BUSINESS

U.S. stocks are expected to end next year with modest gains, despite the threat of a global downturn brought on by the euro zone debt crisis and a tepid domestic economy that may still need more stimulus, a Reuters poll found.

Nissan Motor Co and Volkswagen AG posted double-digit percentage gains in November U.S. sales, a strong showing for a month analysts were expecting to set a more than two-year record overall.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, popping above 400,000 for the first time in just over a month and reinforcing the view that the battered labor market was healing only slowly.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, popping above 400,000 for the first time in just over a month and reinforcing the view that the battered labor market was healing only slowly.

Stocks were little changed in choppy trade on Thursday after manufacturing data came in stronger than forecast, but gains were capped as investors took a breather from the previous session's powerful rally.

U.S. senators plan to press regulators on Thursday on whether they were asleep at the switch as now-bankrupt MF Global took on massive risky bets, and why hundreds millions of dollars in customer funds are still missing.

Blackstone Group and Bain Capital are preparing a bid for all of Yahoo Inc with Asian partners in a deal that could value the Internet company at about $25 billion, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday.

A year after four hedge funds were raided as part of a sweeping probe into insider trading, agents are ready to arrest as many as three people who worked at the raided funds, sources familiar with the investigation said.

UBS removed its head of risk Maureen Miskovic on Thursday after less than a year in the job and 11 weeks after a $2 billion trading scandal rocked the Swiss bank.

The top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee is calling for a regulatory watchdog to investigate the oversight of now-bankrupt brokerage MF Global Holdings Ltd.

Wall Street stocks were set to drift lower at the open on Thursday as investors took a breather after the S&P 500 posted its best gains since August in a powerful rally.

China's economic growth will probably slow to 8 percent in 2012 and further to 7 percent in 2013 even though the government has started to relax policy, a prominent Chinese government economist said on Thursday.

Manufacturing activity is contracting across Europe and most of Asia, data showed on Thursday, and a Chinese official declared that the world economy faces a worse situation than in 2008 when Lehman Brothers collapsed.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, popping above 400,000 for the first time in just over a month and reinforcing the view that the battered labor market was healing only slowly.

New claims for unemployment benefits rose unexpectedly last week, popping above 400,000 for the first time in just over a month and reinforcing the view that the battered labor market was healing only slowly.

Stock index futures were little changed on Thursday after the S&P 500 posted its best gains since August in a powerful rally in the previous session.

Real estate website Trulia Inc said on Thursday it hired veteran finance executive and deal-maker Sean Aggarwal from eBay Inc's PayPal to help manage a business that has grown significantly in the past year.

A dispute over government aid for aircraft rivals Airbus and Boeing Co enters a delicate stage on Thursday as Europe faces a deadline to tell the United States how it is eliminating billions of dollars in subsidies struck down by the World Trade Organization.

The 42nd Tokyo Motor Show will open to the general public on Dec. 3. However, there are two press days, the second of which will be on Dec. 1.

As the world's major central banks hurriedly announced measures to ease stresses in global funding markets, China may have felt compelled to bring forward a move to relax policy that it could otherwise have delayed for a few weeks.

Manufacturing activity is contracting across Europe and most of Asia, data showed on Thursday, and a Chinese official declared that the world economy faces a worse situation than in 2008 when Lehman Brothers collapsed.

UBS appointed Philip Lofts back to his former role as chief risk officer on Thursday, removing Maureen Miskovic with immediate effect after less than a year in the job following the Swiss bank's $2 billion trading scandal.

Spain sold the maximum amount targeted at a sale of bonds Thursday, and its cost of borrowing held well below highs reached on bond markets last week, helping ease immediate nerves over its ability to fund public finances.

Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.5 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.2 percent at 4:37 a.m. ET.

Groupon Inc's fourth quarter got off to a strong start in October as the largest daily deal company's growth outpaced that of its closest rival, LivingSocial, industry data tracker Yipit said on Thursday.

Small businesses borrowing surged in October, registering a 15th monthly double-digit increase and signaling the economy will continue to grow in coming months.

The world economy faces a worse situation than in 2008 and stimulating growth is the top priority, a Chinese official said on Thursday, as data showed slumping export demand stalled manufacturing in some of Asia's biggest economies.

Asian shares rallied to two-week highs on Thursday, building on strong global gains after the world's six major central banks moved to tame a liquidity crunch for European banks by providing cheaper dollar funding.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, unveiled its first social-networking application late on Wednesday, in a move to latch onto one of the hottest trends in e-commerce.