IBT Staff Reporter

Top auto executives projected sales growth of up to 10 percent this year in China, but this lone bright spot among the world's major car markets is also producing ambitious potential rivals to the global auto majors.

Wall Street was set to fall at the open on Monday on worries that problems persist for the struggling banking sector and after Bank of America's results relied heavily on one-time items as credit quality deteriorated markedly.

Design firm Pilotfish unveiled on Monday plans to make an advanced music phone, hoping to tap untested demand for music editing on the go.

Asian governments are warming to the idea of offering incentives for green investment and could help attract billions of dollars in funding for solar and wind power industries struggling under tight credit conditions.

Industrial enzyme maker Novozymes A/S, which has teamed up with China's COFCO and Sinopec for a biofuel project, will jointly invest up to 90 billion yuan ($13.17 billion) with the two companies in the deal, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday.

The global financial crisis is unlikely to deter growing long-term demand for new nuclear power plants, international atomic agency officials said on Sunday, ahead of a conference to discuss the future of atomic power.

Stock index futures extended losses on Monday as investors fretted about the health of the financial sector and after Bank of America's results relied heavily on one-time items as credit quality deteriorated markedly.

An energy company in Israel plans to launch a solar farm this month using new technology it says can produce cheap and efficient electricity while supplying hot water to homes.

U.S. lawmakers will pass major energy legislation, possibly including measures to address climate change, by the end of this year, a top White House official said on Sunday.

AAPL – Apple, Inc. – The designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and software products has seen its shares raising above the main bearish resistance line turning its outlook to bullish.

Oracle Corp said on Monday it will buy Sun Microsystems Inc for $9.50 a share, valuing the high-end computer server maker at more than $7 billion.

Oracle Corp said on Monday it will buy Sun Microsystems Inc for $9.50 a share, valuing the high-end computer server maker at more than $7 billion.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Monday with investors cautious ahead of the latest round of earnings and after Bank of America's results relied heavily on one-time items, while credit quality deteriorated markedly.

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group , Mizuho Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group have submitted bids to buy the Japanese retail brokerage unit of Citigroup Inc in a deal that could raise about 600 billion yen ($6 billion), five people with direct knowledge of the sale said.

Hasbro Inc , the No. 2 U.S. toy company, posted a lower quarterly profit that met Wall Street expectations on Monday, and said that the worst may be behind it.

Soft-drink maker PepsiCo offered about $6 billion on Monday to buy the shares it does not already own in its two largest bottlers, Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas, to cut costs and secure control of its brands as growth switches to new non-carbonated drinks.

Bank of America Corp said on Monday first-quarter profit more than doubled, as higher revenue from the purchase of Merrill Lynch & Co and a one-time gain from selling shares of a Chinese bank offset a surge in credit losses.

Superconductor specialist Zenergy Power said on Monday it had been contracted by Con Edison to build and test a Smart Grid device to improve the stability and reliability of New York City's electrical system.

GlaxoSmithKline Plc is to buy privately owned Stiefel Laboratories Inc for up to $3.6 billion to diversify its business by adding treatments for acne, dermatitis and other skin complaints.

World stocks steadied on Monday, holding off last week's three-month high, while government bonds rose as investors grew cautious before a series of first-quarter company results due this week.

General Motors Corp is prepared to part with a controlling stake in Opel/Vauxhall for nothing but a pledge to invest directly in a new company formed from its European operations, the Financial Times said on Sunday, citing two people familiar with its plans.

Fiat's chief executive has returned to the United States for talks as pressure builds to seal a partnership deal with Chrysler before the end of the month, sources at the Italian car maker said on Monday.

Asian stocks edged up on Monday, holding near a six-month peak and withstanding an early bout of profit-taking as investors eyed a slew of corporate earnings reports around the world this week.

A South Korean court acquitted a blogger on Monday of spreading false information, in a case that triggered debate about freedom of speech in cyberspace and critics said was only launched because his economic doom postings angered authorities.

Capital spending by U.S. firms was showing tentative signs of improvement and the pace of layoffs slowing a bit, an industry survey showed on Monday, further evidence the 16-month old recession was abating.

The new chairman of global miner Rio Tinto said he would meet major shareholders in London next month, and would be prepared to scrap a $19.5 billion tie-up with China's state-owned Chinalco if they looked certain to oppose it.

Strong banks will be allowed to repay federal bailout funds, but only if such a move passes a test to determine whether it is in the national economic interest, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing a senior U.S. administration official.

Kogi, a duo of Korean BBQ-inspired taco trucks in Los Angeles, has Tweeted its way to international stardom and is inspiring restaurateurs seeking new ways to tempt diners during a deep recession.

Capital spending by U.S. firms was showing tentative signs of improvement and the pace of layoffs slowing a bit, an industry survey showed on Monday, further evidence the 16-month old recession was abating.