Moody's Investors Service's outlook on the Arabian Gulf's oil and gas sector is stable, reflecting the sector's abundant and readily available oil & gas resources, and its good position to capture a significant portion of the expected increase in global energy needs, especially in Asia. Moreover, Moody's believes that the sector benefits from sound government

Greece's new Prime Minister George Papandreou has arrived in Cyprus for a two-day official visit. He was welcomed at Larnaca Airport by President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcos Kyprianou and Undersecretary to the President Titos Christophides.

Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.2 percent on Monday, with exporters such as Kyocera Corp down after disappointing U.S. corporate earnings robbed the market of upward momentum sparked by earlier upbeat results. But the benchmark pared most of its losses in late trade as short-covering emerged and most other Asian share markets rose, while struggling

Dollar little changed, oil steady after topping $79 Asian shares hovered near 14-month highs on Monday, shaking off an early dip after disappointing earnings from U.S. corporate bellwethers such as General Electric Co spurred some investors to take profits. European shares were set for a slight rise at the start, with futures on the Dow

Britain needs to balance its public finances by the 2015/16 tax year to avoid undermining investor confidence, the Confederation of British Industry said on Monday. The business lobby group urged Chancellor Alistair Darling to deliver a credible plan to balance the budget two years earlier than planned when he unveils his pre-budget report in the

Asking prices for homes in England and Wales rose on an annual basis for the first in more than a year in October, property Web site Rightmove said on Monday, buoyed by a dearth of properties coming onto the market. Asking prices rose 0.2 percent on the year — the first annual rise since June

World stocks fell and the euro retreated against the dollar on Friday as optimism about the third-quarter corporate earnings season faded after weak results from General Electric and Bank of America. General Electric reported a 42 percent drop in profit and Bank of America posted a quarterly loss, dulling risk appetite which had been whetted

Four major risks threaten a solid year-end rally to cap this year's stunning bounce back by global equities — earnings, bonds, currencies and cash. Investor optimism has been so unrestrained recently that good earnings are beginning to be dismissed because they do not meet exaggerated expectations. Take Goldman Sachs this week, for example. It beat

Bank of America Corp posted its second quarterly loss in less than a year as it suffered from consumer credit losses. The nation's largest bank reported a net loss of $1 billion, or 26 cents per share, for third quarter, compared with net income of $1.18 billion, or 15 cents per share, in the same

General Electric Co reported a 42 percent drop in profit, as a global economic slump hammered its hefty finance arm and eroded demand for the heavy equipment it manufactures. The largest U.S. conglomerate, whose shares were down 0.8 percent in premarket trading, reported third-quarter profit of $2.49 billion, or 23 cents per share, compared with