IBT Staff Reporter

- European markets have opened Friday's session on strong note while the markets attention remains on U.S. non-farm payrolls report. Euro and Pound remain sideways somewhat below Thursday's highs.

Oil hovered above $68 a barrel on Friday, eyeing a U.S. jobs report due later for some clarity on the economy of the world's top energy user as it struggles to emerge from recession.

Dallas Federal Reserve Bank President Richard Fisher on Thursday gave a muted outlook for the U.S. economy, saying a long period of slow growth lies ahead even when the recession ends.

Gold hovered just below $1,000 on Friday, taking a break after its strongest two-day performance since March as safe-haven demand stoked renewed investor buying.

A U.S. appeals court judge called an unauthorized spin-off of J.D. Salinger's classic novel

California Controller John Chiang's office said on Thursday it had issued the last of its IOUs, which were intended to allow the state government to preserve its dwindling cash during its recent budget crisis.

The U.S. Court of Appeals has granted Microsoft Corp's request to stay an injunction imposed by a federal court that would have halted sales of some versions of its popular Word application.

The race for Oscars has begun in earnest in Venice, Italy, and the small town of Telluride, Colorado, which on Thursday unveiled the movies set to play at its influential film festival this coming weekend.

Gold futures were a touch lower but remained near $1,000 after the previous session's rally, which took the metal to a six-month high as safe-haven buying gathered momentum on renewed economic uncertainties.

The two main U.S. regulators policing the securities and futures markets were urged on Thursday to align their rules for ferreting out fraud, protecting investors and punishing wrongdoers.

The U.S. government plans to accelerate the pace of processing up to $3 billion in cash for clunkers reimbursements to auto dealers and hopes to complete the job by month's end, officials said on Thursday.

Michael Jackson finally will be buried near Los Angeles on Thursday evening, 70 days after his death, and authorities are going to great lengths to ensure he will rest in peace.

North Korea said Friday that it was in the final stage of enriching uranium, a process that would give it a second path to making a nuclear weapon.

An investigative panel in the U.S. Congress will hold hearings on the failure of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to follow clues that could have uncovered Bernard Madoff's $65 billion Ponzi scheme.

US TREASURIES pulled back on Thursday. Pressure from covering of recent long positions, announcements of next week's Treasury auctions and an apparent stabilization of equity prices ahead of Friday's reports on US payrolls prompted many with long positions to cover ahead of the long weekend.

Apple Inc's media extravaganza next week is being greeted with unusual calm, as it is uncertain if charismatic CEO Steve Jobs will appear and investors have nothing much to bet on apart from new iPods with cameras.

Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch was purchased by French designer Christian Audigier for an undisclosed amount.

Jaycee Lee Dugard's family has finally spoken to the media. Her aunt Tina Dugard talked to the media in Los Angeles and read out a written statement on Thursday .

Google Inc should develop a privacy policy for its plan to digitize millions of books that limits use of consumer data, the Federal Trade Commission said in a letter to the company.

The Australian Dollar opens higher on Friday just shy of US84 cents as recent positive economic data bolsters sentiment. During Thursday's local session, the Australian Bureau of Statistics announced that the trade deficit for July widened by A$1bio to a larger than expected A$1.556bio. Imports were up by 4 per cent which the market interpreted as showing businesses and consumers were doing well and defying international trends. Also underpinning the local unit was a steady session on local equi...

USD/JPY Current Price: 92.64. Pair lost downside momentum and looks slightly bullish at this point, at least in the short term. Moving inside an ascendant channel and above 20 SMA, indicators in the hourly seem a bit exhausted and pointing for a short downside correction; 92.50, base of the channel should hold to see the pair extend the upside rally, and attempt a test of the 93.00 level.

The contraction in the U.S. services sector eased last month, with a gauge of activity hitting its highest point in nearly a year, a further suggestion that a modest economic recovery was under way.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke confirmed the details of his forthcoming single release Thursday with a posting on the band's website.

Whitney Houston struggled with her voice during her much-hyped comeback performance on ABC's

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, snapping a four-day losing streak, after stronger-than-expected retail sales data eased concerns about the economy before Friday's important jobs data.

European Union antitrust regulators launched an in-depth probe on Thursday into Oracle Corp's $7 billion takeover of Sun Microsystems Inc on concerns the deal could dent competition in the database market.

U.S. scientific instruments maker Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc said on Thursday it agreed to buy privately held Brahms AG for about $470 million to acquire the German company's line of diagnostic tests and expand its manufacturing presence in Europe.

A Chinese sovereign fund could take a stake in French state-controlled nuclear reactor maker Areva CEPFi.PA., French daily Les Echos reported.

Another week, another turn at the top for the Black Eyed Peas.