CHINA

U.S. auto sales jumped 24.3 percent in March, the strongest result in months, led by a rebound at recall-hit Toyota Motor Corp , which offered record incentives aimed at putting the crisis behind it.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Thursday, thanks to upbeat economic data, but the Nasdaq was stagnant as investors pummeled shares of Research In Motion following downbeat results.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Thursday, thanks to upbeat economic data, but the Nasdaq was stagnant as investors pummeled shares of Research In Motion following downbeat results.

Japanese auto sales jumped by a quarter in March to cap a business year that relied heavily on government incentives, while South Korea's Hyundai Motor continued to rack up impressive sales growth, sending its shares to a record high.

Ford Motor Co's sale of its Volvo unit this year will leave the No. 2 U.S. automaker with no luxury brand outside North America.

Stocks rose on Thursday, buoyed by optimism about the economic recovery after stronger-than-expected manufacturing and jobs data.

The world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia said on Thursday it had won handset deals with distributors in China worth over $2 billion.

Factories in the United States, Europe and Asia cranked up production last month, suggesting recovery from a deep recession was taking root in economies around the globe.

Stocks rose on Thursday as positive jobs and manufacturing data fueled optimism that a sustained recovery was on track, prompting investors to snap up riskier assets like equities and commodities.

A few months ago I had written about the gold's love for tragedies. Gold always thrived on disasters like recession and rising inflation rates. So when the world is looking rosy and there are no immediate financial dangers lurking in the backyard of countries, what will the much-sought-after yellow metal do? If you want to know this, just have a look at the movements of gold prices in the recent past when World Bank and International Monetary Fund predicted that the global economy is back on tra...

Wall Street was poised for a higher open on Thursday as U.S. weekly jobless claims fell last week and upbeat data from China and Europe fueled optimism the global economy is on track for growth.

Gold rose on Thursday to a two-week high and platinum group metals rallied to their highest in more than 20 months as fresh investment money poured into commodities.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday as upbeat data from China and Europe fueled optimism the global economy is on track for growth.

Factories across Europe and Asia cranked up production in March, business surveys showed on Thursday, showing a strong recovery in fast-growing emerging markets taking root in the developed West.

March auto sales at Hyundai Motor Co jumped more than a third, thanks to new model launches and strong shipments from plants in China and India, it said on Thursday, sending its shares to a three-month high.

Factories in China and India cranked up production in March and Japanese business morale rose to its highest in more than a year on signs of improving global demand, boosting hopes for a sustainable economic recovery.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday for the first session of the quarter, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.54 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.49 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.52 percent at 3.41 a.m. ET.

Asian stocks rose to an 11-week high on Thursday as China's manufacturing industry picked up and foreign buying boosted the technology-heavy markets of Taiwan and South Korea.

Asian stocks made a solid start to the second quarter on Thursday inching closer to two-month highs as China's manufacturing sector picked up and foreign buying boosted tech shares in Taiwan and South Korea.

The U.S. economy is still in a tough spot but is gradually regaining its balance after a series of policy mistakes that made the country weaker and less secure, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday. We are coming back, and we are coming back faster and stronger than most people predicted -- faster and stronger than Europe and Japan, Geithner said after meeting with steel executives and union leaders here.

PITTSBURGH, March 31 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner expressed confidence on Wednesday that China will decide it is in its interest to make its yuan currency more flexible, but did not say when that might happen.