UNITED STATES

Isolated for decades behind Asia's bamboo curtain, communist Laos will soon take a great leap into the global capitalist marketplace with the launch of a stock exchange to fuel a quiet mining and hydro-power boom.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Thursday on hopes that an upcoming report on the labor market will show improvement in the economy.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Thursday on hopes that an upcoming report on the labor market will show improvement in the economy.

French-inspired plans to create an economic government for the euro zone took a step forward on Wednesday when European Council President Herman Van Rompuy threw his weight behind the idea.

British oil giant BP will speak with analysts on Friday, a spokeswoman for the company said after analysts pointed to a planned conference call as one possible reason for a spike in its battered shares.

U.S. mortgage rates stayed at or near record lows in the past week, with the 30-year fixed rate 1/2 percentage point lower than a year ago, home funding company Freddie Mac said on Thursday.

Good morning dear traders, EURUSD was not my favourite currency yesterday. My trading in EURUSD and Cable was rather exhausting in the morning. Further, I finished a good shorting chance in GBPUSD with a too tight stopp-loss. But I´m learning out of my mistakes.

The world's top nations will back general principles rather than a specific tax to make banks pay for their own bailouts in future, finance ministers and diplomats said on Thursday.

Gold prices extended losses in Asian trade Thursday but ETF holdings rose to another record overnight. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $ 1221.71 an ounce at 11.00 a.m Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for August delivery was at $1,223.7 an ounce.

In an attempt to overcome declining values in its forex reserves due to drop in euros value against the dollar, Iran is planning to convert 45 billion euros of its reserves into dollars and gold ingots. According to reports, Iran's central bank took this decision against a backdrop of a new phase of economic recession in Greece and Spain which has caused a drop in the value of euro against the dollar in global markets.

Asian stocks jumped on Thursday, posting their biggest single-day gain in four weeks, as U.S. housing data fueled optimism about the world's largest economy.

Global oil prices climbed near $74 a barrel in Asian trade Thursday mainly after reports of decline in US crude inventories. Light sweet crude for July delivery was seen trading at $73.61 a barrel at 11.00 a.m Singapore time while Brent crude was at $ 74.45 a barrel in London.

Group of 20 nations must agree to put public finances back on a sustainable path but in a way that doesn't choke off global recovery, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Wednesday.

The AUD continues to trade in a volatile manner while remaining contained within the range between USD0.8250-USD0.8450.

Ford Motor Co will eliminate its Mercury brand which has seen sales and investment plunge in recent years, closing out a vehicle lineup created in the 1930s by Edsel Ford, the automaker said on Wednesday.

Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co posted double-digit sales gains for May that outpaced growth for Toyota Motor Corp as U.S. auto sales rose 19 percent from the depressed levels of a year earlier.

The Oracle of Omaha, for once, may have failed to impress his audience. Warren Buffett, the billionaire whose investments are followed religiously on Wall Street, had no easy remedies when grilled on Wednesday about the role of credit rating agencies in fueling the financial crisis.

School programs which include lessons on nutrition and food preparation for school students could be the key to curb Australia's high obesity rate, dietitians have been told.

Traders clashed over the fragmentation and ultra high speed of today's U.S. equities marketplace on Wednesday, as one charged that more traditional orders are being gamed but another said that high-frequency traders are unfairly vilified.

For the second time in nine months the Reserve Bank of Australia left rates unchanged at 4.5% as expected and the Aussie fell as the RBA signalled policy makers may keep borrowing costs steady as 'the effects of earlier expansionary policy measures will be diminishing.'

U.S. auto sales rose about 19 percent in May, a rebound from depressed year-earlier levels that still leaves the industry sputtering at the lowest sales rate since the 1980s more than half a year into a grudging recovery.