STOCKS NEWS US-Microsoft CEO eyes Yahoo deal outside U.S.

Stocks on the move Real-time Equity news U.S. stock market report 0657 EST 05Nov2009-Microsoft CEO eyes Yahoo deal outside U.S. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Thursday the company could look to extend its search engine partnership with Yahoo outside the United States, if it gets regulatory approval. Earlier this year Microsoft and Yahoo signed a 10-year Web search partnership to challenge Google Inc, a pact that U.S. and European antitrust regulators are evaluating. For details, see Shares of Microsoft, a Dow component, closed Wednesday at $28.06 while Yahoo closed at $15.69. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0655 EST 05Nov2009-Dow Chemical revives plan with Shenhua ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Dow Chemical Co and Shenhua Group, China's largest coal miner, will reportedly move ahead with their planned $10 billion coal-to-chemical project in Shaanxi province after a delay of at least one year. Top executives from the companies, senior officials in Shaanxi province and representatives from the U.S. Embassy in China attended a cornerstone laying ceremony on Nov. 3, the China Chemical Industry News reported on Thursday. For details, see Shares of Dow closed Wednesday at $23.67. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0650 EST 05Nov2009-Crude oil falls on stronger dollar ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ December crude futures were down on Thursday, following a strong gain in the previous session as the U.S. dollar firmed. For details, see The contract fell 0.6 percent to $79.96 per barrel. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0647 EST 05Nov2009-RIM board OKs $1.2 bln stock buyback program ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Research in Motion on Thursday said its board authorized a $1.2 billion stock buyback program. The company will repurchase 21 million common shares under the program, which represents about 3.6 percent of the company's currently outstanding common shares. For details, see Shares of RIM closed Wednesday at $57.61. Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0642 EST 05Nov2009-Economic indicators for Nov. 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Economic indicators on tap for Thursday include weekly jobless claims and third-quarter labor cost and productivity data. In addition, many retailers are scheduled to report their monthly sales data. For details, see Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] 0632 EST 05Nov2009-Earnings diary for Nov. 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Companies scheduled to report quarterly results on Thursday include: Sara lee, King Pharmaceuticals, MetroPCS Communications, Starbucks and CBS Corp, among others. For details, see Reuters Messaging: [e-mail] Keywords: MARKETS STOCKSNEWS COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved.

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