The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. * Microsoft Corp said on Thursday that it was laying off up to 18,000 employees, in an attempt at reinvigoration. The cuts are the first major change made by Satya Nadella, the company's new chief executive, who said Microsoft needed to be more nimble and focused. (nyti.ms/WevUv7)* The biggest deal of the year is set to be announced on Friday morning, as the pharmaceutical giant AbbVie Inc plans to announce a $53 billion acquisition of Shire Plc , according to people briefed on the matter. (nyti.ms/1qjvYHl)
AbbVie Inc. (AbbVie) is a research-based pharmaceuticals company. Shares of ABBV fell by 0.24% or $-0.13/share to $53.52. In the past year, the shares have traded as low as $42.25 and as high as $58.27. On average, 6791440 shares of ABBV exchange hands on a given day and today's volume is recorded at 18698976.
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