MARKETS / FINANCE

Citigroup Inc's spinoff of its life insurance unit, Primerica Inc saw its shares gain more than a third in its debut on optimism that the life insurer will benefit from a rebounding economy.

The number of workers filing new claims for jobless aid fell last week and factory activity in March hit its highest level in more than 5-1/2 years, strengthening hopes for continued economic growth without government support.

Audits are underway at a new Internal Revenue Service unit set up to catch rich tax cheats hiding funds in tax shelters, but don't expect a flood of evaders to come to light any time soon.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Thursday, thanks to upbeat economic data, but the Nasdaq was stagnant as investors pummeled shares of Research In Motion following downbeat results.

A federal appeals court denied on Thursday Microsoft Corp's request that a full panel of judges rehear arguments in its long-running patent dispute with a small Canadian technology company.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Thursday, thanks to upbeat economic data, but the Nasdaq was stagnant as investors pummeled shares of Research In Motion following downbeat results.

The number of workers filing new claims for jobless aid fell last week and factory activity in March hit its highest level in more than 5-1/2 years, strengthening hopes for a self-sustaining recovery.

EBay Inc did not engage in trademark infringement and dilution by selling counterfeit Tiffany & Co merchandise on its website, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday, but it ordered further proceedings over the jeweler's claim of false advertising.

The Dow and the S&P 500 rose on Thursday, lifted by upbeat manufacturing and job market data, but the Nasdaq slipped as investors pummeled shares of Research In Motion .

EBay Inc did not engage in trademark infringement and dilution by selling counterfeit Tiffany & Co merchandise on its website, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Thursday, but it ordered further proceedings over the jeweler's claim of false advertising.

NEW YORK, April 1 (Reuters) - The euro rallied against the dollar on Thursday, lifted by quarterly positioning and gains in the single currency against the Swiss franc as investors looked ahead to the U.S. non-farm payrolls report. Traders cited talk of intervention by the Swiss National Bank as lifting the euro against the franc, adding there was some SNB activity in the dollar/Swiss franc pair.

Ireland's extensive support for its banks has been vital to maintaining financial stability, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday, as ratings agencies praised decisions taken by the country's bad bank this week.

Seven of the world's top hedge fund managers earned 10-figure paychecks and one set a record for the highest-ever payout last year due to a stock market rally that pushed returns to their highest levels in a decade.

Stocks rose on Thursday, buoyed by optimism about the economic recovery after stronger-than-expected manufacturing and jobs data.

The U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in March at its fastest pace in more than five years, marking the eighth straight month of growth, according to an industry report released on Thursday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying job market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, strengthening views the labor market was close to turning.

Fund group Gartmore's suspension of a top hedge fund manager on suspicion of directing trades to favored brokers shines a light on a murky business where tales of lavish hospitality, nepotism and kickbacks abound. On Tuesday, Gartmore said it had suspended Guillaume Rambourg pending the outcome of an internal investigation into whether he had breached internal procedures on directing trades.

Stocks rose on Thursday as positive jobs and manufacturing data fueled optimism that a sustained recovery was on track, prompting investors to snap up riskier assets like equities and commodities.

Factories in the United States, Europe and Asia cranked up production last month, suggesting recovery from a deep recession was taking root in economies around the globe.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying job market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, strengthening views the labor market was close to turning.

The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless aid fell last week and factory activity in March hit its highest level in more than 5-1/2 years, pointing to a continued expansion in the economy.

In a bid to corner more profits for cash-scarce oil companies, the US president Barack Obama has today announced that his administration would consider offshore drilling in the mid and south Atlantic and in the Gulf of Mexico. The move is expected to help increase employment and ease gas prices in the country. However, Obama, who needs bipartisan support to pass a bill that would set limits on US greenhouse gas emissions, cautioned that expanding drilling was not a catch-all answer to US energy ...

Pakistan has increased fuel prices again with effect from April 1. Country's Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) announced the new petroleum product prices with Pak Rs 2.57 per litre increase in petrol price, Pak Rs 1.50 per litre increase in HOBC, Pak Rs 2.73 per litre increase in light diesel and Pak Rs 3.31 per litre increase in kerosene oil from April 1.

A few months ago I had written about the gold's love for tragedies. Gold always thrived on disasters like recession and rising inflation rates. So when the world is looking rosy and there are no immediate financial dangers lurking in the backyard of countries, what will the much-sought-after yellow metal do? If you want to know this, just have a look at the movements of gold prices in the recent past when World Bank and International Monetary Fund predicted that the global economy is back on tra...

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying labor market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, a government report showed on Thursday.

Wall Street was poised for a higher open on Thursday as U.S. weekly jobless claims fell last week and upbeat data from China and Europe fueled optimism the global economy is on track for growth.

A monthly gauge of online labor demand in the United States edged up in March and is near 6 percent above the reading from a year ago, a private research group said on Thursday.

The number of U.S. workers filing new applications for unemployment insurance fell as expected last week and a measure of underlying labor market trends hit a 1-1/2 year low, a government report showed on Thursday.

Gold rose on Thursday to a two-week high and platinum group metals rallied to their highest in more than 20 months as fresh investment money poured into commodities.