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NEW YORK (AFX) - Stocks advanced Thursday, with the Dow Jones industrial average crossing 11,900 for the first time, after big consumer names like McDonald's Corp. gave investors hope that earnings would be strong despite a slowing economy. The widely followed Dow index rose as high as 11,934.73 Thursday, topping a previous intraday high of 11,872.94. On Tuesday, the Dow closed at 11,867.17,  ...

LOS ANGELES (AFX) - Oil and gas producer Occidental Petroleum Corp. said on Thursday it declared a regular quarterly dividend of 22 cents per share. The company will pay the dividend on Jan. 15 to shareholders of record Dec. 8. Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

NEW YORK (AFX) - PepsiCo Inc., the snack food maker and No. 2 soft drink company, said Thursday its third-quarter profit jumped 71 percent, reflecting a 9.4 percent increase in sales and comparison with results that were depressed by a tax charge a year ago. The company raised its earnings guidance for the full year, saying it expects a profit of at least $2.98 per share, up from its previous ...

French President Jacques Chirac has said France and Germany should "harmoniously" share any job cuts at struggling planemaker Airbus. His comments came after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Airbus, a subsidiary of Franco-German firm EADS, warned this week that it faces job cuts because of delays to its forthcoming A380 superjumbo. The planemaker has two main plants in Toulouse, France, and Hamburg, Germany, but makes its wings in the UK. Key shareholder Mr Chirac said he bac ...

(Updating with full report) LONDON (AFX) - Leading shares enjoyed another bullish session today, with firm metals and miners, further M&A speculation and fresh records by Wall Street helping to push the FTSE 100 index to within a whisker of 5-1/2 year highs, dealers said. The FTSE 100 index was up 47.80 points at 6,121.30, its highest close since April 21 2006 and before that February 2001.  ...

(Updates with full report) FRANKFURT (AFX) - Shares closed higher on the back of early gains one Wall Street and as a fresh spate of M&A stories continued to prompt buying, dealers said. At the close, the DAX 30 index was 40.83 points or 0.67 pct higher at 6,160.28, having moved between 6,112.51 and 6,164.41, which marked a new record high for the current year. The MDAX was at 8,698.07, up  ...

BOSTON (Dow Jones) -- Genzyme reported a lower third-quarter profit early Thursday, due largely to hefty charges taken in relation to its genetic testing business. For the quarter ended Sept. 30, Genzyme (GENZ) posted net income of $16 million, or 6 cents a share, compared with $115.7 million, 43 cents share, for the third quarter last year. The quarter included a charge of $149.4 million for t ...

U.S. stocks rallied Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average tapping a new all-time high, after a string of upbeat earnings reports led by McDonald's Corp, Costco Wholesale Corp. and Yum Brands. The Dow industrials (DJI) rose 65 points to 11,916, just off an all-time high of 11,923.05. Gains for McDonald's Corp. (MCD) , Boeing Co. (BA) , Intel Corp. ( INTC) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) spu ...

BOGOTA, Colombia (AFX) - Banco Davivienda, Colombia's fourth largest bank, has agreed to pay $927 million for control of state-owned Bancafe after outbidding its larger local rival in one of the country's most anticipated privatization auctions. "The price is in the high range of our expectations," said Jorge Castellanos, CEO of Bancafe. With the acquisition of 99 percent of Colombia's ...

MILWAUKEE (AFX) - Sensient Technologies Corp., which makes flavors, aromas, and colors for food, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and household products, said Thursday its board increased its quarterly cash dividend by 6.7 percent to 16 cents per share. In the prior quarter, the company paid a 15-cent dividend. Sensient will pay the dividend on Dec. 1 to shareholders of record on Nov. 8. Shares of the ...