CHINA

Stock index futures fell on Thursday after weaker-than-expected economic data in China reawakened global economic worry and earnings from JPMorgan Chase.

Italy's sale of 6.2 billion euros in bonds on Thursday eased investors' immediate concerns about its funding in the euro zone debt crisis, but stock markets were hit by weaker Chinese trade data.

Oil slipped Thursday, with Brent crude snapping a six-day rally, after trade data from China pointed to slower demand in the world's second-largest oil consumer.

Italy was set Thursday to test fragile investor confidence in the euro zone's ability to heal its debt problems, with a sale of bonds, while weaker Chinese trade data acted as a reminder of broader economic problems.

China's trade surplus narrowed for a second straight month in September to $14.5 billion, with both imports and exports lower than expected, reflecting global economic weakness and domestic cooling that will deepen policy quandaries facing Beijing.

Gold prices held steady on Thursday, as optimism for a solution to the Eurozone crisis underpinned sentiment, while tight physical supply in Asia continued to lend support.

Italy was set on Thursday to test fragile investor confidence in the euro zone's ability to heal its debt problems, with a sale of bonds, while weaker Chinese trade data acted as a reminder of broader economic problems.

China's trade surplus narrowed for a second straight month in September, as both imports and exports were lower than expected, reflecting global economic weakness and domestic cooling that will deepen policy quandaries facing Beijing.

Thousands of small business owners launched an online protest against Taobao Mall, a unit of China's Alibaba Group, over a fee hike that they claim puts them at a disadvantage to bigger businesses, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

China's trade surplus narrowed in September for a second month in a row as growth of exports and imports both fell below forecasts, reflecting global economic weakness and offering Beijing ammunition to resist U.S. pressure on the yuan.

China's trade surplus narrowed in September for a second month in a row as growth of exports and imports both fell below forecasts, reflecting global economic weakness and offering Beijing ammunition to resist U.S. pressure on the yuan.

Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, whose 81-day detention earlier this year caused an international outcry, has been named the art world's most powerful figure in a new ranking.

The Apple rumor mill has started buzzing again, but this time talks are that the iPhone maker is looking to bring some stiff competition to Amazon Kindle Fire with a low-cost device allegedly to be called iPad mini.

Apple will finally release the new iPhone 4S in stores on Oct. 14. In addition to the online and physical Apple Stores, here is a list of the various retailers selling the iPhone 4S on its big launch day.

Hewlett-Packard Co's personal computer shipments grew 5.3 percent in the third quarter, while China's Lenovo overtook Dell to become the world's No. 2 PC maker for the first time, according to data from two influential research firms.

Hewlett-Packard Co's personal computer shipments grew 5.3 percent in the third quarter, while China's Lenovo overtook Dell to become the world's No. 2 PC maker for the first time, Gartner data showed.

China has launched an intense lobbying effort in Washington to kill legislation that would punish it for its currency system, in the latest display of its more sophisticated approach to influence U.S. policy.

The United States will use a finance ministers' meeting in Paris this weekend to ratchet up pressure on Europe to deal with its debt crisis swiftly before it derails a fragile global recovery, a top U.S. Treasury Department official said on Wednesday.

Iranian student Peyman Aref was lashed 74 times on Sunday, the same day he was freed from a one year prison sentenced.

The buzz word was definitely “9-9-9? in Tuesday’s Republican debate at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire that focused on economic issues.

TSMC, the world's top contract chip maker, expects weak growth in the global economy over the next 12 months, its chairman said on Wednesday.