FOREX: The yen on Friday hit a new low against the euro, which shot up to US$1.3379 as US inflationary pressures dropped along with consumer confidence
The US dollar stumbled against the euro on Friday as US economic data dashed expectations for a rate hike, while the yen was hammered by the lack of a clear signal on rate moves by the Bank of Japan.

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NEW CONTENDER: While nothing has been finalized, a joint takeover bid with General Electric would help to keep Dow Jones out of Rupert Murdoch's hands
Pearson PLC, publisher of the Financial Times, is exploring a rival takeover offer for Dow Jones & Co, and has discussed a joint bid with General Electric and Hearst Corp, people familiar with the talks said on Friday.

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Crude oil futures settled at US$68 a barrel on Friday, their highest close since September, while gasoline futures extended their rally, raising the prospect that prices at the pump will stabilize and possibly even rise after falling for several weeks.

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BULL RUN: The TAIEX rose 1.45 percent to come within range of another seven-year high, led by insurance firms eager for increased exposure to overseas investments
Asian stocks closed higher on Friday with investors continuing to track Wall Street, where fears over potential interest rate hikes are receding.

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LEGAL BOUNDS: Flickr's German-language version prevents users from seeing content that has not been expressly flagged as `safe'
A German expansion of Yahoo Inc's online photo-sharing service Flickr has been less than picture-perfect.

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The world's largest energy market, the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), is exploring a sale to NYSE Euronext, Deutsche Boerse AG or Chicago Mercantile Exchange Holdings Inc (CME), two people involved in the discussions said.

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Takeover speculation, positive broker comments and a pleasant surprise in US inflation figures helped European markets post a second day of strong gains on Friday.

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After a brief scare on inflation and interest rates, Wall Street has regained momentum and is flirting with new record highs as the market prepares for the upcoming corporate earnings season.

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EBay and Google have turned from ardent partners to nettled adversaries, with the renowned online auction site yanking its ads from the world's most popular Internet search engine.

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Sony Corp on Friday apologized to the Church of England for a violent computer game that features a bloody shootout inside an Anglican cathedral.

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■ COMPUTERS
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