The rally in global equities took a breather on Wednesday while the dollar hovered near its 2009 lows with two major central banks' policy meetings and key U.S. labour data looming. Oil and copper prices also lost a bit of steam after recent gains, which were sparked by mounting optimism about a global economic recovery.

Young investors may accept the argument that those who begin investing when stocks are cheap end up with more retirement money, but after the turmoil of the past year, some find it hard to put their money in the market. Asset managers and analysts say that those who invest in rock-bottom stocks of a bear

House prices in Britain rose a bigger-than-expected 1.1 percent in July, leaving prices down 12.1 percent in the three months to July versus a year ago, the smallest fall in 11 months, mortgage lender Halifax said on Wednesday. Compared with last July, prices were just 9.9 percent lower, the smallest annual fall since June 2008,

Japan's Nikkei stock average lost ground on Wednesday as investors took a breather after the index hit a 10-month high the day before, with Toyota Motor Co down after reporting a third straight quarterly loss. Fast Retailing dropped 3.5 percent after saying same-store sales at its Uniqlo casual clothing chain in Japan fell for the

Asian stocks steadied near 11-month highs on Wednesday, as investors paused for breath before more earnings reports, but rising dairy prices pushed the New Zealand dollar to a 10-month peak. Sentiment in Seoul got a slight early lift after former U.S. President Bill Clinton secured the release of two U.S. journalists jailed by North Korea.

European shares closed lower on Tuesday, slipping back from the nine-month high reached in the previous session, with some banks giving back a little of their recent hefty gains. The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares fell 0.2 percent to close at 939.67 points. However, the index is still up more than 45 percent

Gold jewellery sale volumes in Dubai fell around 40 percent in July on a year ago, as the economic downturn and summer heat deterred tourism, retailers said on Tuesday. Tourists are a large part of the market for Dubai's tax-free gold, but recession has eaten into disposable incomes and hit the flow of visitors to

U.S. stock futures fell on Tuesday as caution prevailed ahead of reports on June personal income data and pending home sales, a day after Wall Street rallied to a fresh nine-month closing high. Investors are looking for more definitive clues about the economic recovery prospects after a spate of corporate earnings helped spur hopes that