UNITED STATES

The runaway rise in gold prices is here to stay. And that is not just bad news to the U.S. economy. A sustained gold and oil boom indicates that the dollar is slipping into grave danger and the economy closer to collapse.

U.S. stocks fell on Thursday shortly after an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.4 hit Japan and a tsunami warning was issued.

March was not as bad as expected for many retailers, suggesting that shoppers largely ignored higher gasoline prices and other concerns to treat themselves.

The Japanese government will look at altering the threshold for radiation exposure as it evaluates whether people can return to the exclusion zones around the damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

The Federal Reserve should keep its fed funds target rate very low for a long time and complete its asset purchasing program as scheduled, Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Sandra Pianalto said on Thursday.

U.S. stocks edged up in choppy trading on Thursday, helped by jobless claims and same-store sales data, but technical resistance to further gains was strong.

March was not as bad as expected for U.S. retailers, at least as far as initial sales reports show, suggesting that shoppers largely ignored higher gasoline prices and other concerns to treat themselves.

U.S. stocks advanced in early trade on Thursday after official data showed that applications for jobless benefits fell last week.

A month ahead of the title's launch, Rockstar games has released a new round of screenshots of the anticipated game.

Wall Street stocks were set to open slightly higher on Thursday as positive labor market and same-store sales data brightened the outlook for consumer spending, a pillar of the U.S. economy.

President Barack Obama said late Wednesday that averting a shutdown of the federal government will require sufficient urgency from all parties involved as negotiating House and Senate teams worked throughout the night to reach a package deal to pass a federal budget and non-budget policy elements by a midnight Friday deadline.

Rite Aid Corp's sales at its established drugstores rose over the most recent quarter but the company forecast another loss this fiscal year despite the expectation of further sales gains.

The applications for jobless benefits in the U.S. fell more than expected last week, recording a second consecutive weekly decline.

Brent crude futures dipped on Thursday after five days of gains, hovering around $122 a barrel on concerns that strong prices could crimp demand, with the European Central Bank lifting rates to control inflation.

President Barack Obama and leaders in Congress will attempt to reach a spending-cut deal on Thursday that would avert a dangerous government shutdown at week's end.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday before data on the labor market and same-store sales, which could offer clues about the outlook for U.S. consumer spending.

March was not as bad as expected for U.S. retailers, at least as far as initial sales reports show, suggesting that shoppers largely ignored higher gasoline prices and other concerns to treat themselves.

U.S. stock markets ended higher on Wednesday, led by gains from technology and banking sector stocks.

U.S. stock markets ended higher on Wednesday, led by gains from technology and banking sector stocks. Cisco Systems led gains in technology stocks after CEO John Chambers said in a memo to employees that the company has lost its way and will need to restore its credibility. Chambers suggested Cisco might change operations to narrow the company's focus.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 trading little changed.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared a new device, manufactured by California-based ev3, to treat brain aneurysms without performing open surgery.