Airways costs, debt start to fall

British Airways has cut operating costs by around 6.6 percent since last October as it fights to slim down during the downturn, while its debt-pile also fell slightly to 2.3 billion pounds

Wall St jumps on economy, earnings optimism

U.S. stocks opened sharply higher on Thursday following a string of stronger-than-expected quarterly corporate profits, a broker upgrade for General Electric Co (GE.N) and fresh signs that the economic slump is waning.

MasterCard unveils strong earnings, shares rise

MasterCard Inc (MA.N), the world's second-largest credit card network, reported better-then-expected quarterly earnings Thursday as it raised fees and cut expenses, sending its shares up 6.5 percent. Expenses declined 13 percent to

European earnings suggest delay to recovery

Major European industrial groups reported lower profits on Thursday despite some stabilisation due to cost-cutting and government help, and said they did not expect a quick economic recovery. Updates from engineering, oil,