BIRMINGHAM, Ala.—-The Regions Financial Corporation Board of Directors today elected Grayson Hall to serve as chief executive officer of the company upon the retirement of Dowd Ritter as chief executive officer effective March 31, 2010.

Palm Inc reported a wider-than-expected quarterly loss as consumers cooled to its new smartphones in the face of fresh competition including devices based on Google Inc software.

Research In Motion posted a big jump in profit and issued an even stronger outlook on Thursday, as sturdy demand from holiday shoppers helped the BlackBerry maker fend off the competition.

Oracle Corp reported a surprise increase in new software sales and said growth could accelerate this quarter as corporate IT spending picks up, sending its shares 4 percent higher.

Shares of Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. tumbled after the homebuilder’s chief executive said he doesn’t anticipate the company will turn a profit before 2011.

Shares of most major U.S. airlines fell as oil prices edged down slightly and the broader stock market fell sharply. NEW YORK — Telecommunications companies will face intensifying competition and pressure on prices next year, according to separate reports from Barclays Capital and Deutsche Bank.

A report on unemployment claims and a forecast of U.S. economic activity pointed Thursday to an economy mending slowly, without the job growth needed to fuel a vigorous recovery.

Stocks fell on Thursday as the dollar’s rebound spurred a safe-haven trade, cutting demand for riskier assets, while a soft profit outlook from economic bellwether FedEx sank transportation shares.

The following stocks were among those that moved substantially or traded heavily Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq Stock Market:

Shares of most major U.S. carriers fell Thursday as oil prices edged down slightly and the broader stock market fell sharply.