GERMANY

A two-day rally in European shares came to a halt on Tuesday, while the euro slipped from highs on investor caution ahead of an Italian bond auction and widespread skepticism over whether European policymakers will be able to prevent debt contagion.

Asian shares and the euro extended a rally into a second day Tuesday as investors were buoyed by expectations that European policy makers will outline details of how they will leverage a bailout fund to avert contagion in sovereign debt markets.

Asian shares and the euro extended a rally into a second day on Tuesday, as investors were buoyed by expectations that European policy makers will outline details of how they will leverage a bailout fund so as to avert contagion in sovereign debt markets.

Gold rebounded to a one-week high following the substitution of last week's selling pressures with expectations of a stronger effort by euro-zone leaders to stem the spread of the sovereign-debt crisis. Spot gold held steady above $1,700 per ounce on Tuesday.

Euro zone finance ministers are to agree on Tuesday on details of leveraging their EFSF bailout fund so it can help Italy or Spain should they need aid, and are likely to approve the next tranche of emergency loans for Greece and Ireland.

Facebook Inc said on Monday that it made a mistake in letting Merck & Co take over a page on the social networking website from its German rival Merck KGaA.

Stocks rebounded from seven days of losses on Monday as investors used the latest effort from European leaders to resolve the region's debt crisis as an opportunity to cover short positions.

Stocks rebounded from seven days of losses on Monday as investors used the latest effort from European leaders to resolve the region's debt crisis as an opportunity to cover short positions.

Germany and France stepped up a drive on Monday for coercive powers to reject euro zone members' budgets that breach EU rules, and the United States kept up the drumbeat of demands from the rest of the world for decisive action.

Germany and France stepped up a drive on Monday for coercive powers to reject euro zone members' budgets that breach EU rules, and the United States kept up the drumbeat of demands from the rest of the world for decisive action.

Stocks jumped on Monday as optimism grew that European leaders would come up with a new plan to resolve the region's debt crisis and following a strong start to the U.S. holiday shopping season.

Gold prices surged Monday along with equities on hope that drastic action by France and Germany can save the Eurozone from its two-year-old sovereign debt crisis.

Sales of new homes rose in October and the supply of homes on the market fell to its lowest level since April of last year, showing some healing in the battered housing sector.

A German regional court has opened the door to an investor law suit against credit rating agency Standard & Poor's over its assessment of Lehman Brothers securities before the collapse of the U.S. investment bank.

Stocks surged about 3 percent on Monday on hopes that fresh proposals may emerge out of Europe to help solve the region's debt crisis.

HTC's promise of competitive new models early next year may not be enough of a strategy shift to convince investors it can regain the innovative streak that catapulted it from an obscure contract maker to the world's No.4 smartphone brand.

Stocks surged about three percent on Monday on hopes that fresh proposals may emerge out of Europe to help solve the region's debt crisis.

Stocks surged about 3 percent on Monday on hopes that fresh proposals may emerge out of Europe to help solve the region's debt crisis.

Silver mining company shares rocketed higher Monday as the price of the gray metal surged and the broader stock market indexes rose more than three percent.

Stocks jumped about 3 percent on Monday on hopes that fresh proposals may emerge out of Europe to help solve the region's debt crisis.

Germany and France stepped up a drive on Monday for coercive powers to reject national budgets in the euro zone that breach EU rules, as a market rout of European debt eased temporarily on hopes of outside help for Italy and Spain.