MARKETS / FINANCE

Stock index futures rose on Monday, with investors poised to scoop up shares beaten down in last week's sell-off, while a report that Brocade Communications Systems Inc put itself up for sale may fan deal optimism.

Gold stayed above $1,000 an ounce on Monday as the dollar remained pressured after last week's jobs data pushed the currency down broadly on concerns the U.S. economic recovery may not be as robust as previously thought.

Japanese government bonds dipped on Monday and 10-year futures pulled back from a six-month high as market players sold to hedge and make room for a 2.1 trillion yen ($23 billion) 10-year auction the next day.

he interbank cost of borrowing euros for three-months fell to a record low on Monday, pushed lower by expectations that interest rates will stay low and the markets remain flush with liquidity for some time.

World stocks flirted with gains after two sessions of losses on Monday with Japan's Nikkei hitting an 11-week closing low but Europe climbing and Wall Street looking set for a positive start.

Oil fell toward $69 a barrel on Monday, extending the previous session's drop, pressured by jitters over the pace of U.S. economic recovery and easing concerns about Iran and Nigeria.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner told a newspaper that weekend warnings by bankers that overly restrictive capital rules could squeeze lending abilities was pure lobbying, and urged reforms to proceed unabated.

Stock futures pointed to a higher start on Monday to snap a four-day losing streak. The futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite were up 0.5-0.6 percent at 4.22 a.m. ET.

Hong Kong stocks erased earlier losses to close up 0.26 percent on Monday, as investors hunted for bargains after shares fell to three-week lows, but concerns about the state of the U.S. economy capped gains.

European shares rose in early trade on Monday, having hit a four-week closing low on Friday, as the euro zone's services sector returned to growth, and with miners and banks gaining on positive broker comment.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher start on Monday to snap a four-day losing streak. The futures for the Dow Jones industrial average DJc1, the S&P 500 SPc1 and the Nasdaq Composite NDc1 were up 0.5-0.6 percent at 0822 GMT.

Corrects headline and story text to make clear Geithner was speaking in general about banks' warnings on capital rules, not specifically about comments by Deutsche Bank CEO

Microsoft's Chief Executive Steve Ballmer does not expect to make acquisitions to help the company challenge Google's dominance in the Internet search market, he told Reuters on Monday.

Ensuring secured creditors face losses when a financial institution fails could help rein in excessive risk-taking and strengthen the financial system, a top U.S. banking regulator said.

The U.S. Treasury Department will announce on Monday that three more funds have met requirements to get government financing that will let them begin purchases of banks' so-called toxic assets.

Senior U.S. officials deliberately created the impression last year that banks receiving huge government cash infusions were healthier than was the case, a Treasury Department watchdog's report released on Monday said.

World stocks flirted with gains after two sessions of losses on Monday with Japan's Nikkei hitting an 11-week closing but Europe climbing.

Senior U.S. officials deliberately created the impression last year that banks receiving huge government cash infusions were healthier than was the case, a Treasury Department watchdog's report released on Monday said.

Asian stocks fell to a three-week low on Monday as soft U.S. jobs data heightened investor caution ahead of the third-quarter corporate results season, while speculation of an early interest rate hike boosted the Australian dollar.

The administrator for Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc plans to seek permission to remove the claims against the bank from British courts and give out assets directly to creditors, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a joint administrator for the collapsed investment bank.

Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile USA plans on Monday to start offering a wireless service for office workers, hoping to increase its presence in the corporate market as it chases larger rivals like AT&T and Verizon.

Asian stocks fell to a three-week low on Monday as soft U.S. jobs data heightened investor caution ahead of the third-quarter corporate results season, while speculation of an early interest rate hike boosted the Australian dollar.

The U.S. Treasury Department will announce on Monday that three more funds have met requirements to get government financing that will let them begin purchases of banks' so-called toxic assets.

Prudential Financial Inc may sell its investment and fund management businesses in South Korea, a deal which could fetch about $850 million and could trigger a wave of consolidation in the country's brokerage and asset management sectors, where more than 100 companies compete.

Prudential Financial Inc may sell its investment and fund management businesses in South Korea, a deal which could fetch about $850 million and could trigger a wave of consolidation in the country's brokerage and asset management sectors, where more than 100 companies compete.

The recession has taken its toll on many large U.S. retailers but smaller ones catering to the second-hand market are flourishing as the cash-strapped seek the holy grail of the American consumer: a bargain.

The dollar fell and Asian stocks steadied near three-week lows on Monday after weaker-than-expected U.S. jobs data heightened investor caution ahead of the third-quarter corporate results season.

Bank of America Corp plans to select an emergency chief executive officer this week if legal issues force Ken Lewis to leave before year-end, the Wall Street Journal said, citing a person familiar with the situation.

A Kohlberg Kravis Roberts-led consortium leads the bidding for Northrop Grumman Corp's TASC unit, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing people close to the matter.