The iPod maker Apple Inc was rated ``buy'' in new coverage
at UBS AG, citing the company's ``core strengths and opportunities''
and ``competitive advantage.''
The Procter & Gamble Company posted a 33% jump in
fourth-quarter net income as price hikes and cost-savings measures
offset rising commodity prices; a $3B increase in commodity costs over
the next 12 months will hurt profit margins.
Bertelsmann AG is selling its 50% stake in Sony BMG to Sony
Corp. in a $1.2B, giving the Japanese company full ownership of the
joint venture whose artists include Alicia Keys and Leona Lewis.
The world's biggest maker of agricultural chemicals Syngenta Ag fell after falling crop prices raised concerns about pesticide and fertilizer demand.