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Oil rose nearly 7 percent to top $45 a barrel on Thursday encouraged by U.S. February retail sales data and ahead of a weekend OPEC meeting.

The number of U.S. workers drawing unemployment benefits hit a record in February as companies struggle with a 14-month recession, data showed on Thursday, but a slight easing in retail sales last month offered cautious optimism.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, on rekindled fears over the global economic outlook and the stability of the financial system.

Nearly a third of U.S. consumers feel it will be a year before their families are better off than they are today, and more than a quarter think it will take longer, according to a retail survey on behalf of Reuters.

Nearly a third of U.S. consumers feel it will be a year before their families are better off than they are today, and more than a quarter think it will take longer, according to a retail survey on behalf of Reuters.

Royal Bank of Scotland is retrenching to its core businesses and plans to exit up to 36 countries, but unpicking a decade of deals in the eye of a financial storm will be a long slog.

Royal Bank of Scotland said on Wednesday it plans to sell the retail and commercial banking businesses of newly-acquired ABN AMRO China, part of efforts to exit from these operations in Asia.

JPMorgan Chase & Co said it expects losses of $1 billion to $1.4 billion in each quarter of 2009 tied to its non-credit-impaired home equity loan portfolio. The second-largest U.S. bank also said on Thursday that falling home prices may result in more borrowers with home equity loans owing more than their residences are worth. It said this could affect 35 percent to 39 percen...

Computer software giant Microsoft has announced plans to open its own stores, in a bid to increase competition against Apple and at a time when many other retailers are struggling in the economic downturn.

Retail industry sales results for January were mostly lower, on Thursday, however the largest U.S. retailer, Wal-Mart, exceeded analysts' expectations.

On Tuesday Panasonic expanded its line of Lumix compact digital cameras - with a handful of unique features in the new Lumix Digital Camera.

Look for countries with strong middle-class growth -- say, China or Brazil. Stick mainly to housing and retail. Focus on the long term. And don't attempt to do it without a local partner.

Best Buy Co Inc, the largest U.S. electronics retailer, said today its appointing Brian J. Dunn as its new Chief Executive Officer replacing Bradbury H. Anderson who will step down in June. The management move comes amid troubled times for retail stores hit by the economic recession as consumers cut their spending.

Royal Bank of Scotland said Monday it expects its losses for last year could grow to 28 billion pounds or $41.3 billion, the biggest loss registered in U.K.'s corporate history.

Leaders of the retail industry discussed on Monday, innovative and creative ways to approach their customers as consumer spending is shrinked by the economic downturn.

Sony unveiled the VAIO P Series Lifestyle PC, boasting that it is the world's lightest notebook with an 8-inch screen and weighing just 1.4 pounds at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday.

Major retailers reported dismal monthly sales for December on Thursday, with Wal-Mart Inc, the nation's biggest retailer, showing a disappointing 1.7 percent rise in December sales at its US stores open at least a year and cut its quarterly earnings outlook.

Wal-Mart's Sam's Club is going to open a business center focused solely to serve its small business customers, the company's executives said on Thursday.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, and Costco Wholesale Corp. reported a better-than-expected rise in May sales s record gasoline and food prices led shoppers to prefer discount chains.

Costco Wholesale Corp., the largest U.S. warehouse club operator, said Thursday its third-quarter profit climbed 32 percent to beat expectations, as discounts on gasoline and food lured shoppers to its stores.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday, extending the biggest weekly retreat since February and placed the market on track for weekly losses as crude oil resumed its surge to top $133 a barrel.