UNITED STATES

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods saw their biggest gain in 16 months in April and fewer workers filed for new jobless benefits last week, according to data on Thursday that suggested the deep recession was abating.

Three of Canada's largest banks reported stronger-than-expected results on Thursday even as they set aside more money to cover bad loans and detailed a raft of writedowns for credit and market losses.

The pace of economic decline in western Europe is slowing, data showed on Thursday, though activity is still very subdued and prospects for a global recovery are being hurt by the rising cost of borrowing money.

School cafeteria meals like low-fat pizzas with whole grain crust don't taste too bad to Paola Villatoro, a 17-year-old at Downtown Magnet High School in Los Angeles.

OPEC ministers set their sights on oil prices above $70 a barrel as they gathered for talks in Vienna, but they were expected to hold output steady and rely instead on economic recovery to push the market up.

Sales of newly built U.S. single-family homes rose slightly less than expected in April, a government report showed on Thursday, and the previous month's figures were revised down to show a steeper fall.

British clean-fuel companies Oxford Catalysts Group Plc and PolyFuel Inc were awarded government grants in the United States as part of a move to promote alternative energy sources.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday after key government data indicated the recession may be abating while investors eyed a looming bankruptcy for General Motors.

Costco Wholesale Corp posted a quarterly profit on Thursday that just missed Wall Street expectations, as shoppers cut back on discretionary items like clothes and jewelry.

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose more than expected in April, posting their biggest gain in 16 months, according to government data on Thursday that suggested the recession was winding down.

Auto parts makers Visteon Corp and Metaldyne Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for their U.S. operations, becoming the latest casualties of the global auto industry crisis.

Oil held above $63 on Thursday after OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna decided, as widely anticipated, to leave the group's crude output unchanged at 24.85 million barrels per day.

Auto parts makers Visteon Corp and Metaldyne Corp filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for their U.S. operations, becoming the latest casualties of the global auto industry crisis.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday ahead of key U.S. durable good orders and new home sales data, while the market eyed General Motors as it slid closer to bankruptcy.

Stock index futures pared gains on Thursday, after the release of an outlook by Dow component Procter & Gamble , and ahead of key U.S. durable good orders and new home sales data.

As the battle for German carmaker Opel effectively narrowed to a race between Fiat and Magna, overnight talks to shield Opel from General Motors' looming bankruptcy ended with no deal.

Oil slipped on Thursday as global markets dropped on government debt worries but held firmly above $63 a barrel as OPEC met in Vienna to discuss the group's oil output and what price the world could afford to pay.

Costco Wholesale Corp on Thursday said its third-quarter net profit fell 29 percent, as shoppers stuck to buying basics like food and medicine, and pared back discretionary purchases of clothes or jewelry.

Costco Wholesale Corp on Thursday said its third-quarter profit fell 29 percent, as shoppers stuck to buying basics, like food and medicine, and pared back discretionary purchases of clothes or jewelry.

Concerns about the debt burden facing countries trying to spend their way out of the economic downturn spooked investors on Thursday despite optimism from President Barack Obama that the U.S. economy was past the worst.

Oil prices fell below $63 a barrel on Thursday, snapping three sessions of gains, as investor sentiment soured on worries that a potential recovery in the United States might be delayed because of the country's rising debt.