UNITED STATES

Chrysler Group LLC posted a second-quarter net loss on Monday and said it still had an extraordinary amount of work to complete, but its turnaround was on track and it could raise its financial outlook later this year.

Exporters canceled major contracts of drought-hit Black Sea wheat to Bangladesh on Monday, signaling the need for Asian millers to scramble for supplies from other key growers like Australia.

Stock index futures rose on Monday as investors shrugged off last week's dismal employment data and shifted focus to technology shares, including Hewlett-Packard after its chief executive resigned.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.42 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.17 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.16 percent at 3:55 a.m. ET.

Chrysler Group LLC posted a second-quarter net loss on Monday and said it still had an extraordinary amount of work to complete, but its restructuring was on track and it could raise its financial outlook later this year.

The dollar was on the defensive against major currencies on Monday, as disappointing U.S. jobs data on Friday highlighted a weakening U.S. economic outlook and added to speculation about further monetary easing. Market players refrained from chasing prices aggressively, having already priced in some form of modest easing at the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting on Tuesday.

Oil prices rose to above $81 a barrel on Monday, as a weaker dollar supported prices that had fallen for three straight days last week, in part on poor U.S. economic data. Analysts said the dollar, which is slipping toward a 15-year low against the yen, could, along with rumblings of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, continue to bolster oil prices that last week ended above $80 for the first since May.

The dollar was on the defensive against major currencies on Monday, as disappointing U.S. jobs data on Friday highlighted a weakening U.S. economic outlook. Market players were wary of chasing prices aggressively ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy meeting on Tuesday, with expectations mounting for some form of additional monetary easing.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc has informed the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission that 25 percent to 35 percent of its revenue was derived from the derivatives businesses, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person familiar with the situation.

Gold prices remained steady in Asian trade Monday as the dollar dropped further amid safe haven buying by investor's. Gold for immediate delivery was at $1203.45 an ounce while U.S. gold futures for December delivery were hardly changed at $1,205.5 an ounce.

U.S. wheat futures fell 4.3 percent on Monday, extending their losses to nearly 12 percent in two sessions as traders take profits from a near-doubling in prices in just over a month. With a key U.S. Department of Agriculture stocks and production report out on Thursday and the impact of a Russian decision last week to ban exports still to be felt, the market looks set for another volatile week.

The dollar dipped against the yen on Monday, slipping towards a 15-year low, after a disappointing U.S. July payrolls report boosted talk the Federal Reserve could consider further easing monetary policy as early as this week.

The Bank of Japan hopes to avoid having to dig into its depleted policy arsenal next week, but may ease monetary policy if the yen soars toward an all-time high against the dollar and threatens a fragile economic recovery.

The Australian Dollar has opened this morning just under 0.9200 after breaching this level on Friday night after the market digested the release of US July non-farm payrolls that saw a decline of 131k in the month, which was more than the forecast loss of 65k.

Even with U.S. interest rates already near zero, Federal Reserve policymakers will still spend much of a meeting on Tuesday discussing ways to offer more rather than less monetary stimulus to the economy.

BlackBerry maker and Saudi mobile firms are testing three servers to send communications and data through Saudi Arabia before Canada to address Riyadh's concerns over security, a Saudi official said on Sunday.

U.S. stock investors are turning more to options for protection after the latest data showing the frailty of the economic recovery, but they may find some comfort in Wall Street's fear gauge.

The head of the world's largest reinsurer, Munich Re , warned low interest rates were hurting the industry and urged central banks to return to more orthodox rate policies as soon as possible.

Gold prices closed higher for the week on the Comex Division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, hit a three week high in intraday, mainly on weak US employment report that hit the dollar. The most active gold contract for December delivery was up $6.0 , or 0.5 percent, to finish at $1,205.3 per ounce.

The top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee called on Friday for an investigation into charges that mortgage finance giant Fannie Mae pushed borrowers into a mortgage aid program so it could receive incentive payments from the U.S. government.

U.S. regulators seized Ravenswood Bank of Chicago on Friday, bringing the number of closures this year to 109 as the community bank sector continues to suffer under the weight of bad loans.