Markets traded in a narrow range after the government reported a bigger than expected increase in overall orders to factories and an increase in new home sales in July.

Diageo, the drinks giant that brews Guinness, reports a small fall in annual profits after what it calls a 'very challenging year'.

Air New Zealand reports a big drop in annual profits after demand for flying during the global downturn fell dramatically.

UK house prices rose by 1.6% in August, the Nationwide says, with the market helped by the low level of interest rates.

Reuters - The $10.5 million pay package for American International Group Inc's new chief executive Robert Benmosche will likely be approved formally by the U.S. government's compensation czar Kenneth Feinberg next week, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

More than a half-million option ARMs ? mortgages with low initial payments that can rise sharply later ? are scheduled to be reset in the next four years.

Sheik Mahfouz paid $225 million to settle charges of bank fraud in 1993 and later won a string of lawsuits in Britain against writers who had accused him of supporting terrorism.

Carmakers Nissan and Chrysler abandon a plan to supply vehicles to each other because of the turmoil in the auto industry.

Irish Airline Aer Lingus reports a three-fold increase in losses after it was forced to cut fares during the downturn.

Diageo, owner of Guinness and Johnnie Walker, reports a small fall in annual profits as protests against job-cuts continue.

Lord Turner, the boss of the UK's financial watchdog, says banks could be taxed as a means to prevent excess bonuses.

One in six UK homes which house at least one person of working age does not have anyone in work, official figures show.

The luxury home builder?s third-quarter net loss rose to $472.3 million, reflecting charges for writing down land values.

Credit Agricole, France's largest retail bank, announces better-than-expected profits as fewer losses on bad loans helped to boost performance.

Lord Turner, the boss of the UK's financial watchdog, says he would happily consider a bank tax to prevent excessive bonuses.

Network Rail proposes a new high-speed line linking Scotland and London, serving Birmingham and Manchester, by 2030.

C&C Group buys a number of business from Anheuser-Busch InBev, including Tennent's lager, in a deal worth £180m.

Advertising giant WPP says the impact of the recession in the first half of 2009 was 'severe', with profits down 47%.

The burden of debt among retired people in the UK is growing with a third in the red on loans and credit cards, a survey says.

Reuters - Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker was quoted on Thursday as saying the U.S. economy was stabilizing after a painful recession and the shattered housing market will no longer be a drag on economic activity.

Reuters - Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open for U.S. shares on Thursday, ahead of data expected to show that the world's biggest economy shrank at an annualized rate of 1.5 percent in the second quarter.

Reuters - A recovery in air traffic is under way, according to latest data from a global industry body, in another sign the world economy is clawing its way out of recession.

Reuters - Luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc reported a wider quarterly loss on Thursday, reflecting charges for writing down land values.

Microsoft is cutting the price of the Xbox 360 console by $100, matching Sony?s price cut for the PlayStation 3. Now, both the Xbox 360 Elite and the PS3 will cost $299.

European stocks were trading within a narrow range as investors weighed a string of upbeat economic figures against fears that a recovery may not prove sustainable.

Society may not prize manual labor, but that may be where the jobs are.

The company posted a 7 percent rise in full-year net profit, benefiting from currency exchange rates and cost-cutting, but cut its profit target for the year because of concerns about the recovery.

Acer?s quarterly net profit fell to $70 million, hit by fast-eroding profit margins in its low-cost netbook PC stronghold.

The bank?s quarterly earnings surpassed estimates as a big jump trading revenue more than offset higher loan-loss provisions.

Olympics bosses promise to help plug a shortfall in sponsor cash for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

The Serious Fraud Office says it will carry out electronic surveillance to find British companies involved in corruption abroad.

Reuters - Stock index futures edged lower on Thursday ahead of data expected to show that the U.S. economy shrank in the second quarter while the number of jobless claims improved slightly.

Reuters - Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker was quoted on Thursday as saying the U.S. economy was stabilizing after a painful recession and the shattered housing market will no longer be a drag on economic activity.

Reuters - Luxury home builder Toll Brothers Inc reported a wider quarterly loss on Thursday, reflecting charges for writing down land values.

With bank failures rising, the government?s deposit insurance fund fell to $10.4 billion in the second quarter, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said.

Boeing said that it would record a pretax charge of $2.5 billion in the third quarter because of the Dreamliner?s delays.

Forecasters had expected a downward revision in the country?s gross domestic product, but the latest second-quarter estimate released on Thursday was unchanged.

Major stock indicators were slightly lower in early trading, despite more signs that the economy might be stabilizing.

R. Allen Stanford, currently jailed on charges accusing him of bilking investors out of $7 billion, was taken to a hospital after he was found to have a high pulse rate.

Lord Adair Turner tells magazine that promoting London as a global finance center over other cities is no longer one of his primary aims.

The world?s fourth-tallest building, the ICC, is not complete yet. But despite the global economic crisis, it is already nearly fully rented.

