UNITED STATES

Stocks fell on Friday on a combination of weak earnings from retailers, Senate backing for limits on credit card fees and concerns over the sustainability of European public debt.

Microsoft Corp is expecting a boost this quarter from a rebound in business tech spending, likely outweighing negative effects from turmoil in Europe, the software giant's chief financial officer told Reuters on Friday.

When Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar Inc , retires next month, it will mark the end of a long career bookended by corporate crises and displays of a tough-love approach to leadership and the company's workforce.

Retail sales rose and industrial production powered ahead in April, further evidence the economic recovery was strengthening and broadening out.

Stocks fell on Friday on a combination of retailers' weak earnings, Senate backing for limits on credit card fees and concerns over whether European countries can pay their public debt obligations.

Google Inc is closing its 4-month-old online cell phone store, abandoning an ambitious plan by the Web search leader to redefine wireless retailing.

Stocks fell on Friday on a combination of retailers' weak earnings, Senate backing for limits on credit card fees and concerns over whether European countries can pay their public debt obligations.

Google has proposed remedies to close an Italian antitrust probe into whether the Internet search giant coerced local newspapers into posting stories on its news website, the watchdog said on Friday.

Stocks fell on Friday on a combination of weak earnings from retailers, Senate backing for limits on credit card fees and concerns over the sustainability of European public debt.

More technology deals are on the way as the industry recovers from the recession, but Microsoft Corp is not poised to make a big deal soon, its chief financial officer told Reuters on Friday.

U.S. stocks fell, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq off 2 percent or more on Friday on worries that heavy euro-zone debt loads could stymie a global recovery, while Visa and MasterCard led the financial sector lower after the U.S. Senate backed limits on card fees.

U.S. retail sales rose and industrial production powered ahead in April, further evidence the economic recovery was strengthening and broadening out.

Advanced economies face a herculean task to restore public debt to pre-crisis levels, and failure to do so will drive up borrowing costs and curb economic growth, the IMF warned on Friday.

Stocks tumbled on Friday on worries that heavy euro-zone debt loads could stymie a global recovery, while Visa and MasterCard led the financial sector lower after the Senate backed limits on card fees.

U.S. consumer sentiment edged up in May from April, in line with forecasts, while one-year inflation expectations were at their highest since June 2009.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more than expected in April, lifted by a surprise gain in motor vehicle purchases, government data showed on Friday.

Gold hit record highs near $1,250 an ounce in Europe on Friday as investors bought the metal to protect against sovereign risk in the euro zone and instability in the foreign exchange markets.

Sales of video game hardware and software plunged 26 percent in April, industry tracker NPD said on Thursday, one of the largest declines over the past decade.

Beijing could have another window of opportunity over the next few days to make its long-awaited move on the yuan, in the wake of strong Chinese data and ahead of a Sino-U.S. summit.

Sales at U.S. retailers rose more than expected in April, raising cautious optimism that a recent bounce in consumer spending can be sustained.

Stock index futures were lower on Friday as investors awaited a round of data, including consumer sentiment, that will provide a picture on the strength the economic recovery.