Shankar besta

Futures on major U.S. indices point to lower opening on Monday amid continuing political unrest in Egypt.

German retail sales fell unexpectedly in December 2010, posting a decline for a second consecutive month, the Federal Statistics Office said on Monday.

The U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) grew 3.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010, according to an advanced estimate by the U.S. Commerce Department, up from 2.6 percent growth in the third quarter.

Hedge-fund manager John Paulson made a profit of more than $5 billion personally last year which is likely the largest single-year gain in investing history, says a media report.

A new study forecasts that Muslim population globally will increase 1.5 percent annually over the next two decades, growing at twice the rate of non-Muslims.

Applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. rose unexpectedly for the week ended Jan. 22, following a sharp decline in the previous week.

Brazil’s unemployment rate fell to a record low in 2010, as the country’s economy records the fastest growth since 1985.

Retail sales in debt-stricken Spain fell sharply in December 2010, recording a decline in sales for the sixth consecutive month.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has announced slashing World Service program resulting in loss of 650 jobs and listeners to the tune of 30 million.

A survey on Tuesday showed that developer interest in Google’s Android mobile phone platform rose, narrowing the gap with Apple’s iOS.

South Korea's economy grew more than expected in the last quarter of 2010, posting an increase for the eighth consecutive quarter, the Bank of Korea said on Wednesday.

Some Chinese banks have increased interest rates on loans by 10-45 percent, alarmed by a surge in credit growth in January.

The Japanese government is no longer in a position to excessively rely on debt to handle the nations’ finances, Japanese Finance Minister said on Tuesday.

China asked importers of caprolactam from the US and the European Union (EU) to pay a security deposit, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Monday.

Oprah Winfrey, a well known American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist was born on January 29, 1954. Her self-titled talk show earned the highest ratings among the programs of such kind. Her childhood passed in dire poverty and many adversities, being abused at the age of nine. But, Winfrey’s successful journey in the media industry turned her into the richest African American of the 20th century.

Global economic recovery is not resulting in job creation, as the number of the unemployed people worldwide stood at a record 205 million last year, the International Labour Organization (ILO) warned on Monday.

Crude oil imports by China surged in 2010, taking the nation’s overseas oil dependence ratio to more than 55 percent, a media report said on Monday.

Business activity in Germany increased sharply in January, mainly boosted by a strong expansion in output of the services sector.

China’s economy is estimated to grow at 9.8 percent in 2011, with inflation likely to reach 3.7 percent.

Indian business conglomerate Mahindra & Mahindra is set to launch its first indigenously built aircraft priced 20 percent lower than similar aircraft sold by the market leader, Cessna.

Singapore Exchange will start operating the world's fastest trading engine on August 15 that can handle 1 million order book changes per second per partition, said a media report.

Melting of Greenland ice sheet set new record in 2010, as some areas in the second largest ice body in the world experienced melting for longer duration last year, says a research conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and City College of New York.

Business confidence in Germany continued to improve further in January, posting a gain for an eighth consecutive month.

Los Angeles city administrative office's (CAO) reporting of job creation and retention numbers under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds could be very misleading, said Wendy Greuel, LA city controller.

Construction of new homes in the U.S. fell during December but building permits rose surprisingly, indicating the continued weakness in the housing industry, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday.

The number of unemployed people in the UK rose by 49,000 to 2.5 million during three months to November, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Wednesday.

Manufacturing activity in the New York State expanded in January with the corresponding index posting its second consecutive positive reading.

Kuwait Oil Council on Monday predicted that oil barrel price to reach $110 in the next few weeks as the global economy recovers fast.

Spending just four hours a day working on a computer or watching television is likely to double the risk of heart disease and increase the possibility of premature deaths, according to a study.