Biz Buzz

LONG ISLAND

Kimco operating income rises

New Hyde Park-based Kimco Realty Corp., which owns more than 900 shopping centers in the United States, Canada and Latin America, reported a 5.5 percent increase in net operating income for 2011. Kimco said net operating income for last year was $617.6 million, up from $585 million for 2010. Net income available to common shareholders rose to $109.6 million, or 27 cents per share, from $91.5 million, or 22 cents per share, the previous year. The real estate investment trust sold off its interests in 31 nonstrategic shopping centers in 2011 and added 21 new retail properties. -- Joseph Mallia

Nation

LinkedIn logs strong 4th quarter

LinkedIn provided renewed evidence of online networking's moneymaking potential with a strong fourth-quarter performance. The results announced Thursday indicate LinkedIn Corp. is playing an increasingly influential role in the employment market as millions more people post their resumes there. The company, with 145 million members, earned $6.9 million, or 6 cents per share, during the final three months of last year, beating analysts' predictions. Its stock closed down 15 cents to $76.39 but rose as high as $83.49in extended trading. The news came a day after online coupon distributor Groupon Inc. disappointed the market with an unexpected loss. -- AP

New flash-trading rules eyed

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is looking at high-frequency traders to gauge their importance in the markets and consider possible new rules for them. The agency announced Thursday that it will establish an advisory panel on automated and high-frequency trading. High-frequency firms use super-fast computers and mathematical formulas to exploit split-penny price differences. Their impact has grown, and they now account for an estimated two-thirds of all U.S. stock trading. The speed traders came into the spotlight after the "flash crash" of May 6, 2010, in which the Dow Jones industrial average dropped nearly 600 points in about five minutes. -- AP

Intel pays $6.5M to end suit

Intel Corp. is paying $6.5 million as part of a deal to terminate an antitrust lawsuit filed against the chip-maker by the New York attorney general's office. Intel said Thursday that it is not admitting any violation of the law or that the allegations in the complaint are true. The payment is intended to cover costs incurred by the attorney general's office, which filed the lawsuit in 2009. "We have always said that Intel's business practices are lawful, pro-competitive and beneficial to consumers," Doug Melamed, Intel's general counsel, said in a statement. -- AP

PepsiCo cutting 8,700 jobs

PepsiCo is trying to put some fizz back into its business. The food and drinks maker announced a restructuring Thursday that includes cutting 8,700 jobs and plowing money into advertising drinks like Pepsi and Mountain Dew in North America. Pepsi announced its cost-cutting plan as it reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, but also forecast a decline in adjusted 2012 earnings. CEO Indra Nooyi said 2012 will be a "transitional year" as economic uncertainty persists. -- AP

Two key Ford executives retiring

Two key leaders in Ford's remarkable turnaround are retiring. Lewis Booth, chief financial officer, and Derrick Kuzak, product development chief, will leave the company April 1. The moves, in the works for months, raised questions about how long chief executive Alan Mulally, 66, will stay in his job and whether Ford can continue its renaissance under new executives. For Kuzak, 60, and Booth, 63, each with Ford Motor Co. for more than 30 years, their most important years were the last five, when Ford turned itself around after borrowing $23.5 billion in 2006. -- AP