The Swiss franc, which has been trading at record highs against major currencies in recent weeks, has begun slowing down trade growth, customs authorities said on Thursday.

"The strength of the franc slowed growth," said authorities in a statement on Swiss trade performance in June and the first half of the year.

The Eurozone, having failed to contain a raging debt crisis for the past year, now faces stark choices for its future: a radical leap towards federalism or a step backwards in the European project.

Quarrels over crafting a new bailout for Greece -- technical disputes over debt restructuring or private sector involvement -- hide deep political divisions between nations over where to take Europe and the euro.

Intel on Wednesday said revenue hit a new high for the fifth straight fiscal quarter due to demand for business gear, mobile gadgets, and data center equipment.

The world's leading computer chip maker reported net income of $3 billion on gross revenue of $13.1 billion in the recently ended fiscal quarter.

The euro was flat against the dollar in Asia Wednesday, with earlier strength caused by hopes of a resolution to Greek bailout talks offset by progress in the U.S. debt ceiling stand-off.

The euro stood at $1.4153 in Tokyo afternoon trade against $1.4150 in New York late Tuesday. It had hit $1.4171 Tokyo morning.

Yahoo! reported Tuesday an 11 percent rise in profit in the second quarter from a year ago, despite a fresh drop in revenue linked to its Internet search agreement with Microsoft.

The Internet company said it had net profit of $237 million, up from $213 million in the 2010 second quarter, slightly exceeding market expectations.

Apple shares hit a record high on Wall Street on Monday ahead of what is expected to be another blockbuster quarterly earnings report by the California gadget-maker.

Apple shares reached $374.65 during trading in New York before closing at $373.80, a gain of 2.43 percent on the day.

American Express is jumping into the daily deals arena.

The card issuer on Monday night will launch a Facebook application that offers personalized coupons based on a cardholder's likes, interests and other profile information. The announcement marks a significant entrant into the daily deals market, which has exploded in the past year.

Toyota's electric-gasoline hybrid car technology will be utilized to help ease power shortages in Japan's disaster-struck northeast, part of a set of measures the automaker hopes will underline its commitment to the region.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will donate emergency power supply systems linked to its Prius hybrid cars to prefectures (states) in the Tohoku region ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Cisco Systems Inc., the world's largest maker of computer-networking gear, is reducing its work force by about 9 percent to reduce costs and raise profits as the company tries to become more competitive.

Monday's announcement to cut 6,500 of its roughly 73,000 worldwide employees follows up on a plan disclosed in May to eliminate thousands of jobs. Two-thirds will come through layoffs, and the rest through an early-retirement plan. The company said 15 percent of employees at or above the level of vice president are being eliminated.

From his workship in the rugged northwestern region of Galicia, Amancio Ortega has conquered the world.

But he is something of an enigma.