UNITED STATES

U.S. homebuilder sentiment jumped to its highest level in eight months in May, a private survey showed on Monday, supporting views that the three-year housing slump might be close to an end.

State Street Corp said it plans to sell $1.5 billion of stock and will also sell notes to help repay government bailout funds, and took a $3.7 billion charge to move some assets onto its balance sheet at a loss.

Stocks rose on Monday as solid results from the No. 2 U.S. home improvement retailer, Lowe's Cos Inc , fueled hopes the recession was easing and consumer spending stabilizing.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Monday the U.S. economy was beginning to stabilize, but cautioned that consumers will still feel the pain of the current downturn for some time.

U.S. homebuilder sentiment jumped to its highest level in eight months in May, a private survey showed on Monday, supporting views that the three-year housing slump might be close to an end.

President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched their first White House talks on Monday grappling with rare U.S.-Israeli differences over Middle East peacemaking and how to deal with Iran.

Moody's Investors Service stripped the Japanese government of its last triple-A foreign currency credit rating on Monday in a move that could revive market speculation about the creditworthiness of other rich nations, especially the United States.

U.S. stocks rose on light volume on Monday as a better-than-expected quarterly profit and upbeat outlook from Lowe's Cos Inc , the No. 2 U.S. home improvement retailer, fueled hopes the economic slump was easing and spending was stabilizing.

Lowe's Cos Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as it saw some strength in outdoor projects like gardens and lawns in the spring, even as consumers still shunned big home renovations.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday for AT&T Inc in a dispute over how retirement benefits should be calculated for women who took maternity leaves before the federal Pregnancy Discrimination Act took effect in 1979.

Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc will continue to sell the Ferrlecit iron deficiency treatment in the United States for the rest of the year following an arbitrator's ruling, the company said on Monday, giving Watson a victory for its closely watched product.

Patriot Coal Corp has been striving to allay investor concerns over a potential covenant breach and contract deferrals in the wake of dwindling demand that sent its stock crashing to a life-low in March.

General Motors Corp faces a government-imposed June 1 deadline to reach sweeping cost-cutting deals with bondholders and its union and has said it is probable it will follow rival Chrysler into bankruptcy.

Stocks extended gains on Monday as a solid quarterly profit and raised forecast from Lowe's Cos Inc , the No. 2 U.S. home improvement retailer, heightened hopes the economic slump was easing and spending was stabilizing.

The United Auto Workers union expects a crucial round of restructuring talks with General Motors Corp to intensify this coming week ahead of an end-of-May deadline set by the Obama administration.

Stocks rose on Monday as a solid quarterly profit and raised forecast from Lowe's Cos Inc , the No. 2 U.S. home improvement retailer, fueled hopes the economic slump was easing and spending was stabilizing.

The new flu strain is spreading widely in the United States and Japan and is likely to circulate worldwide, health officials said on Monday.

Pakistan's army will finish its offensive against Taliban militants in the Swat valley and ensure peace, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani said on Monday as he rallied the support of political parties.

Lowe's Cos Inc posted better-than-expected quarterly profit on Monday as it saw some strength in outdoor projects during the spring, even as consumers still shunned big-ticket home renovations.

Vice President Joe Biden makes the highest-level U.S. visit to Serbia in a quarter century this week seeking a new diplomatic start in the Balkans, a region where Washington twice intervened militarily in the 1990s.

Vast stockpiles of nuclear weapons amassed during the Cold War could become the catalyst for a thaw in relations this week between the United States and Russia.