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U.S. wholesale inventories unexpectedly fell 0.8 percent in December, while sales rose 0.8 percent, a government report showed on Tuesday.

U.S. stocks erased morning gains to close lower on Monday as the basic materials and financial sector weighed down the market.

The U.S. unemployment rate surprisingly fell to a five-month low of 9.7 percent in January and factory payrolls grew for the first time since 2007, hinting at a labor market recovery even though the economy lost 20,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate surprisingly fell to a five-month low in January and factory payrolls grew for the first time since 2007, hinting at a labor market recovery even though the economy lost 20,000 jobs.

Employers unexpectedly cut 20,000 jobs in January, but the unemployment rate surprisingly fell to a five-month low of 9.7 percent, according to a government report on Friday that hinted at some labor market improvement starting to take root.

British Airways posted a surprise third-quarter operating profit, helped by heavy cost cutting, but said it was still in a worse position than last year, despite attempts to adapt to the realities of global recession.

Global shares hit three-month lows and the euro fell to an eight-month low against the dollar on Friday as euro zone sovereign debt problems and nerves ahead of U.S. jobs data led investors to dump riskier assets.

Asian stocks fell to five-month lows on Friday as investors dumped riskier assets after growing sovereign debt problems in the euro zone and rising U.S. jobless claims sparked jitters about the global economic recovery.

Oil prices plunged 5 percent on Thursday in their steepest drop since July after higher U.S. jobless claims and a firming dollar prompted investors to shun riskier assets like commodities.

Wall Street was set to drop nearly 1 percent at the open on Thursday after new applications for jobless insurance rose unexpectedly, adding to worries over sovereign debt in some euro zone countries that kept investors away from risky investments, including equities.

U.S. stock index futures fell on Thursday as renewed worries over sovereign debt in some euro zone countries kept investors away from riskier investments, including equities, ahead of U.S. jobs and factory data.

Stocks mostly fell on Wednesday as Pfizer's disappointing outlook weighed on the health sector, and President Obama's pledge to complete banking and healthcare reform revived fears of increased regulation.

Stocks declined on Wednesday after disappointing results from Pfizer and transport companies, while slower-than-expected expansion in the services sector also weighed on the market.

Stock index futures pointed to a lower opening on Wall Street on Tuesday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.27 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.23 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.23 percent.

Asian stocks fell to three-month lows on Monday with investors cautious after new data strengthened the case for tighter Chinese monetary policy and as attention focused on key U.S. economic reports due this week.

Stocks dropped on Friday, as worries about fiscal turmoil in Europe and a drop in technology stocks pushed the S&P 500 to its worst monthly decline since February 2009.

Stocks ended lower on Friday as investors pared exposure to riskier assets amid worries about fiscal turmoil in Europe.

Stocks fell on Friday, erasing an earlier advance, as worries about fiscal turmoil in Europe and a drop in technology stocks offset positive reports on the economy.

Diversified U.S. manufacturer Honeywell International Inc set a first-quarter profit target that fell short of analysts' forecasts and its shares fell 4 percent.

The stock market closed down today on shaky economic data and plunging technology shares, despite news that Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke was confirmed for a second term.

Motorola Inc's quarterly profit was slightly ahead of expectations and its smartphones sold better than expected in its first quarter selling phones running Google Inc's Android software.