MARKETS / FINANCE

U.S. stock futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Monday on optimism over holiday retail sales and as concerns eased that a possible debt default by two of Dubai's flagship firms could damage a global economic recovery.

Leaders from top U.S. companies including Google , AT&T , Disney and FedEx will attend a jobs summit on December 3 at the White House, a White House spokeswoman said on Sunday.

The governor of the Bank of Japan said the bank will act decisively in the event of renewed financial market turmoil, his strongest hint yet at fresh support for the economy that analysts say could involve buying more government bonds or a return to quantitative easing.

Oil prices recovered a little on Monday, rising above $76 a barrel as the dollar weakened, but investors kept a wary eye on debt-laden Dubai and its impact on the global economy.

Cash was king for consumers who shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend, according to survey results released on Sunday, and that factor could have cost retailers additional sales.

In the chill of a massive cave beneath an orthodox Christian cathedral, a city power firm is preparing what it thinks will be the greenest data center on the planet.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Monday as investors assessed whether a possible debt default by two of Dubai's flagship firms could threaten a global economic recovery.

Britain's top share index was 0.8 percent lower by midday on Monday, pulled down by weak energy stocks and banks, as investors were troubled by lingering anxiety caused by Dubai's debt problems.

United Arab Emirates stocks dived on Monday as investors waited for clarity on Dubai's plan to delay repaying billions of dollars in debt and government word on how it would tackle a crisis that has rattled global markets.

stock index futures were slightly higher early on Monday, following the previous session's sharp retreat, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.22 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.13 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.24 percent at 0855 GMT (5:55 a.m. EST).

The coming week should signal whether a year of voracious risk appetite on financial markets is going to end with a bang, a whimper or, quite possibly, a thundering great clunk.

Leaders from top U.S. companies including Google, AT&T, Disney and FedEx will attend a jobs summit on Dec. 3 at the White House, a White House spokeswoman said on Sunday.

United Arab Emirate stocks tumbled 6-7 percent on Monday as the market reopened for the first time since Dubai called for a delay in repaying billions of dollars in debt, spooking global markets.

Oil prices steadied at $76 a barrel on Monday, shedding most of the session's early gains, as worries about Dubai's debt crisis and its impact on the world economic recovery returned to haunt investors.

U.S. stocks fell more than 1 percent in a truncated session on Friday as a possible debt default by a Dubai state-owned conglomerate led to fresh concerns about the global financial system.

Investors braced for a 10 percent fall in United Arab Emirate stocks on Monday as the market reopens for the first time since Dubai called for a delay in repaying billions of dollars in debt, spooking global markets.

Leading Democrats on Sunday said they expect Congress to pass a major healthcare reform backed by President Barack Obama, but supporters may have to accept legislation that falls short on some issues.

Retailers Protect Profits; Business at the White House; Beijing Auto's SAAB Option

Thirty global financial institutions have been selected for cross-border supervision exercises by regulators, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Consumers spent significantly less per person at the start of the holiday season this weekend, dimming hopes for a retail comeback that would help propel the economy early in 2010.

Meng Ni and Fan Zhiqing said I do to each other in the same month that they said we do to their real estate agent.

The Treasury Department is expected to meet with lenders on Monday to press them to do more to rework troubled home mortgage loans, a source familiar with the Treasury's thinking said.

The Aussie dollar declined rapidly on Friday as concern in Asia over another blow out in credit spreads from a possible Dubai World debt default rocked the high yielders.

A group of noteholders of bankrupt regional theme park operator Six Flags Inc said on Sunday it submitted an alternative reorganization plan that transfers most of the equity to them.

The United Arab Emirates offered banks emergency support on Sunday, the first steps to ease fears that a looming debt default by two of Dubai's flagship firms could derail the global economic recovery.

Sales may have risen only slightly on Black Friday as U.S. shoppers sought deals on electronics, toys and clothes, but retailers appeared to have been better-prepared to protect margins against tepid results.

Dubai, jobs data, Black Friday results and a chance for Congress to throw fireballs at Fed chief Ben Bernanke: The U.S. stock market's path to glory is fraught with peril this week.

Banks who lent over $30 billion to Dubai World, the debt-laden state investment group, plan to appoint auditors KPMG to represent them in talks over recovering their money, the Independent on Sunday newspaper reported.

The United Arab Emirates' central bank set up an emergency facility on Sunday to support bank liquidity in the first policy response to Dubai's debt woes that threatened to paralyze lending and derail economic recovery.