MARKETS / FINANCE

U.S. employment companies are reporting higher demand for temporary and technology workers, in a sign that business confidence is returning but that employers are still reluctant to hire full-time workers.

The Swiss financial regulator broke bank secrecy law last year when it ordered UBS to hand over the files of nearly 300 clients to U.S. authorities, a Swiss court said on Friday.

Friday's surprisingly weak employment report, which showed a net loss of 85,000 jobs in December, suggested that companies were in no hurry to re-hire even though the economy resumed growing in the third quarter of 2009 and appeared to generate above-average output in the fourth quarter.

The Dow and the S&P 500 fell on Friday after an unexpectedly weak employment report cast doubts on prospects for a quick rebound in the labor market.

U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 85,000 jobs in December, government data showed on Friday, cooling optimism on the labor market's recovery and keeping

The Nasdaq turned positive, led by advancing biotechnology shares, as stocks pared losses in early trading on Friday.

U.S. employers unexpectedly cut 85,000 jobs in December, cooling optimism on the labor market's recovery and keeping pressure on President Barack Obama to find ways to spur job growth.

Corporate America doesn't seem to have much faith in the economic recovery.

Tribune Co's Los Angeles Times said it would close its printing operations in Orange County, California, resulting in about 80 layoffs, as part of cost-cutting measures.

Shares in Japan Airlines Corp tumbled on Friday as media reports and comments from government officials heightened fears Asia's biggest carrier by revenue will file for bankruptcy as part of a state bailout.

Stock index futures were little changed on Friday ahead of a key monthly employment report expected to show the economy stopped shedding jobs last month for the first time in two years.

It would be good to see more improvement in the U.S. job market before exiting some stimulus programs, a top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Friday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.1 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.1 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.04 percent at 4.10 a.m. EST.

Global stocks advanced on Friday, anticipating an improvement in all-important U.S. monthly jobs data, while the dollar fell from a four-month high against the yen after Japan's new finance minister backed off his call for a weaker currency. Crude oil prices dipped, extending losses the previous day on worries about tighter Chinese monetary policy. Safe-haven government bonds were mostly steady. ...

Former NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman's Electus production house will develop and produce content for Yahoo Inc in a deal that will likely be announced later on Friday, the New York Times said on its website.

A U.S. government report on Friday is expected to show the economy stopped shedding jobs last month for the first time since it fell into recession two years ago, easing a political weight on President Barack Obama.

Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan said on Friday that the markets should decide currency levels. But he also said the government needs to pay heed to companies, who calculate exchange rate estimates when doing business.

The dollar dipped against the yen on Friday after Japanese Finance Minister Naoto Kan said markets should decide exchange rates.

The New York Federal Reserve Bank under Timothy Geithner urged insurer AIG in late 2008 to limit disclosures about its payments to banks after getting a $180 billion government bailout, emails released on Thursday showed.

A former director of McKinsey & Co told a court on Thursday that Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam paid him $1.75 million in exchange for tips on clients of the consulting firm, giving prosecutors potentially more ammunition in the insider-trading case.

Bank of America Corp will pay its investment bankers bonuses close to the levels of 2007, as it tries to reduce defections following its takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co., the Wall Street Journal said late Thursday.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc was sued on Thursday by an Illinois pension fund seeking to recover billions of dollars of bonuses and other compensation being awarded for 2009, saying the payouts harm shareholders.

Senior U.S. Federal Reserve officials placed different emphasis on inflation risks on Thursday, with one warning failure to withdraw support policies soon enough could trigger inflation while another played down such risks.

Janus Capital Group has picked a Pacific Investment Management Co veteran as its chief executive, ending a months-long search for a new leader at the Denver-based stocks mutual fund firm.

The Australian Dollar opens lower on Friday at 0.9180 after a stronger greenback overnight weighed on the high-yielders and eroded yesterday's solid gains.

U.S. regulators on Thursday urged banks to protect themselves against hikes in interest rates, which could threaten the easy earnings that have helped heal the banking system during the credit crunch.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Thursday after Bank of America and General Electric rallied on positive broker comments, but investors were cautious a day before the release of key monthly non-farm payrolls data.

A New York judge has ordered billionaire financier Ron Perelman to pay more than $4 million to a film development company he co-founded with his ex-wife, actress Ellen Barkin.

Wall Street's confidence in the nascent U.S. economic recovery is about to be tested as fourth-quarter earnings season gets under way next week.