The dollar stood tall against the yen in early Asian trade on Friday, not far from this week's seven-year high as investors continued to monitor whether Japan's leader would call an election and delay a sales tax hike.
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Euro zone grows faster than expected in third quarter
Euro zone economic growth was stronger than expected in the third quarter, preliminary data showed on Friday, as France beat market expectations and Germany steered clear of a recession.
U.S. data points to strong spending ahead of holiday shopping frenzy
Most U.S. retailers reported strong sales in October, a sign American consumers were spending with more gusto and could help keep the economy growing at a brisk pace.
Wall Street Week Ahead: Restaurants' uptick offers hope for consumer discretionaries
An improving U.S. economy has failed to galvanize the consumer discretionary sector so far this year, but a recent rally in restaurant stocks as the holidays approach could herald happier days ahead for other retailers.
Interest growing in emergency health fund: World Bank
The head of the World Bank said on Friday the idea of establishing a global emergency fund that could quickly respond to a health crisis has received interest and funds for it could be raised on the international bond markets.
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Market expectations that U.S. interest rates will start to lift off sometime in mid-2015 are reasonable, New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley said on Thursday.
U.S. stock prices held firm on Thursday after the Dow and Standard & Poor's 500 reached record intraday highs, while crude fell below $80 a barrel for the first time in four years on further signs of a slowdown in China's economy.
The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits rose more than expected last week, yet it remained near a 14-year low in a reminder that the labor market appears to be moving toward full health.
A large group of professional forecasters cut their outlook for euro zone inflation and growth, underlining a trend that could prompt the European Central Bank to take more policy action to kick-start the region's flagging economy.
J.C. Penney Co Inc reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Wednesday but said same-store sales were flat and slightly cut its full year revenue forecast, sending shares of the department store chain lower in extended trade.
South Africa will resume seafood exports to Russia for the first time in almost two decades as Moscow looks elsewhere for food sources following Western sanctions over Ukraine.
Despite General Electric Co's impending sale of its appliances business, the company is not abandoning the consumer.The U.S. conglomerate, along with startup invention company Quirky, on Tuesday revealed seven "connected home" retail products that allow people to remotely control and monitor such things as temperature, doors and windows, water leakage and energy usage.
The euro zone economy is at risk of slipping into a self-fulfilling loss of growth momentum, European Central Bank Executive Board member Benoit Coeure said on Sunday, underlining the ECB's readiness to act if needed.
The curtain came down on nearly a century of tradition for bullion markets on Friday when U.S. bourse Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) was named as provider of an electronic benchmark gold price to replace the twice daily "fix".
