BRIEFCASE.Byline: - Staff and Wire Services Area gas prices on the rise again Amid oil price increases blamed on strong Asian demand and fears over Iran's nuclear program, the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. said Friday that Los Angeles-area gasoline prices rose 16.6 cents this week. It was the second consecutive weekly price hike following 12 weeks of decreases. Prices rose 1.2 cents in the Dec. 30-Jan. 6 period. The average price for a gallon of unleaded regular was $2.404 in the Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. area Friday morning, 10 cents more than last month and 44 cents more than this time last year, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Auto Club. Net advertising, retail sales robust NEW YORK New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of - U.S. Internet giants are expected to report strong revenue and profit growth for the final quarter of 2005, driven by the ongoing shift in advertising and retail dollars to the Web and goosed by the holiday rush. Both online advertising spending and e-commerce sales continue to leap ahead at double-digit percentage rates, significantly surpassing growth in the offline world. The result, analysts say, should be strong growth for Internet bellwethers Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., eBay Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. Windows Media to speak to Macs SEATTLE - Microsoft Corp. will stop developing a version of its Windows Media Player Digital jukebox software for Windows from Microsoft that plays a variety of audio, video and streaming formats including MP3, WMA, CD audio and MIDI. Starting with Version 6.2 in 1999, the Windows Media Rights Manager was added for securing copyrighted content. for Apple Computer Inc.'s Macs, and will instead offer free technology that lets people play Windows Media files using Apple's own software. The company decided to stop developing the Mac version so it could focus on efforts for Vista, the new version of Microsoft's Windows operating system that is due out later this year, said Tim Harader, a senior business development manager with Microsoft's Windows digital media division. Lucent expecting flatter revenues MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. - Telecommunications equipment maker Lucent Technologies Inc. said Friday that it expects slower revenue growth this year than previously forecast because of lower sales in the United States and China. Its shares fell 6 cents to close at $2.65 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. . Lucent also named Chief Financial Officer Frank D'Amelio to the post of chief operating officer Chief Operating Officer (COO) The officer of a firm responsible for day-to-day management, usually the president or an executive vice-president. , a move Susquehanna Financial Group analyst Joe Chiasson said should let a well-liked executive have a hand in more aspects of the business. The company forecast that annual revenue will be flat or grow by a percent in the low-single digits, rather than its previously anticipated mid-single-digit increase. For fiscal 2005, Lucent reported a profit of $1.19 billion, or 24 cents per share Cents per share The amount of a mutual fund's dividend or capital gains distributions that a shareholder will receive for each share owned. , and revenue of $9.44 billion. Hospital operator may beat forecast NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Hospital operator HCA HCA, n.pr See acid, hydroxycitric. Inc. said Friday that its fourth-quarter profit might exceed Wall Street's average forecast and reaffirmed its own forecast for this year. HCA projected a profit of between 72 cents and 76 cents per share for the fourth quarter, and from $3.17 to $3.21 per share for the year ended Dec. 31, 2005. Its shares rose $1.75, or 3.6 percent, to close at $50.94 in trading on the New York Stock Exchange. |
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