Bulls may get more room to run this week on the anniversary of the March 2009 lows — if U.S. stock investors see more signs of stability after Friday's rally on smaller-than-expected job losses. The catalysts could be February retail sales and March consumer sentiment. On Friday, stocks jumped after U.S. Labor Department data showed

Apple Inc said the first iPads will be in U.S. stores on April 3 and hit nine international markets later in the month, easing concerns that manufacturing constraints could delay launch. The news sent shares of Apple surging as much as 4.3 percent to an all-time high of $219.70 on the Nasdaq, as analysts said

Panasonic Corp will tie up with the top U.S. electronics chain Best Buy Co to market and boost the sales of its 3D TVs in the United States, the Nikkei business daily reported on Sunday. The report comes ahead of the world's fourth-largest flat TV maker's launch of its 3D TV in the United States

Britain's top share index rose 0.2 percent early on Monday as gains by miners, on the back of higher commodity prices, outpaced falls by banks and drugmakers, led by AstraZeneca after a cancer drug failed to meet its goals. By 0926 GMT, the FTSE 100 was up 8.83 points at 5,608.59, having closed 1.3 percent

Easing fears about the U.S. economy and European debt lifted world equity markets on Monday, extending a rally that has taken many bourses into positive territory for the year. MSCI's all-country world stock index was up 0.6 percent, driven by strong performances in Japan and emerging markets. European shares were flat to higher in early

European shares turned briefly negative in early trade on Monday as drugmakers weighed, but gains in miners supported as metal prices rose. By 0857 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index of top shares was up 0.1 percent at 1,055.30 points after earlier being as low as 1,053.75. Drugmakers fell. AstraZeneca dropped 1.1 percent after the

President Demetris Christofias said on Sunday that vigilance is necessary in order to avert deterioration of the economy, due to the financial crisis. Speaking at a conference organised by AKEL women's movement, Christofias referred to the measures his government took last year to boost the economy, adding that ''it is obvious these were not sufficient.''

Greece will not need foreign help to deal with its debt problems, central bank governor George Provopoulos said in a German newspaper interview released on Monday. Provopoulos told the Financial Times Deutschland (FTD) that solid demand for a 10-year, 5.0 billion euro ($6.8 billion) bond Greece sold last Thursday showed Athens could raise the funds

Asian shares rose on Monday as encouraging U.S. job and consumer data reinforced views that the world's largest economy is steadily recovering, fuelling a move into riskier assets and out of safe havens like the yen. European stocks were expected to follow Asia higher and open up as much as 0.5 percent, buoyed as well