The U.S. dollar rose to a one-month high against the yen on Monday on easing fears about the world's largest economy, and Asian stocks were mixed as financial sector uncertainty lingered ahead of a slew of company earnings. European stocks were expected to open slightly lower, down between 0.1% and 0.4%, according to financial bookmakers.

Publishing group Pearson Plc , owner of the Financial Times, said it was more confident in its full-year outlook after increasing operating profit 38% and sales by 14% in the first half. UK-based Pearson, the world's biggest educational publisher which also owns Penguin books, said on Monday it had first-half sales of 1.97 bln pounds

REDMOND, Washington (Reuters) – Chief Executive Steve Ballmer on Thursday defended Microsoft Corp's need to make heavy investments in its Internet businesses but said the company was "done," for now, with pursuing Yahoo Inc. "There's nothing under discussion between the two of us," Ballmer told investors of how six months of various talks had reached

U.S. stock investors will sift through reams of economic reports, including July payrolls and second-quarter gross domestic product, as they search for catalysts this week that could trigger a recovery on Wall Street. With worries about the impact of the housing slump on the economy and the profit outlook keeping stocks in a bear market,

New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose surprisingly in June on demand for metals, machinery, electrical equipment, and military needs, even though transportation orders were weak, a government report showed on Friday. A key barometer of business investment also rose unexpectedly, a Commerce Department report showed. Durable goods orders were up 0.8%, after a

Home foreclosure filings rose 14% in the second quarter, the eighth consecutive quarterly climb, and more than doubled from the same period a year-earlier, real estate data firm RealtyTrac said on Friday. Home foreclosure filings during the second quarter were reported on 739,714 U.S. properties, up 121% from a year earlier, RealtyTrac, an online market

The global economy's delicate balance was clear on Friday as data showed the slowest UK growth in three years and a 10-year inflation peak in Japan, with only a surprise rise in U.S. durable goods orders beating the gloom. The contrasting fortunes shown by the figures pointed up the quandary facing central bankers around the

Oil fell back below $125 a barrel on Friday, extending a decline that has knocked more than $20 off prices in two weeks. Concern high prices and the slowing U.S. economy will undermine demand have driven oil down from a record $147.27 on July 11. Technical trading and a short-covering bounce had buoyed prices earlier.