JAPAN

The global economy is more sluggish than first thought, government bonds offer no real return, gold is super expensive and stock markets sell off at the slightest setback.

Fans and teammates flocked to the hospital in Matsumoto, a town about 110 miles northwest of Tokyo, to pay tribute to the fallen star.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on the economy's health.

General Motors Co.'s quarterly profit nearly doubled, beating expectations, as the top U.S. automaker took a larger share of sales globally and raised prices on its vehicles.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on economic health.

Japan intervened in the currency market and the central bank eased monetary policy on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the health of the global economy.

Some of Europe's biggest consumer goods groups defied high input costs and tepid demand to report higher sales.

Japan sold one trillion yen ($12.5 billion) and loosened its monetary reins on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the deteriorating health of the global economy.

Euro zone sovereign bond markets steadied on Thursday ahead of a crucial European Central Bank policy-setting meeting that investors hope will signal a more aggressive approach to fighting the currency area's debt crisis.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly weaker open on Wall Street on Thursday after a late recovery in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 all down 0.1 percent.

The Bank of Japan eased monetary policy by boosting its asset buying scheme in a rate review that was cut short by one day in the wake of Tokyo's solo intervention to weaken the yen.

The yen tumbled from near record highs on Monday after Japan intervened to curb the currency's export-damaging strength, while world stocks held above 2011 lows as expectations grew for more policy action in developed countries.

Japanese authorities have spent 800 billion to 900 billion yen ($11.7 billion) in the foreign exchange market to stem the yen's rise, news agency Jiji reported on Thursday, quoting a market source.

The Bank of Japan eased monetary policy by boosting asset purchases on Thursday at a rate review that was cut short by a day, signaling its determination to support Tokyo's solo currency intervention to weaken the yen.

Japan sold the yen in the market and its central bank eased monetary policy on Thursday, following Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the health of the global economy.

Japan intervened in currency markets on Thursday to curb the yen's gains that officials fear threatened to derail the economy's recovery from a slump triggered by a massive earthquake in March.

Different wars for different times. Cofer Black, a former top CIA counterterrorism official, said on Wednesday he sees parallels between the terrorism threat that emerged before the September 11 attacks a decade ago and the emerging cyber threat now.

A downgrade to the U.S. sovereign credit rating could open up a new world of pain for the dollar.

A Los Angeles man who may have served time in jail for setting fire to restaurants and bars in Japan while stationed there as a U.S. Marine is suspected in a spree of arson attacks in California, authorities said on Tuesday.

New orders received by factories fell in June, pulled down by weak demand for transportation equipment, government data showed on Wednesday.

U.S. automakers reported higher sales for the month of July, but the ongoing weak economic environment doesn't bode well for the sector.