ECONOMY & MARKETS

A late-day sell-off, ahead of the U.S. Senate vote on the compromised tax bill, pushed the major equity indices to session lows, resulting in a mixed performance for stocks.

AUD/JPY jumped to a 7-month high on Monday but not broken the discipline of a broad upward channel it has been holding since end-May.

U.S. stocks advanced in early trade on Monday, following the gains in global equities, after Chinese policymakers refrained from raising interest rates over the weekend.

GBP/USD that rose above the key 1.5838 level to a 2-week high of 1.5860 on Friday slipped on Monday despite a stronger-than-expected data and is now targeting 1.5649 as immediate support (S1).

Scientific instruments maker Thermo Fisher Scientific said it agreed to acquire chromatography systems maker Dionex Corp. for about $2.1 billion to expand in Asia-Pacific regions such as China.

Dell Inc. announced an agreement to acquire data storage company Compellent Technologies Inc. for about $960 million, or about $27.75 per share in cash, to boost its storage presence.

Even as the risk appetite of global investors is picking up steam once again, emerging economies have gone past the U.S. in leading the investment pick-up.

Monetary tightening in China should be gradual as consumer inflation is unlikely to surpass 5 percent in 2011, an adviser to the Chinese central bank said.

Nobel-winning U.S. economist Paul Krugman has said the U.S. economy is sinking with the weight of surging household debt around its neck and that policy makers are crafting measures that do not address the longer-term ills of the economy.

UK households are struggling to pay off their debts despite low interest rates, said a survey on Monday.

US conglomerate GE said it agreed to buy Britain's oilfield-services company Wellstream Holdings Plc for 800 million pounds ($1.3 billion) to broaden its base in fast-growing emerging markets.

Jim Chanos, arguably the most well-known short-seller in the world, is setting his sights on China's troubled real estate construction-driven economy.

Stocks drifted higher, with the S&P 500 approaching a two-year high, as traders seemed pleased with a narrowing trade deficit and higher consumer confidence, ahead of an expected extension of Bush-era tax cuts by the federal government.

There are plenty of concerns surrounding U.S. Treasuries, yet a Treasury crisis doesn't seem to be happening.

Consumer sentiment in the U.S. rose more than expected during December, and an index of current conditions touched its highest level since January 2008, the Thomson Reuters/ University of Michigan Survey said.

US trade deficit declined sharply in October to reach a nine-month low as exports rose, the US commerce department said on Friday.

USD/CAD showed little reaction to the first set of data from the US and Canada on Friday and the pair stayed within a descending channel ahead of a more important consumer sentiment data from the US.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to higher opening on Friday ahead of economic data including trade balance and monthly import price index.

Higher-than-expected producer price index released Friday morning in London helped GBP/USD break above the key 1.5838 resistance to a 2-week high and is now targeting the 1.5952-1.5996 region.

China’s trade surplus rose in November raising fresh fears about renewed criticism from the US and Europe over Beijing’s currency policy.

On a 2-hour chart, EUR/USD has next support at 1.3141 (S1), as indicated by the 61.8 percent Fibonacci retracement from 1.3422 to 1.2970. A break below the same could take it to 1.3059 (S2) before retesting the November 30 low of 1.2968.

Sprint Nextel, the third largest wireless carrier in the United States, could acquire Ntelos Holdings' wireless business.

Hybrids are set to sound the death knell for petrol-powered company cars, which could almost be obsolete within a decade, says a new survey.

Stocks finished narrowly mixed in lethargic trading as an early jump on a benign jobless claims data faded away on a stronger U.S. dollar and later on news that Democrats in the House voted against considering the tax cut extensions that President Obama negotiated with Republicans.

German pharmaceuticals and chemical giant Bayer AG said it plans to invest 1-billion euros ($1.3-billion) in China in efforts to more than double sales in the country by 2015, as part of the company’s greater push into the Asia-Pacific region.

IBTimes speaks to Siemens CEO Peter Löscher about the future of renewable energy, the megatrends affecting it, and how his company is positioning itself in this industry.

Annual inflation in Germany hit two-year high in November mainly driven by rising energy and food prices, data showed on Thursday.

Graphics chip maker Nvidia may be turning the corner with better execution in PC graphics with the GTX 580/570/560 product family based on its new Fermi architecture.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to higher opening after the Department of Labor reported that weekly jobless claims declined last week.