U.S. index futures point to a weak start on Wall Street. Futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq are down 0.3%. Genentech will be in focus after Roche offered to acquire all outstanding shares in its U.S. partner for $43.7 billion in cash, a 9% premium to Friday's close.

Euro seen toppish at 1.5915 The euro up-tick in early European trading on Monday is seen running out of stem at 1.5915, forcing the pair to remain in their tight trading range. Only a clear break above 1.5950 will over-turn the situation and call for sharply higher euro for a retest of the all-time of

A raft of concerns about the state of the global economy, corporate earnings and the banking system sent European shares lower on Monday, shrugging off large gains in Asia. The dollar was slightly weaker against a basket of major currencies Oil was up more than a $1.50 a barrel at around $130 a barrel, but

Britain's top share index fell early on Monday, giving up some of the previous session's sharp gains, after a disappointing take-up of HBOS's rights issue and as oil shares weighed with crude trading well off record highs. By 0724 GMT, the FTSE 100 was down 32.9 points, or 0.6%, at 5,343.5, after closing up 1.7%

When it was unveiled in June, Apple's new iPhone didn't appear to offer anything new for music fans. But thanks to the subsequent launch of the App Store on iTunes, iPhone users can download a host of applications to add new functions to the device. Many of them are music-oriented and all are made specifically

Digital high-definition radio is hitting some key milestones in terms of pricing and features, but building enough momentum to spur broad consumer adoption remains a tall order. Prices on some radio models have tumbled below $100. More automakers are offering HD radio as a factory or dealer-installed option. And the rollout of a feature enabling

As hype for new box office champ "The Dark Knight" reached a fever pitch over the weekend, moviegoers were surfing eBay and Craigslist for tickets, sometimes paying five times face value for them. The hottest items were tickets to Imax showings. The movie opened on 94 Imax screens, and company executives did a good job

Toyota Motor Corp plans to produce 100,000 units a year of a new hybrid-only model slated for release in 2009 at a subsidiary in southern Japan, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday. The new car, which will be Toyota's second dedicated hybrid model after the hot-selling Prius, will have a 2- to 2.5-litre engine

Goldman Sachs Group Inc's Ken Wilson will temporarily leave the firm to advise U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on how to resolve the country's banking crisis, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter. Goldman's most senior financial-institutions banker, who has played a big role in capital raisings and reorganizations across the

LG Electronics Inc increased quarterly earnings by 84% with strong results in mobile phones and at its LCD joint venture, but the South Korean firm faces a tougher second half amid a global economic downturn. LG, whose profits were below analysts' forecasts, predicted revenues would dip in the third quarter, citing weak seasonal demand for