Euro's strength increasingly high\nVIENNA, Austria -- The euro's growing strength against the dollar is "unwelcome," said European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet as the 12-nation European currency hovered just below a record high.\nThe increasing level of concern about the dollar's spiraling weakness raised talk among market watchers of a possible intervention to help the dollar stabilize.\nIn late New York trading, the euro fell slightly to $1.3273, after hitting a record high of $1.3329 on Friday. The euro rose to all-time highs against the dollar on four successive days last week.
Online shopping a hit on Thanksgiving\nNEW YORK -- Computer-savvy consumers did plenty of online shopping over the Thanksgiving weekend, giving companies like www.Amazon.com and www.walmart.com the same kickoff to the holiday season as department stores and malls.\nThe pickup in business on the Web was the result of online merchants using marketing tricks like their brick and mortar counterparts -- plying consumers with special discounts to get them to shop early.\nOnline sales excluding travel shot up 100 percent to $133 million on Thanksgiving Day compared to the same day last year, said comScore Networks Inc., an Internet research company. On Friday, online sales hit $250 million, up 41 percent from a year ago.
Three studios to offer next generation\nLOS ANGELES -- Three top Hollywood studios are throwing their considerable weight behind one of two competing formats for the next generation of DVDs, citing in part the need to stem piracy.\nParamount Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., which includes New Line Cinema and HBO, said Monday they would start releasing films in the HD-DVD format in time for the holidays next year.\nThe announcement escalates the battle between HD-DVD, developed by electronics makers Toshiba Corp. and NEC Corp., and Blu-Ray, backed by Sony Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which makes the Panasonic brand, and Philips Electronics NV.\nMonday's announcements are non-exclusive and the companies said they might produce DVDs in both formats if consumers demand it.
