Wall Street was set to enjoy a positive return to trading on Tuesday after the Labor Day holiday, according to stock index futures. At 4:50 a.m. EDT, futures for the Dow Jones, S&P 500 and Nasdaq were up between 1 and 1.1 percent. Spot gold rose above $1,000 an ounce to its highest level since
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A forward-looking measure of hiring intentions dipped slightly in the United States even as it improved in many other countries, according to a quarterly survey by Manpower Inc. The survey offers a hint that jobs in Europe and Asia may recover earlier than in the United States, but it also raises questions about whether such
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Switzerland knocked the United States off the position as the world's most competitive economy as the crash of the U.S. banking system left it more exposed to some long-standing weaknesses, a report said on Tuesday. The World Economic Forum's global competitiveness report 2009/2010 showed economies with a large focus on financial services such as the
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Robots that can make their own decisions have so far been confined to science fiction movies, but a child-sized figure with big eyes and a white face is trying hard to turn fiction into reality. Its name is iCub and scientists are hoping it will learn how to adapt its behavior to changing circumstances, offering
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British manufacturing output rose at its fastest monthly rate in 1-1/2 years in July, helped by a sharp pick up in car production, official data showed on Tuesday. The Office for National Statistics said factory output rose 0.9 percent in July — the biggest rise since January 2008 and triple analysts' expectations for a 0.3
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Oil prices rose above $69 a barrel on Tuesday ahead of an OPEC ministers meeting, which analysts said would see more target compliance rhetoric but no change in output limits. NYMEX crude for October delivery stood at $69.20 a barrel by 0911 GMT, up $1.18 from Friday's close. There was no settlement price on Monday
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The Statistical Service published the full breakdown of national accounts on Monday, after its flash estimate a few weeks ago showed that the economy had slipped into recession. The data confirmed that the economy had shrunk for two quarters on a row: according to our analysis GDP declined over the previous quarter, and on a
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Oil at close to $70 means OPEC will almost certainly keep existing output cuts in place when it meets in Vienna on Wednesday, although it could seek to tighten compliance with existing targets, ministers and delegates said. "The market is in very good shape, very well supplied, the price is good for everybody, consumers and
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Emerging markets stocks hit a new year high on Tuesday, rising to levels last seen before the Lehman Brothers collapse, and world stocks in general headed towards a new 2009 peak. The dollar was lower against a basket of major currencies, indicating greater risk appetite on foreign exchanges. The weaker dollar helped gold rise above
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Britain's leading share index rose on Tuesday touching its highest level since last October, bolstered by miners as gold rose above $1,000 an ounce, and with sentiment lifted as takeover activity came back into play. By 0810 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 38.08 points, or 0.8 percent, at 4,971.26, after reaching an 11-month high
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