MARKETS / FINANCE

U.S. stock index futures rose on Friday after a selloff in the previous session that halted a six-day Dow winning streak, as investors awaited a slew of earnings reports and data on consumer spending.

U.S. President Barack Obama headed into talks with Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Friday in which he will likely try to smooth strained ties as the allies adjust to a rising China.

The euro zone economy jumped out of recession in the third quarter, data showed on Friday, but with slightly less spring than expected after growth in the area's top three economies fell short of market forecasts.

The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Friday that capital flows to emerging markets reflected the positive outlook for those economies but warned that they can destabilise currencies and asset prices.

News, details on corporate bond issues in the European markets on Friday

The euro zone economy jumped out of recession in the third quarter, data showed on Friday, but with slightly less spring than expected after the area's top three economies fell short of market forecasts.

The U.S. dollar eased on Friday after overnight gains and ahead of euro zone growth data, boosting metal and crude prices, while world stocks drifted higher. The dollar rose overnight against a basket of currencies but succumbed to another sporadic bout of profit-taking, and traders said the currency's broad weakness was likely to continue over the longer term.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open for U.S. shares on Friday after snapping a six-day winning streak in the previous session, with investors awaiting earnings from JC Penney and Abercrombie & Fitch .

U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital is finalizing a roughly 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) deal to buy Japanese telemarketer Bellsystem24 from Citigroup Inc , three sources familiar with the matter said.

Some former bankers are planning to bid for failing banks in the Federal Insurance Deposit Corp auction process, and getting financial backing from Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs Group Inc and Deutsche Bank AG , the Wall Street Journal reported citing sources.

Apple's global smartphone share reached 17 percent as iPhone sales totaled 7 million units in the third quarter, following the continued rollout of the iPhone 3GS in new countries, research firm Gartner said on Thursday.

Gold retreated from a record high above $1,120 an ounce on Thursday and global stocks lost ground as doubts about a lasting economic recovery underpinned the dollar.

WASHINGTON - Drug makers, Internet companies and nonprofits called for clarity on what is a gray area for U.S. health regulators: how drug promotion on Twitter, Wikipedia, blogs and other social media can be regulated.

U.S. monetary authorities did not intervene in the foreign exchange markets in the third quarter as the dollar fell broadly against major and emerging market currencies, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said.

The U.S. Federal Reserve's balance sheet shrank in the latest week, Fed data showed on Thursday.

Foreign central banks' holdings of U.S. Treasuries fell and agency debt holdings at the Federal Reserve rose in the latest week, data from the U.S. central bank showed on Thursday.

Warren Buffett, perhaps the world's most admired investor, said on Thursday the financial panic that gripped the globe last year is a thing of the past, even as the U.S. economy's struggles persist.

The Dow industrials six-day winning streak came to a halt on Thursday as a drop in oil prices pulled energy stocks lower and a guarded outlook from Wal-Mart fanned worries about consumer spending.

The U.S. government's $700 billion bailout program will ultimately produce an overall loss for taxpayers, a key auditor for the program said on Thursday.

Blockbuster Inc , the largest U.S. movie rental chain, posted a larger-than-expected third-quarter loss it said was due primarily to write-offs of debt financing costs and the sale of its Irish unit, and its shares plummeted 12 percent.

U.S. stocks fell broadly on Thursday as a stronger dollar weighed on commodity-linked shares and a guarded outlook from Wal-Mart Stores Inc led to worries about consumer spending.

Blockbuster Inc , the largest U.S. movie rental chain, posted a larger-than-expected third-quarter loss it said was due primarily to write-offs of debt financing costs and the sale of its Irish unit.

The Australian Dollar opens lower against the greenback today at 0.9215 after giving back all of yesterday's gains, and then some, as risk aversion swept offshore markets overnight. During yesterday's domestic session, local unemployment data came in better than expected. Whilst the jobless rate rose to 5.8 per cent, 24,500 positions were added in the month of October. A second consecutive monthly rise in employment may lead to another 25 basis point rate hike by the RBA in December.

Roomy Khan, one of several former traders cooperating with the prosecution of the biggest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case, told a judge she provided confidential information to several co-conspirators, according to a court document made public on Thursday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits last week fell to the lowest level since January, the government said on Thursday, evidence the hard-hit labor market may be slowly improving.

Not sure what to give Uncle Sam this Christmas? How about a nice, fat check to help whittle away at the $7.6 trillion national debt?

Roomy Khan, one of several former traders cooperating with the prosecution of the biggest U.S. hedge fund insider trading case, told a judge she tipped several people at hedge funds with inside information on companies to make money from trades, according to a court document.

WASHINGTON - Drug makers, Internet companies and nonprofits packed a hearing into what is a gray area for U.S. health regulators: how far Twitter, Wikipedia, blogs and other social media can go in promoting drugs.

Nouriel Roubini, one of the few economists who accurately predicted the magnitude of the financial crisis, said on Thursday that a double-dip recession can be avoided if stimulus measures are unwound properly.