY: Reservoirs in southern England have run dry but water firms have failed to stop huge leakage WANT TO KNOW MORE? REPORT: Water firm admits fiddling bills SWITCH & SAVE: Cut water bills BLOG: Water meter ...