Stocks were poised for a lower open on Friday after a massive earthquake hit Japan and accelerating inflation in China unnerved investors.
Retail sales posted their largest gain in four months in February as shoppers stepped up purchases of autos, clothes and other goods even as they spent more for gasoline.
As forces loyal to Moammar Gaddafi appear to be retaking strategic Libyan away from increasingly demoralized rebel factions, a U.S. intelligence official has predicted that Gaddafi will emerge victorious from this brutal conflict.
Sales at retailers increased broadly in February as rising energy prices boosted receipts at gasoline stations, but consumers also spent on a range of products in a sign of resilience in the face of rising gasoline prices.
U.S. stock index futures fell on Friday after a massive earthquake hit Japan and accelerating inflation in China rattled investors.
Oil slid by more than $3 on Friday, with U.S. crude falling below $100, after an earthquake rocked Japan, creating a 10-meter tsunami and shutting down dozens of plants in the world's third-largest oil consumer.
Global stocks fell to their lowest in nearly six weeks on Friday and government bonds rose as a huge earthquake in Japan and expectations Portugal will have to seek financial aid prompted a sell-off in risky assets.
Brent crude futures fell below $113 on Friday as a massive earthquake rocked Japan, creating a 10-meter tsunami and shutting down dozens of plants in the world's third-largest oil consumer.
How vulnerable is the US West Coast to tsunamis, earthquakes and other natural disasters? Actually the region is quite vulnerable to high magnitude quakes and even tsunamis. The region has been hit by large, single-event earthquakes and tsunamis before, and our evidence indicates that multiple and more extensive ruptures can happen, a scientist has said.
European shares hit a three-month low in early trade and Asian stocks too dropped on Friday, while U.S. futures headed lower, after a powerful 8.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off Japan's northeastern coast, triggering a tsunami as high as 10 metres.
A recent study undertaken by the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (UWM) found that workplace climate was the foremost reason behind women choosing to stay away from the engineering profession after college or quitting it after a temporary stint.
Around 20 countries and numerous Pacific islands have been issued Tsunami warning after Japan's massive 8.9 Richter scale earthquakes, the National Weather Service said.
Flanked by an entourage of assistants and advisors, Chinese mining tycoon Lian Guangming flitted from one luxury jet to another at the Asian AerospaceExpo in Hong Kong.
Tsunami warnings have been issued in most of the 'Pacific Ring of Fire' countries on Friday after a powerful earthquake jolted Japan's Fukushima prefecture.
U.S. stocks plunged on Thursday as weaker-than-expected economic reports from both domestic and overseas coupled with fears over the impact on oil price by pervasive unrest in the Middle East and North Africa weighed on the sentiment.
(Corrects name of Bombardier plane in paragraph 2)
Chinese inflation topped expectations, with prices rising 4.9 percent in the year to February and looking set to climb faster in coming months, adding to pressure for another dose of monetary tightening.
Shares of RC2 Corp. (RCRC) touched a new more than 3-year high of $27.59 on Thursday, shortly after the Nikkei business daily first reported that Japan's Tomy Co. Ltd. and RC2 were in merger talks.
The top after-market NASDAQ stock market gainers are: CDC Corp., Ener1, RC2 Corp., Clean Energy Fuels, and Sangamo Biosciences. The top after-market NASDAQ stock market losers are: Energy Conversion Devices, Zumiez, Jamba, Stereotaxis, and Clearwire.
Asian shares dropped after a massive earthquake hit Japan, including the capital Tokyo, darkening an already bleak mood caused by weak economic data and unrest in Saudi Arabia.
U.S. officials believe China's insurance regulator passed on proprietary information about AIG to its Chinese rivals during the American firm's collapse in 2008, according to unpublished diplomatic cables.
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have part ways, for real this time, with confirmations coming from the reps of the celeb couple.
