MARKETS / FINANCE

Toyota's Dollar Difficulties; IPO for NBC Universal?; Restructurings Ahead

U.S. stock index futures slipped on Friday as cautious investors awaited a key monthly employment report after other data this week suggested the nascent economic recovery may be losing momentum.

The head of the International Monetary Fund on Friday called for a further increase in IMF resources so it could play a credible global lender of last resort role.

European shares hit a four-week low on Friday, extending the previous day's sharp losses, with investors anxious before key U.S. jobs figures after data this week raised doubt about the strength of economic recovery.

Weakness in miners and financials dragged Britain's top share index 0.9 percent lower by midday on Friday, as weak data this week increased investors' concerns, denting risky assets ahead of U.S. non-farm payrolls data.

Equity markets across the globe tumbled and the U.S. dollar broadly held firm on Friday as doubts grew about the pace of economic recovery and the week's major data on U.S. jobs loomed large.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 fall 0.3-0.4 percent, pointing to a weaker start on Wall Street on Friday.

World stocks fell and the U.S. dollar broadly held firm on Friday as doubts grew about the pace of economic recovery and the week's major data on U.S. jobs loomed large.

CIT Group Inc launched on Thursday a debt-exchange plan that the struggling lender to small and mid-sized companies hopes will prevent it from filing for bankruptcy.

Oil fell toward $70 a barrel on Friday, driven lower by the dollar's recovery and concerns over U.S. employment data, while worries over the West's talks with Iran about the OPEC member's nuclear plan eased.

Russian investment firm Digital Sky Technologies has begun buying more shares in Facebook, seeking to expand its stake in the world's No. 1 social networking company, two sources told Reuters.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday that a strong dollar was very important to the United States and the rest of the world needs to be convinced Americans will be more thrifty in future.

Federal Reserve officials said on Thursday that while the recession-battered economy is on the mend, it will be weak for a while and the Fed is likely to keep its extensive support policies in place for a while.

Bank of America Corp's board of directors is considering hiring a short-term chief executive, a move that signaled CEO Kenneth Lewis' plan to depart caught the bank flat-footed.

CIT Group Inc is eyeing a loan of up to $7 billion if a planned debt exchange offer fails and the commercial lender has to file for pre-packaged bankruptcy, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The Australian Dollar opens lower on Friday at US87 cents despite posting another 13-month high during yesterday's local trading session.

CIT Group Inc is eyeing a loan of up to $7 billion if a planned debt exchange offer fails and the commercial lender has to file for pre-packaged bankruptcy, two sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Thursday that a strong dollar was very important to the United States and the rest of the world needs to be convinced Americans will be more thrifty in future.

Bank of America Corp's board of directors is looking at hiring a short-term chief executive from outside the bank to give internal candidates more time to develop, a company spokesman said Thursday.

The Dow and S&P 500 suffered their worst one-day fall in three months on Thursday after economic reports fueled fears about the recovery's strength.

U.S. consumer spending rose at its fastest in nearly 8 years in August, but a persistently weak labor market and below-forecast expansion in manufacturing in September could hamper a nascent economic recovery.

The Dow and S&P 500 suffered their worst one-day fall in three months on Thursday after economic reports fueled fears about the recovery's strength.

Congressional approval of an Obama administration plan to create a systemic risk regulator for the U.S. economy looks more likely after lawmakers noted a change in tone by the Federal Reserve on Thursday.

Bank of America's board of directors is looking at hiring a short-term chief executive from outside the bank to give internal candidates more time to develop, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Stocks suffered their worst one-day loss in 3 months on Thursday as data on jobs and manufacturing data added to recent lackluster economic figures, fueling fears about the recovery's strength.

The jobless rate does not have to start falling before the Federal Reserve starts tightening monetary policy, a top Fed official said on Thursday.

Since Wednesday, September 23, natural gas spot prices fell at most market locations, with decreases generally ranging between 10 and 30 cents per million Btu (MMBtu). Prices at the Henry Hub declined by 19 cents per MMBtu, or about 5 percent, to $3.24 per MMBtu.

U.S. consumer spending rose at its fastest pace in nearly 8 years in August, but the number of workers filing new claims for jobless benefits rose last week, indicating a weak labor market would weigh on recovery.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday as data on jobs and manufacturing data added to recent lackluster economic figures, fueling fears about the recovery's strength.