CHICAGO - Grain and soybean futures increased in early activity Thursday on the Chicago Board of Trade.
Wheat for July delivery rose 8 1/4 cents to $5.19 a bushel; July corn rose 8 1/4 cents to $3.90 1/2 a bushel; July oats rose 4 1/2 cents to $2.82 a bushel; July soybeans rose 7 1/4 cents to $8.15 1/2 a bushel.
…
ASML Holding NV, a key supplier to computer chip makers such as Intel Corp., reported a euro117 million ($155 million) loss for the first quarter on Wednesday as sales dried up amid the global economic downturn.
In the same period a year earlier, ASML had net profit of euro145 million. Sales plummeted by 80 percent to euro184 million from euro919 million.
ASML makes machines used to map out the circuitry of semiconductors. Customers include Intel, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd., while its main competitors are Nikon Corp. and Canon Inc. of Japan.
"Semiconductor equipment demand collapsed in the …
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sarah Palin's scorecard? More than three dozen of the Republicans she supported won seats in Congress to challenge President Barack Obama and possibly smooth a presidential run by their benefactor.
Palin earned high-wattage allies in early nominating states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina should she seek the White House in two years. The 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee backed winning candidates from Washington state to Florida, but her political heft went to like-minded conservatives in states that could prove critical to a presidential campaign.
"She's got a big following in Iowa and she's generated a lot of enthusiasm and helped the …
The San Jose Sharks got off to a head start on their offseason moves, re-signing forwards Jeremy Roenick and Joe Pavelski and backup goaltender Brian Boucher on Wednesday, six days before the start of the free-agency period.
Roenick and Boucher, who each received a one-year contract, would have become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Pavelski, who would have been a restricted free agent, got a two-year deal from the Sharks.
General manager Doug Wilson believes Pavelski showed only a glimpse of what he can do in the NHL during a strong stretch run and postseason that capped a successful second year in the league. Pavelski had 19 goals and 21 assists in 82 …
The Bears have shown in the last two years how valuable a second-round draft pick can be. The selections of safety Mike Brown in 2000and running back Anthony Thomas in 2001 produced not only a couple ofwildly productive players, but also two of the most stablepersonalities on the team.
It's hard to believe most general managers and personnel bossesconsider the second round the most difficult pick in the draft.Especially when you consider the Bears weren't alone in hitting thejackpot last year.
Thomas might have been the best value selection at No. 38, but hewas far from alone in making an impact. Pittsburgh's Kendrell Bell(39), St. Louis' Tommy Polley (42), …
Volkswagen is taking its vehicles upscale by adding more standard equipment, making the cars quieter and adding products like the luxury sports car, the Tr, to the Audi brand.
"We want to get away from the notion that is present, certainly in the States, that we are an entrylevel car producer," says Jens Neumann, member of VW's board of management. That's necessary, he says, for VW …
