Wall Street was set to open higher on Thursday as weekly jobless claims fell, suggesting that the labor market was on solid footing even as the economy struggles to regain momentum.
Regions
Trade supporters breathe easier as U.S. trade bill clears Senate hurdle
A 12-nation Pacific trade agreement cleared a crucial test in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, giving a resounding thumbs-up to legislation that holds the key to President Barack Obama's diplomatic pivot to Asia.
Pimco equities chief Maisonneuve leaving firm as funds close
Pimco's global equities Chief Investment Officer Virginie Maisonneuve is leaving after less than a year and a half as the bond investment giant narrows its stock-investing focus, it said on Thursday.
Who's calling Avon? Shares spike on mystery takeover bid
Shares of Avon Products Inc (AVP.N) soared as much as 20 percent after an apparently non-existent firm incorporated in a remote archipelago in the Indian Ocean offered to buy the cosmetics company for almost three times its market value.
S&P 500 ends at record high as dollar loses ground
U.S. stocks ended sharply stronger on Thursday and the S&P 500 closed at a record high as investors worried less about interest rates and a weaker dollar offered the possibility of stronger sales for U.S. multinationals.
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Major banks wary of heavy U.S. penalties will be reluctant to restore ties with Iran even if sanctions are lifted in a possible nuclear deal, bank executives and advisers say, likely denting Iran's ambition to attract foreign investment to revive its crippled economy.
The euro hit a three-month high against the dollar on Thursday, lifted by another lurch higher in euro zone government bond yields that again kept global stock markets in check.
Nissan Motor Co (7201.T), Japan's second-biggest automaker, said it expects operating profit to climb 15 percent this financial year, forecasting vehicle sales growth in most regions and promising large cost cuts.
The Venezuela division of Ford Motor Co (F.N) will sell pickups and sport utility vehicles in dollars, a union leader said on Wednesday, part of a deal with the government to restart operations stalled for lack of hard currency to import parts.
The normally secretive family that owns BMW (BMWG.DE) broke silence on Wednesday to laud the company's seamless management transition as rival German carmaker Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) inspects the damage from a bitter leadership crisis.
Russian telecoms group Vimpelcom (VIP.O) is in talks with Asia's Hutchison Whampoa (0013.HK) about merging their mobile phone businesses in Italy as a joint venture, Vimpelcom Chief Executive Jean-Yves Charlier said on Wednesday.
Network equipment maker Cisco Systems Inc's (CSCO.O) quarterly profit was a cent ahead of market estimates as new switches, routers, wireless gear and servers drove demand.
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday awarded $92.13 billion of overnight fixed-rate reverse repurchase agreements to 37 bidders at an interest rate of 0.05 percent, the New York Fed said on its website.
The dollar index hit its lowest in more than three months while gold prices jumped on Wednesday as weaker-than-expected U.S. retail sales bolstered confidence the Federal Reserve will hold off raising rates soon.
