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NEW YORK (Reuters) – Earnings could make for a bumpy ride in U.S. stocks next week if more key companies undershoot expectations, possibly causing a spike in volatility.

Disappointments from Alcoa (AA.N) , Google (GOOG.O) and others in the first week of earnings have dampened some of the enthusiasm about results, ensuring that eyes will be glued...

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Johnson & Johnson is in talks to buy Swiss medical device maker Synthes for $20 billion, according to a report on the Wall Street Journal website, citing people familiar with the matter.

A deal at that price would mark an 11 percent premium over Synthes' current market capitalization of around $18 billion.

However, the...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana (Reuters) – To judge by their polar opposite reactions, two top U.S. Federal Reserve officials could have been looking at completely different sets of U.S. inflation data on Friday.

That's largely because they were.

Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said the rise in the March U.S. Consumer Price Index data was "in line...

NEW YORK (Reuters) – The Dow and S&P rose on Friday as encouraging economic indicators offset some disappointing corporate results, though weakness in Google Inc (GOOG.O) pressured the Nasdaq.

A government report showed underlying inflation pressures remained contained in March, while a survey showed April consumer sentiment rose more than...

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) – Bank of America Corp posted an unexpectedly sharp drop in first-quarter profit as higher expenses from delayed home foreclosures weighed on its mortgage business.

The largest U.S. bank lost more than $2.39 billion in its home loan business as revenue fell and expenses rose. The foreclosure mess that began in...

LONDON (Reuters) – Top commodity trader Glencore's planned $12 billion London listing has long been seen as the first step to merging with Xstrata (XTA.L), in what could be the biggest mining takeover in history.

The question for most analysts and investors since the IPO was confirmed on Thursday is not if the deal happens but when -- and how.

Glen...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Rising food and gasoline prices lifted U.S. consumer inflation as expected in March, but underlying inflation pressures remained contained, a government report showed on Friday.

The mild rise in core CPI -- which excludes food and energy and is watched by the Federal Reserve for monetary policy -- may be seen as vindication...

Microsoft and Google and embroiled in an EU competition dispute

Google has defended recent changes to its search system that reduced the prominence of some popular websites.

One of the worst hit by the "Panda" update was Ciao.co.uk, a Microsoft-owned company that had been leading an EU...