UNITED STATES

U.S. stocks moved up at the open on Monday, the first trading day of 2010, on a rise in crude oil and other commodity prices and ahead of data expected to show expansion in the manufacturing sector.

The dollar fell on Monday, reversing earlier gains on caution ahead of upcoming U.S. data, which left investors wary of pushing the currency up further after it earlier hit a four-month high versus the yen.

Oil rose to $81 a barrel on Monday, the highest in more than two months, on news that Russia has halted oil supplies to Belarus and on cold weather in the United States.

The U.S. Justice Department is considering whether to ask a judge to reduce the jail sentence of Bradley Birkenfeld, the key informant in the U.S. tax fraud case against Swiss bank UBS AG, the New York Times said, citing a person briefed on the matter.

Novartis seeks tighter Alcon grip; Whistleblower reprieve? Asian factories rise

A dismal job market, a crippled real estate sector and hobbled banks will keep a lid on U.S. economic growth over the coming decade, some of the nation's leading economists said on Sunday.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday, as crude oil prices rose on jitters over an oil dispute between Russia and Belarus and as Novartis moved to buy eye care group Alcon in a $39 billion deal.

Factories in Asia stepped up production in December, with China's output growing at its fastest pace on record, suggesting economic activity is gathering pace in the region that is leading the global recovery.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange successfully launched a high-speed trading system on Monday to better compete with major global rivals in the growing field of automated trading.

Financial markets were upbeat on the first trading day of 2010 on Monday, with Asian stocks hitting a 17-month high and the U.S. dollar up against major currencies on hopes U.S. job figures this week will reflect a sustained economic recovery.

The dollar edged down from a four-month high against the yen but held firm against other majors on Monday, the first trading day of 2010, as investors focus on U.S. data this week that could add to optimism about the economy. Investors are set to take cues from the U.S. December employment report on Friday as well as figures from the manufacturing and service sectors.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange launched an accelerated trading system on Monday to better compete with major global rivals in the growing field of high-speed trading.

EUR/USD opened lower trading in a limited range during the shortened holiday week. The pair made a weekly high on Tuesday trading up to 1.4457 after release of U.S. housing data from S&P/Case-Shiller showed a 0.4% rise to a seasonally-adjusted 145.36 in October. The index was off 7.3% versus October of last year, slightly worse that the market's -7% Y/Y consensus. Also on Tuesday, European Central Bank Governing Council member and Luxembourg Central Bank head Yves Mersch wrote in a New Year's me...

Human resources consulting company Watson Wyatt Worldwide Inc completed its merger with rival Towers Perrin Forster & Crosby to form a combined company called Towers Watson & Co that will make its U.S. trading debut on Monday.

The Australian Dollar opens slightly higher on Monday at 0.8980. Traders squaring up for the New Year kept the Aussie in a tight range last Thursday against its U.S. counterpart.

Lenovo Group Ltd is unveiling a new look for its classic ThinkPad line, and is including Advanced Micro Devices Inc microprocessors in the laptops for the first time.

For the first time in two years, the U.S. economy may have seen a month in which more jobs were created than destroyed.

Somali government troops are ready to launch a major offensive against insurgents and expect to drive them out of the capital by the end of this month, the country's prime minister told Reuters on Sunday.

Iraq will help victims of a 2007 shooting file a U.S. lawsuit against employees of security firm Blackwater who were accused of opening fire on civilians, the government said on Sunday.

The United States has indications al Qaeda is planning an attack against a target in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, a senior aide to President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

The United States and Britain closed their embassies in Yemen on Sunday over security concerns about possible militant attacks after the failed bombing of a U.S.-bound plane on Christmas Day.