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Oil prices steadied on Thursday as economic optimism from data showing that the U.S. service sector and retail sales improved was tempered by disappointing news from the labor market.

National Bank of Abu Dhabi plans to price a five-year dollar-denominated benchmark bond later on Thursday after securing commitments in excess of $2 billion, a senior official of the bank said.

World stocks ticked higher on Thursday, bolstered by firmer Chinese shares, while the euro gained and the region's government bonds slipped ahead of a European Central Bank monetary policy decision.

World stocks fell for a second consecutive day on Thursday and the yen extended broad gains, with equity investors avoiding risky assets and preferring to take profits from a rally to 10-month highs this week.

India's Bharti Airtel and South Africa's MTN hope to finalize by mid-September a deal that could lead to a full merger, with the Indian firm adding another adviser and getting closer to lining up loans, three sources said.

Oil prices fell 3 percent on Tuesday as dealers rushed to take profits from a rally that had culminated in a 10-month peak earlier in the day.

Oil prices sank 4 percent on Tuesday as dealers rushed to take profits from a rally that had culminated in a 10-month peak earlier in the day.

President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled new rules for French banks to limit traders' bonuses on Tuesday and said he would fight to persuade other G20 leaders to adopt the same position.

Oil prices sank 3 percent on Tuesday as dealers rushed to take profits from a rally that had culminated in a 10-month peak earlier in the day.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy promised on Tuesday to fight for tougher controls on bankers' bonuses at a meeting of the Group of 20 leaders next month.

Oil prices sank into negative territory on Tuesday as dealers took profits from a rally earlier in the day to a 10-month high.

Oil prices sank into negative territory Tuesday as dealers took profits from a rally earlier in the day to 10-month highs.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday, tracking a sell-off in Chinese shares on renewed worries the buoyant market had gone too far ahead of the economic recovery, and as oil prices dipped.

Oil pared early gains above $72 a barrel on Thursday after U.S. retail sales data emerged showing a slightly unexpected fall in consumer spending from the world's largest economy.

The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday the U.S. economy was showing signs of levelling out two years after the onset of the deepest financial crisis in decades and it moved to phase out one emergency measure.

The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday the U.S. economy was showing signs of leveling out two years after the onset of the deepest financial crisis in decades and it moved to phase out one emergency measure.

The U.S. Federal Reserve said on Wednesday the economy was showing signs of leveling out two years after the onset of the deepest financial crisis in decades and moved to shut down one emergency measure.

A much slower pace of U.S. job losses in July and improvement in housing and manufacturing lifted U.S. stocks on Friday, but a more surprising beneficiary of the news was the U.S. dollar.

Unexpectedly modest bad debt provisions and an investment banking recovery cushioned Societe Generale against steep falls in second quarter profits and the French bank said there were signs of stabler market conditions ahead.

Unexpectedly modest bad debt provisions and an investment banking recovery cushioned Societe Generale against steep falls in second quarter profits and the French bank said there were signs of stabler market conditions ahead.

French bank BNP Paribas's revenues from corporate and investment banking nearly doubled in the second quarter as robust investor demand boosted revenues from the bank's fixed income business unit.

BNP Paribas , France's biggest bank by market value, posted higher second-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by its purchase of Fortis assets, and expressed some optimism over prospects for financial markets.

Global stocks and commodity prices pulled back on Tuesday as investors paused to assess the state of the economy after pushing them higher in the past two weeks, while the U.S. dollar was broadly flat.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods notched their biggest decline in five months in June, while applications for mortgages fell last week in a sign that economic conditions remain fragile.

On the surface, China presents a fiscal study in contrast with the United States, keeping a remarkably low ceiling on debt even as it spends its way out of the financial crisis.

World stocks raced to fresh nine-month highs and oil rallied on Monday as a recent run of strong corporate earnings and anticipation for more boosted optimism for a recovery in the global economy.

Relevant sources from Morgan Stanley &Co confirmed that C.N. Liu, managing director and head of corporate finance department in Hong Kong, have dismissed Morgan Stanley early in July.

World stocks hit a one-month high on Friday on growing optimism that the earnings season may turn out to be better than expected, while investors set their eyes on giants such as Citigroup for clearer market trend.

Oil fell 2 percent to below $63 a barrel on Tuesday, pressured by investors' caution over prospects for economic recovery and an expected increase in U.S. gasoline stocks in the heart of driving season.