UNITED STATES

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Wednesday ahead of a Federal Reserve statement that will be scrutinized for an insight into the central bank's assessment of the U.S. economy.

Ford Motor Co will start production of a small car in India early next year, and its chief executive said the U.S. market had was showing signs of recovery and he expected industry sales to rise in the next two years.

Swiss bank UBS AG, which suffered massive client withdrawals after a high-profile U.S. tax fraud probe, has cut around 200 jobs at its U.S. wealth management arm, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Oil fell toward $71 a barrel on Wednesday, pressured by doubts over U.S. demand after industry data showed a surprise build in crude oil stockpiles.

Forget the shows, buffets, show girls and cigar bars. As it prepares for a $1.6 billion initial public offering for its casino operations in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau, U.S. gaming giant Wynn Resorts has figured out what Asian punters want and is giving them plenty of it: Good old-fashioned gambling.

Swiss bank UBS AG, which suffered massive client withdrawals after a high-profile U.S. tax fraud probe, has cut around 200 jobs at its U.S. wealth management arm, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

European safety officials have ordered checks on certain Airbus speed sensors supplied by U.S. manufacturer Goodrich, weeks after clamping down on alternative equipment from France's Thales.

Oil fell below $72 a barrel on Wednesday, pressured by doubts over U.S. demand after industry data showed a surprise build in crude oil stockpiles.

A former analyst with Moody's Corp has accused the credit ratings agency of issuing inflated ratings, and has taken his concerns to U.S. congressional investigators, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

Stock futures pointed to a flat to higher start for Wall Street on Wednesday ahead of the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision, with Dow Jones futures up 0.2 percent, S&P 500 futures up 0.3 percent and Nasdaq futures flat at 4:15 a.m. EDT.

Oil steadied at below $72 a barrel on Wednesday, after rising more than 2 percent in the previous session, as a bearish industry report showing a surprise build in U.S. crude oil stockpiles was offset by further weakness in the dollar.

A leading indicator of U.S. nonresidential construction spending dropped to its lowest level in three months in August as developers continued to find it tough to finance new projects.

The dollar slid to a one-year low against a basket of currencies as market players seized on surprisingly strong New Zealand economic growth data as a reason to push the kiwi dollar higher and dump the U.S. currency.

The dollar slid to a 13-month low against a basket of currencies as market players seized on surprisingly strong New Zealand economic growth data as a reason to push the kiwi dollar higher and dump the U.S. currency.

Leaders from some of the largest Western powers rallied support Tuesday behind a U.S. plan to build a more balanced global economy and warned against returning to business as usual once recovery takes hold.

Honduran soldiers and riot police surrounded the Brazilian embassy, where ousted President Manuel Zelaya was sheltering on Wednesday, in what could turn into a long standoff and deepen the country's crisis

Mexico's Cemex, the world's No. 3 cement maker, sealed a $1.8 billion share offer on strong demand on Tuesday in a sign of investor optimism in the debt-laden company's recovery.

President Barack Obama is engaged in a week of diplomatic activities in New York and Pittsburgh to tackle many of the world's major challenges. How's he doing?

U.S. President Barack Obama makes his United Nations debut on Wednesday, hoping his international star power can throw new muscle behind a policy agenda that is already struggling to deliver.

Oil fell toward $71 a barrel on Wednesday, giving up some of its previous session gains of 2 percent, as an industry report showing a surprise build in U.S. crude oil stockpiles again stoked concerns over demand revival.

US TREASURIES rebounded slightly on Tuesday after strong demand from the US 2 year note auction offered support to the government securities complex. Overall trading was quiet ahead of Wednesday's FOMC meeting announcement and $40 billion US 5 year note auction. Traders are expected to be watching auctions further out on the yield curve with greater scrutiny.