26 tire suits settled

        Twenty-six lawsuits filed by accident victims who alleged tread separation on tires made by Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. caused their rollover crashes have been settled for an undisclosed amount.

        Linda Houssiere, of the firm Houssiere Durant and Houssiere, confirmed Friday the settlements involving 78 people who either were killed or injured in rollover wrecks. Most were Texans.

        Bridgestone/Firestone spokeswoman Jill Bratina confirmed the settlement without additional comment. Terms were not disclosed.
       

Oracle shares drop

        Oracle Corp. shares tumbled 21 percent after the No. 1 database-software maker said fiscal third-quarter profit missed forecasts, its first earnings shortfall in three years. Oracle fell $4.50 to $16.88. More than 220 million shares changed hands, the third-most active day in history for a U.S. stock.
       

Qwest limits stock sales

        Qwest Communications International Inc. chairman and chief executive Joseph Nacchio said he will no longer sell Qwest shares on a daily basis because he thinks his company's stock is undervalued.

        Under a program announced Feb. 16, Mr. Nacchio revealed plans to sell 11,500 shares a day until June 30, 2003. Now, Mr. Nacchio will return to selling the stock quarterly, the company said.

        The shares of the Denver-based company had fallen 42 percent in the past year and 6 percent since Mr. Nacchio's earlier announcement. They fell 13 cents to $34.73.
       

"Poison pill' hurts stock

        Shares of Internet portal Yahoo! Inc. dropped 11 percent Friday after the company adopted a shareholder rights plan to deter a potential hostile takeover.

        Yahoo shares fell $2.75 to close at $21.69 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. The company announced the plan late Thursday.

        Under the plan, Yahoo shareholders will have the right to buy one unit of a share of preferred stock for $250 if a person or group acquires at least 15 percent of the company's stock. The rights apply to shareholders of record as of March 20. The rights will expire March 1, 2011.
       

Sapient to cut 720 jobs

        Sapient Corp., which helps businesses build software and Internet systems, said it's firing 720 people, or about 20 percent of its work force, as it faces a sales slowdown that will cause a first-quarter loss.

        The company's shares fell $1.75, or 13 percent, to $11.25. Earlier, they dropped as much as 32 percent to a 52-week low of $8.81. The stock has plunged 85 percent since reaching a high of $74.53 in August.
       

N.Y. Times ups price

        A month after raising its home delivery price, The New York Times is raising the cover price for all of its its Sunday editions at a time when advertising revenues are falling. The price increase was announced Friday, and goes into effect March 25. The Sunday national edition price will increase 75 cents, to $4.75.

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