Consumer sentiment held up in late November as some of the gloom over the economic outlook ebbed, a survey released on Wednesday showed.
Stocks fell about 1 percent on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a sixth straight losing session as the euro zone crisis and weak Chinese data weighed on sentiment.
U.S. online spending should increase 15 percent this holiday season, outpacing even last year's torrid growth, as shoppers are enticed by more retailers offering free or low-cost shipping, analytics firm comScore said.
Continental Gold Ltd. discovered more potentially commercial amounts of gold and silver at its Buritica project in Antioquia, Colombia, the company said Wednesday.
Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wednesday, putting the S&P 500 on track for a sixth straight losing day as the euro zone crisis and weak Chinese data weighed on investor sentiment.
Purchase applications for home mortgages rebounded last week, but demand for refinancing sagged for a second week in a row, an industry group said on Wednesday.
New claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but held below 400,000 for the third straight week, suggesting the labor market was gaining traction.
New claims for unemployment benefits rose slightly last week but held below 400,000 for the third straight week, suggesting the labor market was gaining traction.
Stock index futures were lower on Wednesday as worries about the euro zone crisis and weak data from China weighed on investor sentiment, putting the S&P 500 on track for a sixth day of losses.
Purchase applications for home mortgages rebounded last week, but demand for refinancing sagged for a second week in a row, an industry group said on Wednesday.
Deere & Co , reported a 46 percent increase in fiscal fourth-quarter profit on Wednesday due to continued strong demand for farm equipment, and the company said it expects substantial growth in 2012.
Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold and its Indonesian union are discussing a possible pay deal to end a three-month strike that has crippled output from the world's second biggest copper mine, which would double pay for some skilled workers.
Stock index futures were lower on Wednesday as worries over Europe once again weighed on investor sentiment, putting the S&P 500 on track for a sixth day of losses.
Germany and France clashed on Wednesday over whether the ECB should take bolder steps to stem the euro zone debt crisis, with Chancellor Angela Merkel issuing one of her starkest warnings yet against fiddling with the central bank's strict inflation-fighting mandate.
Gold prices fell Wednesday on negative economic news from China and Europe and concerns that the U.S. economy is barely advancing.
Stock index futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 down 0.5 to 0.8 percent.
China's factory sector shrank the most in 32 months in November on signs of domestic economic weakness, a preliminary PMI survey showed, reviving worries that China may be slipping toward a hard landing and fuelling fears of a global recession.
Gold prices have recouped its losses as the failure of the U.S. congressional committee to reach a deal on reducing the budget deficit and the ongoing eurozone crisis brought back the bargain hunters.
Asian shares dropped more than 2 percent and U.S. index futures and oil also fell on Wednesday after a private survey showed China's factory sector shrank the most in 32 months and U.S. growth data was revised downwards, stoking fears about the faltering global economy.
Singapore Press Holdings , which has a near monopoly of newspaper publishing in the city-state, said on Wednesday it filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Yahoo Inc, alleging the internet giant reproduced news from its newspapers without permission.
Former customers of MF Global Holdings Ltd drew new hope for a quicker return of frozen funds on Tuesday, as the bankruptcy trustee secured more assets from a Chicago bank and the CME Group Inc expanded a financial guarantee.
U.S. S&P stock futures extended losses to more than 1 percent early on Wednesday after a key gauge of Chinese manufacturing activity slumped to its weakest level in nearly three years.
Jon Corzine, who has been publicly silent since resigning as MF Global Holdings Ltd's chief executive on November 4, was asked to appear before Congress next month to explain how his futures brokerage collapsed into bankruptcy so fast.
Netflix Inc's shares dropped as much as 7 percent on Tuesday after it warned of a loss for 2012, a move the prompted several Wall Street analysts to cut their price targets for the online video and DVD rental company.
Activist investor Carl Icahn reported in a regulatory filing that he sold 2.9 million shares of Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc for $114 million.
A judge approved the appointment of a bankruptcy trustee for MF Global Holdings Ltd , wresting control of the remains of the futures brokerage once run by Jon Corzine from its current management.
States are crafting a scaled-back mortgage abuses settlement with top U.S. banks that would exclude California, one of the states hardest hit by foreclosures and falling home prices.
The sacked chief executive of Japan's disgraced Olympus Corp says he has accepted an invitation to attend the company's board meeting this week, which could be a hopeful sign for investors who want him to return and lead a clean-up of the firm.
The Federal Reserve appears to be edging closer to providing financial markets with more detail to gauge the likely path of monetary policy as a way to buttress a weak recovery.
The U.S. economy grew more slowly than previously estimated in the third quarter, but a drawing down of stocks held by companies and firm consumer spending suggested output would pick up in late 2011.
