BUSINESS

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Monday ahead of the Institute of Supply Management’s (ISM) Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index data.

India’s debt-ridden private air carrier Kingfisher Airlines cancelled several flights Monday, fearing a number of its striking employees might not report for work. The company’s shares plummeted 5 percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange following the reports.

Asian stock markets were mixed Monday as the weak economic reports from China and Japan increased the concerns over the global growth slowdown.

European markets rose Monday as investor sentiment turned positive with expectations that Spain would soon seek help to reduce its increasing debt burden.

Crude oil prices declined in Asia Monday as weak economic reports from China and Japan dampened sentiment.

China's manufacturing activity in September continued to remain in the phase of contraction, increasing the concerns over the slowdown in the economic growth of the world's second largest economy.

Japan's Nikkei Stock Average fell Monday as investor confidence was weighed down by the rising concerns about the worsening global economic conditions following the disappointing data which showed the weakening Japanese business conditions and Chinese manufacturing activity.

The factory slump in the world’s second-largest economy continues as China's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index, or PMI, rose to 49.8 in September from 49.2 in August.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A, BRK-B) will get just a shade greener as its MidAmerican Wind unit announced Sunday its agreement to buy two wind-energy projects in Tehachapi, Calif.

The Department of Finance Canada accidentally began running advertisements this week on The Pirate Bay, a file-sharing site with a long history of legal trouble because of its hosting of copyright-infringing BitTorrents.

Poland was the only European Union nation to make it through the recession without seeing its economy shrink. Can it keep this pace up?

Watch a live stream as Manchester United take on Tottenham, plus a full preview, team news and prediction.

Watch highlights and read a full account of Chelsea's victory over Arsenal at the Emirates.

Asian stock markets ended mixed last week as concerns over the euro zone crisis and Chinese economic growth weighed on the sentiment. The ambitious Spanish budget and hopes of stimulus measures from China lifted market sentiment during the second half and limited losses for the week.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Friday were Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund, Health Net Inc, New Oriental Education & Tech Group, Office Depot and Louisiana-Pacific Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were American Reprographics Co, MEMC Electronic Materials, Rogers Communication, Edwards Lifesciences Corp and Anworth Mortgage Asset Corp.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Friday were Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc, Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Mattress Firm Holding Corp, MCG Capital Corporation and Layne Christensen Company. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Allied Healthcare Products, JAKKS Pacific Inc, Kandi Technologies Corp, Kayak Software Corporation and Savient Pharmaceuticals.

With China’s economy slowing down as a result of weakness of investment and export demand, market participants are calling for urgent policy easing measures to bolster economic growth.

Asian markets were mixed in the week as investors maintained a cautious mode waiting to find if the debt crisis in the euro zone, which is weakening the global economic growth, will undermine the stimulus measures announced by policy makers around the world.

Take a look at how postal services are doing in other countries while you count down the hours to the second default of the U.S. Postal Service.

The world's third-largest brewery won a bid to acquire Asia Pacific Breweries Ltd.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shared his love of animals by giving a terrier puppy to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as a diplomatic present.

Results from a "stress test" of the beleaguered Spanish banking system gave markets a breather Friday. Still, risks abound.

The great apes of Africa face a dire future as human activities have sharply reduced their available habitat.

The Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang was conceived of by the government as a symbol of the isolationist nation’s wealth.

French President Francois Hollande wants to impose a 75 percent income tax rate on France's wealthiest, making even Sweden look like a bargain.

Indian stocks soar to a 14-month high after the government stunned markets in mid-September with a slew of aggressive steps to revive the economy.

Where to get a free cup of coffee on National Coffee Day.

U.S. consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in four months in September as Americans saw better prospects for the job market and economy, a survey released on Friday showed.

The euro zone's largest and strongest economy, Germany, is showing signs of weakness as exports fall.