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The stakes are high. Friday's August jobs report will be the last major data point for the Federal Reserve to consider ahead of the Sept. 12-13 FOMC meeting.

During the holiday week, economy-watchers are likely to focus on Friday's August nonfarm payrolls report and the European Central Bank’s governing council meeting, on Sept. 6.

China's credit risk is probably much worse than the official non-performing loan (NPL) data suggests, according to Société Générale's China macro strategist Wei Yao.

Audiences are going to be able to get a behind the scenes look at Leonardo DiCaprio's body. The "Titanic" and "Inception" superstar will reportedly be nude in his new movie-- Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street," the Daily News reported.

The U.S. economy expanded slightly faster than initially thought in the second quarter, but the pace of growth is still too slow to create enough jobs and drive down the unemployment. Economists are forecasting even slower growth in the second half of 2012, which will probably keep expectations of additional monetary stimulus from the Federal Reserve intact.

Investing and personal wealth management were made more accessible by Bank of America Merrill Lynch with its so-called online trading platform Merrill Edge.

Will Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke launch QE3 from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's annual Jackson Hole symposium, which will take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 1? Economists doubt it.

The biggest event this week is Friday's Jackson Hole meeting. While this week's economic calendar is rather packed, Wall Street seems to care more about Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's speech at the Kansas City Fed's annual economic symposium.

The minutes of the July 31-Aug. 1 meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee, to be released on Wednesday, will dominate markets in a week light on data.

Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC), the lender divesting assets to raise capital, said Monday it has agreed to sell Merrill Lynch's International Wealth Management business outside the U.S. to Swiss private bank Julius Baer Group Ltd.

Gold experts have further cut back price forecasts for the metal this year after a sluggish first half, a quarterly Reuters poll showed on Monday, while gains in the dollar and a dearth of physical demand are likely to clip any attempted return to last September's record high for the rest of the year.

China's growth rate slowed for a sixth successive quarter to its slackest pace in more than three years, highlighting the need for more policy vigilance from Beijing even as signs emerge that action taken so far is beginning to stabilise the economy.

It's going to be very, very dovish.

General Growth Properties (NYSE: GGP), the second-largest public U.S. mall landlord, is living up to its name once again. After exiting bankruptcy in 2010, the Chicago-based company's shares hit a new all-time high of $18.49 on Friday.

The U.S. labor market has lost a step since spring and the trend of lackluster job growth will likely continue into June.

Bank of America directors have reached a definitive settlement of litigation by shareholders, who accused the bank of overpaying for Merrill Lynch, a federal judge said.

The prolonged crisis in the euro zone, coupled with signs that the U.S. economic recovery is faltering, have led to speculation that the Federal Reserve will provide more monetary stimulus, most likely through extending its Operation Twist program, at the June two-day Federal Open Market Committee meeting, which concludes on Wednesday June 20.

This week's data releases highlight Wednesday's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) statement, which will likely present a dovish tone. However, those who are expecting for the announcement of renewed asset purchases will likely be disappointed.

This week's data releases could reignite hopes that the Federal Reserve will soon provide more policy stimulus. May's producer price index and consumer price index should show that inflationary pressures are easing, with the latter falling below the Fed's 2 percent target rate. Retail sales and industrial production figures for May are likely to come in on the soft side, as well.

While the euro zone fiscal crisis has grabbed the spotlight, the U.S. faces its own fiscal crisis. The simultaneous onset of tax increases and spending cuts scheduled for Jan. 1 -- which will trigger unless Republicans and Democrats can agree on a balanced budget solution -- will likely send the economy plunging off a $720 billion fiscal cliff and into the arms of another recession.

A third straight month of disappointing job data clearly suggests that the U.S. labor market conditions are deteriorating again, which economists say will undoubtedly prompt more speculation that a third round of quantitative easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve is coming soon.

The economic calendar is quite full this week, with most of the focus on the U.S. nonfarm payrolls report. The Institute for Supply Management, or ISM, manufacturing index and the second estimate of U.S. first-quarter gross domestic product also will draw a lot of attention.

French and German consumer confidence showed unexpected strength, reports showed Friday. While the market is cheering about the good news, some economists view this as a warning sign of a euro zone crisis fatigue - something that is as dangerous, if not more so than the crisis itself.

Faced with the disastrous fallout from the initial public offering of Facebook (Nasdaq: FB), the No. 1 social network, other technology companies that had been waiting to go next may reconsider.

Barclays PLC, the UK's second-largest bank by asset, said Monday it plans to sell its entire $6.1 billion stake in U.S. asset manager BlackRock Inc., as the tougher global regulatory environment has made such holding less attractive.

This week's economic calendar is relatively light in the U.S. with the releases of existing home sales, durable goods orders, and the University of Michigan consumer confidence survey. Attention will likely focus on data out of Europe. Euro zone PMIs, Germany IFO survey, and first-quarter gross domestic product data for the U.K. will be released.

One of the biggest and most anticipated IPOs of the year, quite possibly the decade, is ready to hit Wall Street tomorrow, but if you're thinking about buying shares, you're not alone. Not in the least. If you're looking to get a piece of the stock, we're here to help you. But be warned: It will not be easy.

Shares in South Korea's Samsung Electronics extended their heavy slide on Thursday, on speculation that arch rival Apple Inc is looking to cut its reliance on Samsung memory chips and turn increasingly to Japanese chipmaker Elpida.

A federal judge in New York on Monday refused to delay the approval process for a controversial $20 million settlement between Bank of America Corp directors and shareholders who accused the bank of overpaying for Merrill Lynch & Co.