UNITED STATES

The U.S. dollar was steady on Friday ahead of payrolls data for November that could show more evidence of a strengthening recovery and give investors a reason to push benchmark U.S. Treasury yields above 3 percent and put more money in equities.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's controversial $600 billion bond buying program is subject to regular review and can be adjusted if needed, top Fed officials said on Thursday.

The U.S. economy probably recorded a second month of solid job gains in November, which would bolster views the labor market is improving even though the activity is not enough yet to lower the unemployment rate.

With the current round of [US quantitative easing] set to end in June 2011, and our US economics team now forecasting strong US economic growth in 2011 and 2012, we expect US real interest rates to begin to rise into 2012, says a new bullion report from former investment-bank Goldman Sachs.

The incoming head of a House of Representatives panel overseeing the Obama White House on Thursday called for pulling the plug on a widely criticized program to help struggling borrowers stay in their homes.

Japan's Nissan Motor Co marked a major milestone in automotive history on Friday with the launch of the zero-emission Leaf, the world's first electric car to be mass-marketed.

The Senate will vote on two Democratic options to extend some Bush-era tax cuts on Saturday, its Democratic leader said, measures likely to fail but highlight deep ideological divisions between the parties.

American International Group is considering another debt offering after the success of its $2 billion sale earlier this week, its Chairman Steve Miller said on Thursday.

Russia and Qatar won the rights to host the FIFA World Cup finals for 2018 and 2022 respectively after FIFA's 22-member panel voted through a secret ballot at Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.

The FIFA World Cup, the biggest tournament in soccer, will be headed to new regions as Russia won the 2018 bid on Thursday over rivals which included England and tiny emirate Qatar beat a group including the United States for the 2022 tournament.

The health of the American economy and the level of accommodation in monetary policy are the two most important factors that influence U.S. stock price movements. In 2011, it seems U.S. equities may get support both.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said on Thursday he will oppose a deficit reduction plan drafted by the co-chairmen of a presidential fiscal commission, becoming the third member of the panel to line up against it.

The U.S. defense budget will likely decline somewhat in coming years, although it is not clear exactly when or by how much, a top Pentagon official told an investor conference on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve's controversial $600 billion bond buying program is subject to regular review and can be adjusted if needed, two Fed officials said on Thursday.

The Federal Reserve's balance sheet grew for a fifth consecutive week and closed in on its record size, with the rise stemming from its ongoing purchases of Treasuries, Fed data released on Thursday showed.

The House of Representatives, in the waning days of Democratic control, passed an extension on Thursday of Bush-era tax cuts for the lower and middle classes in a symbolic vote that would let tax cuts for the wealthiest expire.

The top Republican lawmaker on a key U.S. military oversight committee, while leaving open the possibility of eventually dropping his opposition to the repeal of the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian soldiers, said doing so at this time would be premature.

Google Inc unveiled technology on Thursday it says will help build trust between rich and poor countries on projects designed to protect the world's tropical forests.

The FBI is debuting a free online tool that helps people help the government recover stolen works of art.

The Federal Reserve's controversial $600 billion bond buying program is subject to regular review and can be adjusted if needed, two Fed officials said on Thursday.

Fresh signs the U.S. economy has broken out of its summer soft patch emerged on Thursday as data showed a gauge of jobless benefits hit a new two-year low last week and pending home sales unexpectedly rose in October.