World stocks built on an already robust performance from last week on Monday, climbing on better-than-expected corporate earnings results and a last-minute rescue package for troubled U.S. lender CIT. Asian shares outside Japan hit a 2009 high. European shares were up 1 percent. Foreign exchange traders moved into riskier currencies, sapping yen strength and taking

U.S. stock index futures were higher, pointing to a firmer start on Wall Street on Monday, with both the Dow Jones futures and the S&P 500 futures up 0.3 percent by 3.56 a.m. ET, and the Nasdaq futures up 0.2 percent. CIT Group Inc's (CIT.N) board signed off on a deal late on Sunday to

Microsoft Corp will likely report the first annual sales dip in its history as a public company, but investors are looking beyond that for upbeat comments on Windows 7, signs of a tech sector recovery, and even a deal with Yahoo Inc to challenge Google Inc. The question for investors when the world's largest software

Asking prices for homes in England and Wales in July are an average of 3.1 percent lower than a year ago, with growing signs the past year's price falls have bottomed out, property website Rightmove said on Monday. The non-seasonally adjusted average asking price for a home rose 0.6 percent in July to 227,864 pounds

The world's population of older people is growing at the fastest rate ever seen and the old will soon outnumber the young for the first time, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. An aging population will push up pension and healthcare costs, forcing major increases in public spending that could slow economic growth in rich and

U.S. lender CIT Group Inc has reached a tentative deal with bondholders for $3 billion in rescue financing, sources said, as it tries to avoid becoming the latest casualty of the global crisis. Asian stocks rose to their highest since around the time of the collapse of Lehman Bros in September, boosted by news of

Southeast Asian foreign ministers sought ways on Monday to boost their economies, fight terrorism and counter criticism that a new human rights commission will be a toothless body. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva told ministers that the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) had stood firm against protectionism and was working hard to revive

Asian stocks rose on Monday to their highest level since the dark days following Lehman Brothers' collapse last September while the U.S. dollar fell, as a solid outlook for corporate earnings lured investors to riskier, higher-yielding assets and commodities. European stock futures were up 1.25 percent, U.S. equity futures also pointed to a higher open