JAPAN

Goldman Sachs and others said they did not urge the Tokyo Stock Exchange to halt trading because of Japan's earthquake and subsequent nuclear crisis, despite a comment from the bourse's chief that some foreign banks had pressed for a halt.

Two weeks has passed since a massive earthquake and the ensuing tsunami struck Japan to cause one of the most severe natural disasters in Japanese history.

US stocks rose for the third consecutive session as investors shook off global fears and focused instead on upbeat earnings.

Risk assets have performed surprisingly well this week despite the lack of good news and ongoing concerns globally.

The official death toll from Japan’s devastating earthquake-tsunami has now surpassed 10,000, while almost a quarter-million people are sheltered in about 1,900 evacuation centers as of Friday evening, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).

Oil prices dipped slightly in choppy, thin trade on Friday as traders weighed concerns about Middle East unrest and Libya's conflict as well as demand for oil in quake-hit Japan and debt-laden Europe.

NEW YORK, March 25 - The U.S. economy is on a firmer footing, and the U.S. central bank will have to reverse its easy money policy in the not-too-distant future to avoid sowing the seeds of inflation, a top Federal Reserve official said on Friday.

The Japanese government said it will unveil a plan by April on how it will cope with an expected energy shortage this summer as a result of the destruction of the nuclear plants in Fukushima following the earthquake-tsunami catastrophe.

US stocks are up on Friday, en route to end positive for the third consecutive session, as investors shrug off global concerns.

The U.S. economy grew more quickly than previously thought in the fourth quarter, the government said on Friday, but signs of softer consumer and business spending may slow its momentum in early 2011.

Full text of Plosser's speech on the Federal Reserve's Exit Plan [

A few days ago Universal announced that a number of artists donated their songs for use on a new compilation to be released in aid of the Japan Red Cross following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that his earlier this

Research In Motion Ltd faces a tough battle to win back market share in the United States, Wall Street analysts said on Friday, a day after the BlackBerry maker gave a weak outlook.

Brent oil steadied near $116 in choppy, thin trade on Friday as traders gauged the threat to supply from Middle East unrest and Libya fighting as well as concerns over demand in quake-hit Japan and debt-laden Europe.

There are several differences between the facility at Indian Point and the Fukushima reactor, and those differences show that while Indian Point, like other nuclear power plants, has risks, they are different risks than those at Fukushima.

US stocks rallied on Friday on positive economic data and another good earnings report from the technology sector.

here is the latest update from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the ongoing nuclear power crisis in Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan.

The Japanese government is urging residents who live between 20 and 30 kilometers from crippled Fukushima nuclear plant to voluntarily evacuate the region, citing the difficulties of daily life there and the possibility of more radiation leaks.

[Investors] don't believe in the gold story anymore, declared Kevin Norrish of Barclays Capital on Wednesday, announcing the bank's latest commodity investment survey of institutional players. Not one single respondent chose Gold Bullion as the likely best performer in 2011, Norrish said.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan gave no indication as to when he thought the nuclear crisis might be brought under control.

Reports are coming from Japan that one of the six reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant may have suffered a breach to the reactor containment vessel.