Mortgage Rates Fall Sharply

CNBC's Trish Regan sits in for Maria Bartiromo to discuss the day's top business and financial stories, and look ahead to Friday's Closing Bell.

CNBC's Mary Thompson reports on the trading day from the NYSE.

The recent disagreements between the US and Switzerland over secret Swiss bank accounts is only a spat and the broader relationship has not been harmed, Martin Naville, CEO of Swiss American Chamber of Commerce, told CNBC Thursday.

The British public are "sleepwalking" into major spending cuts and tax increases and there "will be a very rude wake-up call for the majority of people who have no idea how bad the finances are for the country," Andy Brough from Schroders told CNBC Thursday.