The European Union is quietly increasing the urgency of a plan to import natural gas from Iran, as relations with Tehran thaw while those with top gas supplier Russia grow chillier.
Investors
U.S. business spending plans, jobs data support growth outlook
New orders for capital goods by U.S. businesses rebounded in August, pointing to underlying strength in the economy. The economic outlook also got a lift from other data on Thursday showing only a marginal increase in the number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits last week.
Wall St. ends sharply lower, S&P below key support level
U.S. stocks ended with sharp losses on Thursday, with the S&P 500 suffering its biggest one-day decline since July, as Apple tumbled and the dollar rose to a four-year high.
Euro falls to 22-month low versus dollar on diverging rate outlooks
The euro hit a 22-month low against the dollar on Thursday on the prospect of diverging monetary policy between the Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank as rate differentials swing decisively in the greenback's favor.
Gold price seen near tipping point for mine cuts, closures
The price of gold, down more than a third in three years, is approaching the tipping point where the mining industry would see a spike in the number of producers reducing output or even shutting down operations.
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Asian stocks rose early on Thursday, cheered by a sizeable overnight rebound on Wall Street, while the dollar resumed its advance after upbeat economic data undercut safe-haven bids and pushed yields higher.
Amazon.com Inc will boost staffing at its secretive Silicon Valley-based hardware unit by at least 27 percent over the next five years as it tests Internet-connected "smart" home gadgets such as a one-button device to order supplies.
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals shares were surging in premarket trade, up 24.5 percent to $8.95 after the company said it reached a deal to develop and market Merrimack's pancreatic cancer drug outside the U.S. with Baxter International.
An event aimed at promoting trade and investment between India and Africa has been postponed due to concerns over the deadly Ebola outbreak, India's foreign affairs ministry said on Wednesday.
The yen rose on Wednesday after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe voiced concern about the economic impact of its fall to a six-year low, adding to the sense of a halt this week in the dollar's record-breaking run since July.
Verizon Communications Inc has hired investment bank TAP Advisors LLC to plan a sale of its network's assets including its cell towers, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc (NDAQ.O) won a contract to administer billing and other chores for the data feed system that sparked a three-hour trading halt in Nasdaq-listed stocks last year, but a contract to build and manage the system is still undecided, the firm that oversaw bidding said on Tuesday.
Federal Reserve officials on Tuesday offered their support to the nation's community banks, acknowledging that the complex financial reform effort is saddling small lenders with a heavy supervision load.
U.S. stocks fell on Tuesday, with consumer staples leading the S&P 500 down to its third straight daily loss, as investors grew concerned about the pace of global economic growth.
