BUSINESS

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Monday but investors are expected to be guarded amid the concerns about the looming “fiscal cliff,” which consists of tax increases and spending cuts, at the beginning of next year.

India’s industrial output fell in September compared to that in the same month last year, indicating that the weak global demand is continuing to have its impact on the country’s economy.

Most of the Asian markets fell Monday as investor sentiment was weighed down by the concern that the downturn in the global economic condition continued to weaken Japan’s economy.

Japan’s tertiary industry activity index rose in October, indicating that the total value of services purchased by businesses is rising, which could give the much required support to the country’s faltering economy.

Japan's gross domestic product contracted in the third quarter compared to that in the previous quarter due to the soft global demand and the weakening domestic consumption in the world's third biggest economy.

Apple and HTC reached a global settlement that encompasses the beginning of a 10-year cross-licensing deal and the end of all current lawsuits between them.

New economic data from Asia will be the focus as the fiscal cliff and the next tranche of Greek aid continue to weigh.

After a series of missteps and a dismal third quarter, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. is struggling to get back to the fundamentals of retail.

Natural disasters don't “help” an economy, but rebuilding efforts can provide a modest boost to economic growth for a while.

The global economy continues to recover at a subdued rate at the beginning of the fourth quarter with the growth in the service industries remaining undermined by the contraction in the manufacturing sector.

Asian markets fell in the week with the investor sentiment turning negative following the concerns about the U.S. facing a “fiscal cliff” consisting of tax increases and spending cuts at the beginning of next year.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Friday were Titanium Metals, Ion Geophysical, Precision Castparts, ITT Educational Services and Valhi Inc. The top after-market NYSE losers were Willbros Group, PHH Corp, Quicksilver Resources, Alon USA Energy and WMS Industries.

After Barack Obama gained a second term in office as a result of the U.S. presidential election Tuesday, business magnate and reality-television star Donald Trump went on a lengthy Twitter rant, calling in part for a revolution against Obama. Now, in an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Trump revealed he has “no regrets” about the rant.

A former employee has claimed that Waffle House Chairman Joseph Rogers Jr. threatened to fire her if she did not perform sexual acts and that the sexual harassment lasted about a decade, the Associated Press reported.

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling almost 750,000 of its Jeeps because of faulty airbags. Chrysler issued a recall order for two Jeep product lines. It applies to all Jeep Liberty models produced in 2002 and 2003 and to all Jeep Grand Cherokee models produced from 2002 to 2004.

Black Friday, that day that gets thousands to line up in the cold for a chance at scoring some deep discounts, is fast approaching and many deals have already been leaked. Should retailers be concerned about these leaked deals in the weeks leading up to Black Friday?

Zynga Inc. (Nasdaq: ZNGA) has acquired November Software LLC and its development team as part of its renewed focus on so-called midcore gaming.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ousted his Defense Minister, Anatoly Serdyukov, after a criminal probe. Russian Chief of Staff Nikolai Makarov was also dismissed.

The famed novelist recently told a French magazine that he's calling it quits after over 50 years of creating stories

HSBC, which is already embroiled in a money-laundering scandal that could lead to large fines and possible criminal charges, now also faces a new tax scandal. British tax officials are said to be examining bank accounts opened in the tax haven of Jersey.

The Navy and Department of Defense have punished seven members of the Navy SEAL Team 6 for sharing classified information with video game developer Danger Close Games and publisher Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: EA) for the military shooter “Medal of Honor: Warfighter.”

European bank economists reacted to the ECB's decision to leave monetary policy untouched: We're being set up for a fall.

Some skeptics have questioned whether the upbeat reading on China's economic activity can be believed.

An 5.2 magnitude earthquake struck north Japan on Friday, but has not resulted in a tsunami warning.

Leonardo DiCpaprio has put his beachside compound on the market for $23 million. He performed extensive renovations on the property after acquiring it for $6 million in 2002.

Meanwhile, the company's CEO is set to lay out his plan to shareholders in New York on Tuesday.

Fresh Express and Wegmans have issued separate recalls for spinach: a recall on Fresh Express bagged Spinach and Wegmans Spinach & Spring Mix.

Nestle USA issued a recall Thursday on some of its Nesquik chocolate powder because of a possible Salmonella risk.

A 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit north Japan on Friday, but has not resulted in a tsunami warning.