BUSINESS

Wall Street stocks were set for a higher open on Friday after data showed the U.S. jobless rate dropped to a 2-1/2 year low and as policymakers again appeared to move a step closer to tackling Europe's debt crisis.

Stock index futures briefly extended their gains on Friday after the non-farm payroll report showed accelerated job creation in November and the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped.

Britain orchestrated this week's bold move by central banks to stave off a cash crunch in global markets, helping drive a plan that began to take shape around 10 days ago.

Stock index futures rose sharply on Friday after a report the European Central Bank was gearing up to lend money to the International Monetary Fund in a bid to ease the euro zone debt crisis.

Stock index futures rose sharply on Friday as German Chancellor Angela Merkel reiterated her strong support for the euro and after a report the European Central Bank was gearing up to lend money to the International Monetary Fund in a bid to ease a euro zone debt crisis.

- Zynga Inc could raise $925 million, less than previously planned, in what is still one of the largest and most hotly anticipated Internet IPOs in years.

Some big Japanese shareholders in disgraced firm Olympus Corp may support ex-CEO Michael Woodford's campaign to return to the helm -- a once-unthinkable step for investors that are more usually known for their discreet, hands-off approach.

The euro zone debt crisis cannot be solved overnight, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday, urging instead a long-term approach that relies on tougher fiscal rules being enshrined in European treaties.

Alibaba Group, China's largest e-commerce company, said on Friday it is beta-testing a new social-networking-product, as the firm expands outside e-commerce to seek other revenue streams.

JP Morgan Chase & Co has hired former Credit Suisse Group AG executive Neil Hounslow as head of its prime brokerage in Asia-Pacific as the Wall Street bank looks to service hedge funds investing in the region.

Stock index futures pointed to a sharply higher open for equities on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 up 1 to 1.1 percent ahead of a key jobs report.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed on Friday to defend the euro, which she said was stronger than Germany's former deutschemark, but she warned that Europeans faced a long, hard marathon to restore lost credibility.

Senator Al Franken asked software maker Carrier IQ to respond to claims by an independent security researcher that its products collect and transmit potentially sensitive data about millions of mobile phone users.

Google Inc is pondering an Internet service to help consumers shop online and take advantage of same-day delivery, hoping to stanch the loss of Web traffic to Amazon.com Inc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The trustee seeking money for Bernard Madoff's victims won the right to immediately appeal a ruling that took away more than $19 billion of his claims against JPMorgan Chase & Co, Madoff's main bank for two decades.

President Nicolas Sarkozy, under pressure from a spiraling euro zone debt crisis five months before a presidential election, told France on Thursday the euro bloc needs closer and stricter coordination of national budgets to survive.

H&R Block Inc posted a wider quarterly loss as the largest U.S. tax preparer continued to take charges by disposing of non-core assets.

Stocks treaded water on Thursday after the previous day's massive gains, but traders worried that recent strong data could set the market up for a sell-off should Friday's jobs report fall short of hopes.

U.S. factories shrugged off weakness in the global economy in November as manufacturing activity rose to its highest level in five months, a fresh sign the domestic economy was accelerating.

The Massachusetts attorney general has filed a lawsuit against five large U.S. banks accusing them of deceptive foreclosure practices, a signal of ebbing confidence that a multi-state agreement can be worked out.

U.S. auto sales rose 14 percent in November, paced by gains at Chrysler Group LLC and Volkswagen AG, as consumers returned to showrooms even without the lure of a big year-end sale.

The original Manhattan is surging back to life ten years after the terror attacks of 9/11, and trends are showing the square-mile tip of the island south of Chambers Street is quickly surpassing its past glory.

The Issue: The parent company of American Airlines , filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday. But there are still airline industry investing opportunities.

General Motors Co may redesign the battery for its Chevrolet Volt to address issues raised after federal officials opened a safety probe into the plug-in electric car, GM's chief executive said on Thursday.

AT&T Inc accused the U.S. communications regulator of being one-sided and cherry-picking facts when it issued a stinging rebuke of the company's plan to buy T-Mobile USA from Deutsche Telekom.

Former Twitter engineering Vice President Michael Abbott is joining Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers next week as a partner, the firm said, signaling its commitment to social networks, mobile and the cloud.

Federal officials in Boston said on Thursday they charged 13 people in connection with a kickback scheme involving microcap stocks.

Stocks mostly dipped late on Thursday, as raised hopes for a stellar payrolls report on Friday may be hard to match.

Research In Motion does not install, nor authorize, its carrier partners to install Carrier IQ monitoring software on its BlackBerry smartphones, the company said on Thursday.