IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stocks have momentum on their side next week, though seesawing sentiment could roil the markets and investors will scrutinize comments from the Federal Reserve to gauge the strength of the economic recovery.

Gold rallied on Friday to an all-time record above $1,260 an ounce, as investors looked to precious metals for an alternative to equity or debt investments given renewed uncertainty about the economic recovery.

Relational Investors LLC, which owns 4 percent of Charles River Laboratories International , has warned the company that its directors will likely be booted off the board by angry shareholders if it proceeds with its plan to acquire Chinese contract research organization WuXi PharmaTech for $1.6 billion.

U.S. stocks ground higher in another lightly traded session on Friday, ending a nervous week with gains despite signs of economic weakness at home and worries about public debt in Europe.

The United States pressed China on Friday to move toward a market-based exchange rate, but Beijing said not to meddle with its management of the yuan, setting the stage for a clash at next week's G20 summit.

Neither attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) nor medications used to treat it have a long-term impact on kids' growth, a new study published online in The Journal of Pediatrics suggests.

Raising the price of sugary soft drinks will likely prompt thirsty consumers to seek out cheaper, healthier beverages, U.S. researchers said on Thursday.

Older adults with relatively low intakes of vitamins B6 and B12 may have a higher risk of developing depression than those who get more of the nutrients, a new study suggests.

Smokers may use more prescription opioid painkillers than non-smokers, according to a study from Norway.

U.S. stocks were little changed on Friday as energy shares gained modestly and investors took a breather from the financial crisis in Europe.

Netherlands-based Layar, a provider of augmented reality software, signed deals to be distributed on a third of smartphones worldwide and predicted a boost in the use of its technology, which combines real-world images with computer-generated images on a screen.

With the U.S. team playing in the World Cup tournament, Wall Street traders are taking advantage of mediocre volume to focus on the games, with trading floor atmosphere anything but dull.

Ford Motor Co is counting on a leaner and greener makeover of its Explorer to find new buyers for a once hot-selling sport utility vehicle that powered the automaker's profits a decade ago.

Borders Group Inc Chief Financial Officer Mark Bierley is taking on the additional role of chief operating officer, the latest change to the U.S. bookseller's upper management ranks.

Stocks were little changed on Friday as energy shares gained modestly and investors took a breather from the financial crisis in Europe.

Borders Group Inc Chief Financial Officer Mark Bierley is taking on the role of chief operating officer, the latest change to the U.S. bookseller's upper management ranks.

Cubans' ability to communicate with one another and the world remained well below the norm for the Caribbean and Latin America in 2009, according to a government report released this week.

As early word of BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout began spreading, investors panicked. After closing above $60 before the April 20 disaster, the energy giant's shares plunged almost 20 percent in New York, to below $50, in just two weeks.

The United States pressed China on Friday to move toward a market-based exchange rate but Beijing said not to meddle with its management of the yuan, setting the stage for a clash at next week's G20 summit.

BP CEO Tony Hayward may cling on after Thursday's mauling by U.S. lawmakers over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, investors and analysts said, while chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg looked less secure.

CVS Caremark Corp and Walgreen Co ended an 11-day standoff over reimbursements for drug prescriptions, saving a relationship worth billions of dollars and lifting shares of the two biggest U.S. drugstore chains.

The euro held near a three-week high against the dollar on Friday, heading for its biggest weekly gain in more than a year as investors debated the single currency's outlook while awaiting results of European bank stress tests.

Majority of the investors who took part in the 2010 Resource Investor Survey felt that gold prices will reach $1500 by end of 2010, according to Dig Media Inc. Dig Media recently conducted its Resources Investing News 2010 Survey to gauge the interests of its readers and gain insight into investors' perception of the markets.

Gold rallied to a record high above $1,260 an ounce on Friday as momentum triggered by buying of the metal as a haven from sovereign and financial risk pushed prices through technical resistance.

Antwerp World Diamond Centre elections witnessed an Indian onslaught this week when they swept the polls held on Wednesday. AWDC is the governing body of Antwerp's diamond trade, presiding over a multibillion dollar business that accounts for nearly 10 per cent of Belgium's exports.

Communications authorities on Thursday took a small but significant step toward regulating high-speed Internet in a bid to reclaim oversight, setting the stage for an eventual legal showdown with industry heavyweights.

U.S. stocks rose on Friday and were set for back-to-back weekly gains as investors braced for volatility ahead of the expiration of stock options.

BP shares gained in London on Friday after its boss survived a bruising encounter with U.S. lawmakers and as hopes rose its $20 billion oil spill compensation and clean-up fund will cap public anger.

CVS Caremark Corp and Walgreen Co ended a fight over reimbursements for drug prescriptions, saving a relationship worth billions of dollars and lifting shares of the two biggest U.S. drugstore chains.