JAPAN

The International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2010 global growth forecast on Thursday, citing robust expansion in Asia and renewed U.S. private demand, but warned the euro area's debt crisis posed a big risk to recovery.

No. 1 U.S. warehouse club operator Costco Wholesale Corp saw June sales at stores open at least a year rise 4 percent, marginally missing market expectations, as it was hurt by the Memorial Day holiday shift.

The International Monetary Fund upgraded its 2010 global growth forecast on Thursday on the back of robust expansion in Asia and renewed U.S. private demand, but warned the euro area's debt crisis posed a big risk to recovery.

Gold prices extended gains in Asian trade Thursday mainly on increased physical buying, a firmer euro against the dollar and also on rising stocks. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1204.48 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time after dropped as low as $1185 on Wednesday.

The euro surged to a two-month high and Asian stocks were set for their best gains in over two weeks on Thursday after a bullish company forecast fuelled optimism about the coming U.S. earnings season and underpinned a slow return by investors to riskier assets.

The euro surged to a two-month high and Asian stocks were set for their best gains in over two weeks on Thursday after a bullish company forecast fueled optimism about the coming U.S. earnings season and underpinned a slow return by investors to riskier assets.

The euro surged to a two-month high and Asian stocks climbed to their highest in more than a week on Thursday after a bullish forecast fueled optimism about the coming U.S. earnings season and underpinned growing tolerance for risk.

The euro surged to a two-month high and Asian stocks climbed to their highest in more than a week on Thursday after a bullish forecast fueled optimism about the coming U.S. earnings season and underpinned growing tolerance for risk.

Toyota Motor Corp will extend the time it takes to develop its vehicles by an average of four weeks in a bid to ensure quality following a string of high-profile recalls

Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it had received reports more than three years ago of faulty engine valve springs at the center of a U.S. recall of nearly 139,000 luxury Lexus vehicles it announced last week.

Stock index futures fell on Wednesday, following global equity markets lower, as fears of a slowdown in the world economy persisted.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Wednesday after the previous session's tepid gains, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.2 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.3 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.4 percent at 4 a.m. EDT.

Investment flows to the world's four biggest emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India and China -- slowed slightly in the first half of 2010, but growth rates and the pace of dealmaking remain strong, data shows.

New evidence that the U.S. economic recovery is slowing pushed investors to sell shares on Wednesday following a burst of bargain hunting the previous day.

The euro slipped on Wednesday but was holding not far from a seven-week high, with traders saying it could rise further in the near term due to doubts about a recovery in the U.S. economy and positive technical signals.

Asian stocks fell on Wednesday as investors worried global growth was faltering, while the euro held near a 7-week high as investors pared long positions in the dollar on doubts about the resiliency of the U.S. recovery.

The euro dipped on Wednesday but was still hovering near a recent seven-week high, with traders saying it could rise further in the near term due to doubts about a recovery in the U.S. economy and positive technical signals.

Asian stocks slipped on Wednesday as investors worried global growth was faltering, while the euro hovered near a 7-week high as investors shunned long positions in the dollar.

Asian stocks fell on Wednesday as investors worried global growth was faltering, while the euro held near a 7-week high as investors pared long positions in the dollar on doubts about the resiliency of the U.S. recovery.

The pace of global expansion in the private sector sagged in June to a four-month low, according to a survey on Tuesday that pointed to slowing growth in order books and employment.

Nissan Motor Co said it aims to nearly double the mileage on its first hybrid car developed in-house compared with the gasoline engine version, while keeping costs down with a simple, single-motor system.