Company: Sony Corp, SNE

Shares in Sony slumped more than 7 percent to near 32-year lows, as investors doubted t h e Japanese consumer electronics giant has a strategy to fix its loss-making TV business and compete in the smartphone market against Apple and Samsung Electronics. 

Stocks faded in the final minutes of trading to close mixed Thursday, but the Dow still managed to snap a six-day losing streak. Still, investors continued to be cautious amid ongoing uncertainty in the euro zone and techs dragged following Cisco's disappointing outlook.

Japanese consumer electronics giant Sony posted a record net loss of $5.74 billion for the year just ended, hit by losses from its TV business, but forecast a return to profit at an operating level in the current year.

If Apple were to challenge its smartphone competitors to a contest with its all conquering iPhone 4S, Samsung’s Galaxy S would probably be the model thrown into the arena to compete.

Many Japanese have a sense that their country has outgrown an economic template based on constructing commodity goods, but they disagree over what should replace it. The New York Times reports.

Sony, which once defined Japan’s technological prowess, wowed the world with the Walkman and the Trinitron TV and shocked Hollywood with bold acquisitions like Columbia Pictures, is now in the fight of its life. The NYT reports.

Shares of Sony fell as much as 5 percent to a two-month low on Friday as new CEO Kazuo Hirai's roadmap to revive the iconic consumer electronics maker failed to impress investors who were looking for a more aggressive strategy.

Less than a fortnight into his job as CEO, Kazuo Hirai on Thursday sketched out a revival strategy for Sony built around mobile electronics - phones, games and cameras - and a medical business with annual sales of $1.2 billion. 

Shares of Sony and Sharp plunged on Wednesday after the TV makers flagged a combined 900 billion yen ($11 billion) in full-year net losses, highlighting the crumbling of earnings in Japan's once-mighty electronics industry.

Sony forecast a record $6.4 billion net loss for the business year just ended, its fourth straight year of losses and double earlier forecasts, inflated by writing off deferred tax assets
in the U.S.

Japan's Sony is to cut 10,000 jobs, about 6 percent of its workforce, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday, as new CEO Kazuo Hirai looks to steer the electronics and entertainment giant back to profit after four years in the red. 

A recent data breach may affect less than 1.5 million credit cards in North America, according to the card processor involved.

MasterCard and Visa are warning banks about a possible security breach at a U.S.-based processor that could affect thousands of credit-card holders.

Sharp Corp on Wednesday named Takashi Okuda as its new president as the electronics company heads for a record annual net loss, the latest Japanese firm to shake up management after tumbling into the red on slumping TV sales.