World Business News

Spot gold finished slightly lower on Thursday as investors locked in profits after bullion jumped past key resistance in early trade.

US coffee chain Starbucks has posted a 10% rise in profits for the three months to 1 January 2012, benefiting from new stores and new products.

South Korea's Samsung Electronics has announced a 17% rise in profits in the last three months of 2011, as smartphone sales boosted earnings.

Apple Inc overtook Samsung Electronics Co Ltd as the world's top smartphone maker in the fourth quarter of last year, with the South Korean company selling about half a million fewer smartphones than its rival, research firm Strategy Analytics said on Friday.