UNITED STATES

Higher than expected profits from Barclays and Commerzbank failed to dispel concerns over the underlying health of Europe's top banks on Thursday.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank will unveil a loan guarantee on Thursday for Ford Motor Co that will finance $3.1 billion in exports of cars and trucks to customers in Canada and Mexico, a White House official said.

Third quarter euro zone economic data has been surprisingly strong so far but the European Central Bank still expects the bloc's economic recovery to be moderate and uneven, President Jean-Claude Trichet said on Thursday.

The euro turned higher against the dollar on Thursday, lifted by a successful Spanish debt auction and positive comments about Greece's progress in reducing its deficit from the International Monetary Fund.

Wall Street stock index futures pointed to a slightly lower start on Thursday as investors await earnings news and U.S. weekly jobless data ahead of the all important key U.S. non-farm payrolls figures on Friday.

Costco Wholesale Corp reported a 6 percent rise in July sales at stores open at least a year, helped by inflation in gasoline prices and strengthening foreign currencies, marginally beating market expectations.

The European Central Bank looks set to keep interest rates on hold for the 15th month running on Thursday with the focus of attention its view on an economic recovery that remains in a delicate phase. After a run of strong euro zone data and the success of bank stress tests in calming markets somewhat, ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet is expected to reaffirm that rates remain appropriate, bolstering expectations they will remain on hold well into next year.

Gold held steady on Thursday after drop in prices from a 2-week high spurred light buying from jewelers in Asia, but firm stock markets were likely to weigh while holdings on the ETF fell slightly. Investors await the release of more data from the United States, particularly the payrolls report, which will offer clues on the health of the economy. Friday's government report on jobs may show a drop of 65,000 in July as census jobs dried up.

Oil fell for a second day on Thursday, approaching $82, as dollar strength kept a lid on prices, neutralizing the effect of upbeat U.S. employment data and a drop in the nation's crude inventories last week.

Country-pop starlet Taylor Swift's record label was forced to release the first single from her upcoming album 12 days ahead of schedule on Wednesday, hours after a bootleg version appeared online.

Time Warner Inc is expected to name former Meredith Corp executive Jack Griffin as chief executive of its publishing arm, Time Inc, the New York Times reported.

World stocks eked out small gains with European shares staying flat on Thursday as investors eyed meetings of the European Central Bank and Bank of England later in the session and Friday's U.S. jobs data loomed large.

The cost of borrowing dollars in Asian interbank markets fell to a three-month low on Thursday after recent poor economic data fuelled expectations the Federal Reserve would resume buying Treasuries to support liquidity.

Gold prices edged up in Asian trade Thursday but holdings on the ETF fell marginally. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1194.77 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for December delivery was at $1,196.5 an ounce on the comex division of Nymex.

The dollar steadied on Thursday after it enjoyed a rare rally the previous day when U.S. data beat expectations and sparked a bout of short-covering, although the overall mood remains bearish ahead of a key payrolls report. Against the yen, the dollar was down 0.1 percent on the day at 86.19 yen, having bounced from an eight-month low of 85.32 yen hit on Wednesday.

Gold held steady on bargain hunting on Thursday after prices slipped below $1,200 an ounce but firm stock markets were likely to weigh, and holdings on the ETF fell slightly. Investors await the release of more data from the United States, particularly the payrolls report, which will offer clues on the health of the economy. Friday's government report on jobs may show a drop of 65,000 in July as census jobs dried up.

Oil fell for a second day on Thursday, approaching $82, as dollar strength kept a lid on prices, neutralizing the effect of upbeat U.S. employment data and a drop in the nation's crude inventories last week. At the same time, U.S. stockpiles of gasoline and distillate fuels, including diesel, extended a string of gains, contributing to a mixed perception about the outlook for oil demand from the world's top consuming nation for the rest of the year.

The Bush administration's misguided policies are to blame for huge U.S. budget deficits, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner charged on Wednesday as he sought to build an election-year case for ending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

About 200,000 smartphones based on Google's Android operating system are sold every day, CEO Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday, underscoring the strong challenge to rivals like Apple's iPhone.

Research in Motion is at odds with the governments of India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE over their demands that the company let authorities tap BlackBerry messages delivered using RIM's rock-solid encryption technology.

The AUD has pushed higher again overnight as investor risk appetite continues to grow.