National Bank of Canada said its profit rose 6 percent in the third quarter as trading revenues surged, surpassing estimates.

The much-delayed Dreamliner plane should get its first test flight by the end of 2009, Boeing says.

The US economy shrank at an annual pace of 1% between April and June, unchanged from last month's initial estimate.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Thursday, weighed by big-cap technology companies, while energy shares were lower alongside a nearly 2 percent drop in oil prices.

Reuters - U.S. officials said the number of problem banks and thrifts on their watchlist rose sharply to 416 in the second quarter of 2009 from 305 in the prior quarter, as the industry recorded a $3.7 billion loss.

Reuters - The U.S. economy appears to have stabilized and may not need all the stimulus the central bank had planned to offer, Richmond Federal Reserve Bank President Jeffrey Lacker said on Thursday.

Reuters - Time Warner Inc's AOL division named a former Time Warner Cable Inc executive as its chief financial officer ahead of the expected spinoff of the Internet unit later this year.

The agency attributes the second-quarter loss to a surge in bad loans made to home builders and commercial real estate developers.

Publishers have complained that the company was denying them a fair share of online advertising revenue.

The government reported a drop in both the number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for jobless benefits and the number of people remaining on the rolls last week.

The much-delayed Dreamliner plane should get its first test flight by the end of 2009, Boeing says.

James Davis, the former financial officer for Texas billionaire Sir Allen Stanford, pleads guilty to fraud and conspiracy charges.

India announces measures to help its exporters, as it warns that the rate of growth of the country's exports would continue to slow.

Some commentators are getting rather poetic in their descriptions of the recession.

Reuters - Stocks fell on Thursday as energy shares followed slumping oil prices lower and technology issues declined, putting the brakes on an August rally that has taken stocks to 10-month highs.

Reuters - The number of problem U.S. banks and thrifts on an official watchlist rose sharply to 416 in the second quarter of 2009 from 305 in the prior quarter, as the industry recorded a $3.7 billion loss.

Reuters - The U.S. economy shrank less than expected in the second quarter, despite a record drop in inventories, and fewer workers filed new claims for jobless benefits last week, a sign the economy was starting to heal.

Reuters - Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it is adding shifts at its truck plants in Michigan and Missouri in response to increased demand for its F-150 pickup trucks and Escape SUVs.

Reuters - A top aide to accused swindler Allen Stanford entered the first guilty plea on Thursday in a $7 billion fraud case as Stanford was hospitalized with an 'extremely high' heart rate.

AP - Rates for 30-year home loans edged up this week, but remain close to record lows reached over the spring.

AP - The Fed should continue its program designed to drive down mortgage rates at least until the economy begins to grow, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond said Thursday.

The former Irish flag carrier reported deepening losses that could threaten its independence.

Forecasters had expected a downward revision in the country?s gross domestic product, but the latest second-quarter estimate released on Thursday was unchanged.

Trading has been erratic over the last week, even amid data showing improvements in housing and consumer confidence.

In a grim report, the agency attributed the second-quarter loss for the banking industry to a surge in bad loans made to home builders and commercial real estate developers.

The chairman of the Financial Services Authority suggested taxing banking transactions to deter excessive risk-taking.

The latest update of the Apple Mac operating system OS X, known as Snow Leopard, goes on sale Friday.

Network Rail, the company that runs Britain's rail infrastructure, says it intends to cut 1,800 jobs by April 2011.

The Serious Fraud Office says it will carry out electronic surveillance to find companies involved in corruption abroad.

Reuters - Stocks pared losses and the Dow turned positive in afternoon trading on Thursday as plane maker Boeing Co rose after it said it expects the first flight of its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner by the end of 2009 and as oil prices cut losses.

Reuters - Problem U.S. banks and thrifts on an official watchlist rose more than a third to 416 in the second quarter of 2009, as bad loans continued to bite, but regulators saw signs of stabilization in the industry.

Reuters - The U.S. economy shrank less than expected in the second quarter, despite a record drop in inventories, and fewer workers filed new claims for jobless benefits last week, a sign the economy was starting to heal.

Reuters - Ford Motor Co said on Thursday it is adding shifts at its truck plants in Michigan and Missouri in response to increased demand for its F-150 pickup trucks and Escape SUVs.

Reuters - Accused swindler Allen Stanford was hospitalized on Thursday with a high pulse rate, hours before his former top aide entered the first guilty plea in a $7 billion fraud case.

The better-than-expected performance caused Dell?s stock price to surge nearly 7 percent during the final minutes of trading Thursday.

Trading has been erratic over the last week, even amid data showing improvements in housing and consumer confidence.

The plant in Fremont, Calif., which employs 4,700, was a joint venture with General Motors that G.M. abandoned in its bankruptcy.

The changes would be aimed at allowing Internet users to access out-of-print works or ones where the author cannot be found.

