UNITED STATES

Rubber futures rallied on Tokyo Commodity Exchange (TOCOM) on Friday, on expectations China may top off its stocks and on continued supply concerns.

Kia Motors has unveiled its first ever first-ever 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid for US market at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday.

Toyota Motors plans to launch 11 new hybrid models by the end of 2012, in an effort aimed at limiting oil consumption and reducing carbon dioxide emissions through the use of electricity and other alternative energies.

Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple Inc, on Thursday predicted Google’s smartphone operating system Android will beat the iPhone operating system in both quantity and quality.

Nearly two-third of American drivers support a national ban on the use of mobile phones while driving, even if the driver is using a hands-free device, according to Quinnipiac University National Poll released on Thursday.

Regional manufacturing activity in Philadelphia improved during November, according to the Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index, which touched its highest reading since Dec. 2009.

Microsoft hopes that its newly launched hands-free sensor gadget, Kinect's growing popularity will help revive sales of its Xbox game console in the upcoming shopping season.

Retail sales in October picked up pace, and brightened the outlook for year-end shopping as purchases rose 1.2%, the highest in the last seven months.

Two former Liberian humanitarian aid workers have been convicted for defrauding the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of $1.9 million, which was intended to help rebuild civil war-torn Liberia, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said.

Jim Cramer said investors should purchase newly-privatized General Motors (NYSE:GM) shares because it's a good idea to buy from the federal government whenever it has a privatization up its sleeve.

The U.S. Department of Treasury sanctioned two North Korea companies for being controlled and used by a secretive branch of the North Korean government for illicit activities.

Lawmakers critical of President Barack Obama's efforts to try some accused terrorists in civilian courts continued in their opposition after a jury in New York convicted Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani of just one of 285 counts related to the 1998 twin U.S. embassy suicide bombings in Africa.

In the following interview of IBTimes with Jonathan Rose, President and CEO of Capital Gold Group, he talks about the recent cool down of the gold price, the impact of the non-results of the G-20 summit, the different mentality of investors in the U.S. and Britain regarding gold, and says that the Federal Reserve and gold ETFs should be properly audited.

As “Black Friday” approaches next week, U. S. retailers are expecting a strong holiday season – at least, compared to the dismal performance of the past two years.

The U.S. government may take a loss on its $49.9 billion investment in the company if the share price remains at its $33.

The Conference Board reported that its index leading economic indicators (LEI) for the U.S. increased by 0.5 percent in October to 111.3, following an 0.5 percent increase in September, and a 0.1 percent increase in August.

Shares of automaker General Motors opened at $35 in its first trading day on the NYSE after recovering from a government funded bailout. The opening price was an increase of 2 percent from its IPO price of $33.

S&P 500 Index gained 13.19 points, or 1.18 percent, to trade at 1,192.55 at 09:50 a.m. EDT. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 122.79 points, or 1.12 percent, to trade at 11,130.67. The Nasdaq Composite Index rose 1.29 percent to trade at 2,508.13.

A suspect package believed to be containing components of a bomb was reportedly found at the Namibian Capital of Windhoek on Thursday. A suitcase checked on to a plane en-route to Munich Germany was intercepted during the loading of an Air Berlin flight. Initial reports from the Germany's Federal Crime Office suggest that the X-ray device revealed batteries that were attached with wires to a detonator and a ticking clock.

Shares of auto giant General Motors (NYSE: GM) are up almost 9 percent in early trading after yesterday’s blockbuster initial public offering that was estimated to have 30 percent greater demand than initially expected. The offering is the biggest in U.S. history

U.S. initial jobless claims rose less-than-expected for the week ended Nov. 13, after falling sharply to a four month low in the previous week.