MARKETS / FINANCE

Stock futures rose on Friday after a better-than expected quarterly performance from computer maker Dell Inc boosted the technology sector ahead of key U.S. consumer data.

Upscale jeweler Tiffany & Co posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Friday as it squeezed out costs and saw a modest improvement in demand for its pricey baubles.

Japanese core consumer prices fell at the fastest annual pace on record in July, potentially putting pressure on a reluctant Bank of Japan to rein in deepening deflation.

Stock futures rose on Friday fueled by higher oil prices and a better-than expected quarterly performance by computer maker Dell Inc .

Major credit rating companies hold diverging views on the state of the U.S. junk bond market in 2010.

Oil rose above $73 a barrel on Friday, lifted by slightly better GDP and jobs data out of the United States, although still rangebound over the week.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 stock indexes are up from 0.2 to 0.4 percent, pointing to a higher start when the U.S. markets open on Friday.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 stock indexes are up from 0.2 to 0.4 percent, pointing to a higher start when the U.S. markets open on Friday.

A surge in auto sales as drivers rushed to take advantage of the cash-for-clunkers scheme probably nudged U.S. consumer spending higher for the third straight month in July, according to a Reuters poll.

Getting better access to information on derivative transactions was a critical factor in U.S. regulators' efforts to curb market abuses, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro told Bloomberg in an interview.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her government is committed to its negotiating stance over carmaker Opel, which has strongly favored auto parts maker Magna's bid, a newspaper reported.

Oil climbed toward $73 on Friday after snapping a two-day fall a day ago from 10-month highs, boosted by better-than-expected GDP and jobs data in the United States that signal the economic recovery is on track.

Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke was among hundreds of victims of an identity fraud ring that stole more than $2.1 million from consumers and financial institutions across the United States, Newsweek magazine reported on its website.

Oil rose further above $72 on Friday after snapping a two-day fall from 10-month highs a day ago, boosted by better-than-expected GDP and jobs data in the United States that signal the economic recovery is on track.

U.S. retailers could see sales in the 2009 holiday season decline from last year's dismal results or show only a slight increase, even in the best scenario, according to a new forecast.

Despite more strong local economic data in the form of CAPEX yesterday the Aussie dollar struggled during the majority of the Asian session drifting lower from the days open around 0.8280 to exchange as low as 0.8240.

Accused swindler Allen Stanford was hospitalized with a high pulse rate on Thursday, hours before he was to appear at a court hearing where his former top aide entered the first guilty plea in a $7 billion fraud case.

The U.S. economy has been improving, and dollar investors are starting to take notice. But punters who bet on more greenback gains from stronger U.S. economic data and interest rate hikes could be disappointed.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal is investigating whether any state residents were among the thousands of U.S. customers of Swiss bank UBS AG who may have evaded income taxes.

The U.S. economy shrank less than expected in the second quarter, despite a record drop in inventories, and fewer workers filed new claims for jobless benefits last week, a sign the economy was starting to heal.

U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday as aircraft maker Boeing Co rose after it said it expects the first flight of its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner by the end of 2009, boosting the Dow, and financial shares' strength helped lift the broad market.

Oil slipped on Wednesday, extending hefty losses from the previous session as rising stockpiles of U.S. crude outweighed positive economic data.

Shares of insurance giant American International Group Inc rose as much as 33, buoyed by the company's improving relations with former long-time CEO Maurice Hank Greenberg.

Problem U.S. banks and thrifts on an official watchlist rose more than a third to 416 in the second quarter of 2009, as bad loans continued to bite, but regulators saw signs of stabilization in the industry.

The number of problem U.S. banks and thrifts on an official watchlist rose sharply to 416 in the second quarter of 2009 from 305 in the prior quarter, as the industry recorded a $3.7 billion loss.

Problem U.S. banks and thrifts on an official watchlist rose more than a third to 416 in the second quarter of 2009, as bad loans continued to bite, but regulators saw signs of stabilization in the industry.

Oil prices fell for the third consecutive day on Thursday as upbeat U.S. economic data failed to stanch concerns over bulging stockpiles in the world's largest energy consumer.

The U.S. economy shrank less than expected in the second quarter, despite a record drop in inventories, and fewer workers filed new claims for jobless benefits last week, a sign the economy was starting to heal.

A top aide to accused swindler Allen Stanford entered the first guilty plea on Thursday in a $7 billion fraud case as Stanford was hospitalized with an extremely high heart rate.