The former Irish flag carrier reported deepening losses that could threaten its independence.

The number of problem US banks rose to the highest level in 15 years between April and June, the industry's regulator reveals.

Apple approves the Spotify iPhone application, allowing users to stream music to their mobile handsets.

Reuters - U.S. stocks ended higher on Thursday as aircraft maker Boeing Co rose after it said it expects the first flight of its long-delayed 787 Dreamliner by the end of 2009, boosting the Dow, and financial shares' strength helped lift the broad market.

AP - Investors are still trading common shares of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and American International Group Inc. by the billions, even though analysts say their prices are almost certain to go to zero.

AP - Moody's Investors Service said it is considering downgrading long-term ratings for the nation's biggest student lender, Sallie Mae, citing earnings and cash-flow generation at the company.

The better-than-expected performance caused Dell?s stock price to surge nearly 7 percent during the final minutes of trading.

The deal will put Abbe Raven, the current president of A&E, in charge of the combined network.

Some bondholders of the Tribune Company want to investigate the company?s sale to the billionaire Samuel Zell, a deal creditors claim led to a bankruptcy filing.

A decade ago, there was a federal surplus, and taxes were cut. Now there?s a growing deficit. Guess what happens next?

Dell sees another decline in quarterly profits, but says it expects sales to improve for the rest of the year.

Updated wartime classic offers up frugal advice

Reuters - U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday as investors turned back an early sell-off, thanks to a rebound in oil prices.

AP - Specialty home retailer Cost Plus Inc. said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter loss narrowed as the company cut costs to offset lower sales of big-ticket items such as living room and dining room furniture.

Forecasters had expected a downward revision in the country?s gross domestic product, but the latest second-quarter estimate released on Thursday was unchanged.

The plant in Fremont, Calif., which employs 4,700, opened in 1984, partly as a way for G.M. to learn Japanese techniques.

Boeing said it would record a pretax charge of $2.5 billion in the third quarter because of the Dreamliner?s delays.

The former Irish flag carrier reported deepening losses that could threaten its independence.

Abbe Raven, the president of A&E, will be in charge of the combined entity, and the chief executive of Lifetime will report to her.

Some bondholders of the Tribune Company want to investigate the company?s sale to the billionaire Samuel Zell, a deal creditors claim led to a bankruptcy filing.

The changes would be aimed at allowing Internet users to access out-of-print works or ones where the author cannot be found.

The chairman of the Financial Services Authority suggested taxing banking transactions to deter excessive risk-taking.

A high-wattage smile and an outgoing personality can result in a high-profile job as a blogging ambassador to a tourist destination.

Microsoft is cutting the price of the Xbox 360 console by $100, matching Sony?s price cut for the PlayStation 3. Now, both the Xbox 360 Elite and the PS3 will cost $299.

Mark J. Penn, the chief of Burson-Marsteller, said he had no idea his firm would use his writing to drum up business.

Various redevelopment plans fell through for the building, completed in 1932 and once the world?s largest mail-handling facility.

The company said it had raised prices in about 40 percent of its developments on signs that the market for new homes was improving.

Nigeria's fraud police say they have recovered $170m (£105m) from wealthy debtors who owe money to five banks.

The latest update of the Apple Mac operating system OS X, known as Snow Leopard, goes on sale Friday.

Middle earning pensioners cut back on energy use the most as prices increased in recent years, research suggests.

Reuters - U.S. stocks closed higher on Thursday as investors turned back an early sell-off, thanks to a rebound in oil prices.

Reuters - The Commodity Futures Trading Commission will not release its first expanded trader report by the end of August, as the regulator initially had planned, a CFTC source said on Thursday.

The better-than-expected performance caused Dell?s stock price to surge nearly 7 percent during the final minutes of trading.

?Who would want to buy a stock that?s still 80 percent owned by the government?? wondered William T. Fitzpatrick, an equity analyst at Optique Capital.

Areas that tasted the excesses of the housing boom are suffering as the influx of people moving from the Rust Belt has slowed.

R. Allen Stanford, currently jailed on charges accusing him of bilking investors out of $7 billion, was taken to a hospital after he was found to have a high pulse rate.

Thieves took the Fed chairman?s wife?s purse, which contained her Social Security card, checkbook and identification.

Employees of Humana, the nation?s fourth-largest health insurer, are not pleased at being the focus of criticism by proponents of a health care system overhaul.

Some underwriters of recent public offerings will only collect in full if the companies they take public meet return-on-equity goals.

Japan's unemployment rate rose to a record 5.7% in July in figures released just days before a general election.

The US economy shrank at an annual pace of 1% between April and June, unchanged from last month's initial estimate.

Reuters - Asian stocks rose on Friday, led by consumer and technology-related shares as confidence in a sustainable recovery grew, though stocks in Shanghai bucked the trend and dropped 3 percent on worries about a fall in bank lending.