111.   Relatively upbeat forecasts from Advanced Micro Devices and Yahoo! helped stocks move slightly higher Thursday on hopes that maybe business is improving after all.

112.   Relatively upbeat forecasts from Advanced Micro Devices and Yahoo! cheered investors Thursday, propelling stocks higher in early trading on hopes that maybe business is improving after all.

113.   Satisfactory earnings from Citigroup and Intel, which boosted hopes that business is improving, also helped send stock prices higher.

114.   She believes the junior business will improve by the fourth quarter.

115.   Semiconductors traded higher for a second day, rising Thursday as the Semiconductor Industry Association said Thursday that business will improve next year.

116.   Stocks were narrowly mixed in early trading Wednesday as investors, unsure of when business will improve, limited their commitments to the market.

117.   Thai CEOs believe businesses should improve efficiency, reduce the line of command, provide accurate job descriptions, set up loss prevention units and use more information technology.

118.   Still, most companies remain unable to say when business will improve.

119.   Stocks have been falling on mixed earnings reports and outlooks that have made it difficult to discern whether business is improving.

120.   Stocks have declined for much of this year as companies released tepid fourth-quarter earnings and offered little indication that business is improving.