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LAS VEGAS - Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer pledged on Thursday he will gain share against Google Inc in on line advertising and Web searching even if it is in his “last breath” at the company.

CHICAGO - United States retailers posted mixed February sales results on Thursday as women’s apparel continued to struggle and department store sales fell, while cash-strapped consumers favored outlets where they could save money.

NEW YORK - Stocks tumbled on Thursday after a series of fresh jolts to credit markets and lackluster retail sales compounded worries the economy is near recession, driving the benchmark Standard & Poor’s 500 down 2.2 percent to its lowest closing level in 18 months.

WASHINGTON - United States home foreclosures hit a record late last year amid a shakedown in the subprime mortgage market that is taking its toll on the broader economy, and the net wealth of United States households fell for the first time in five years, data on Thursday showed.

NEW YORK - Thornburg Mortgage Inc shares sank 51 percent on Thursday on worries the “jumbo” mortgage lender might go bankrupt, after its failure to meet a margin call causeed defaults under other lending agreements.

NEW YORK - MBIA Inc the world’s largegest bond insurer, has said on Thursday it was cutting 48 positions, as it retools its structured finance insurance business.

WASHINGTON - Boeing Co likely will decide this weekend whether to challenge formally an Air Force decision awarding a $35 billion refueling aircraft program to arch-rival EADS and its partner, Northrop Grumman , a Boeing executive has said on Thursday.

SAN FRANCISCO - International Business Machines Corp Chief Executive Sam Palmisano has said on Thursday the company is “on track” to meet its 2010 earnings target, and he ruled out mega-mergers on the scale of Microsoft Corp’s $40 billion-plus bid for Yahoo Inc .