UNITED STATES

An upbeat outlook from FedEx, coupled with encouraging home sales, lifted U.S. stocks on Monday, keeping the S&P 500 above 1,100 for a second day and suggesting the rally could last.

Google Inc released a special version of its Web-based productivity software designed to meet stringent U.S. government security requirements, as the Internet search giant seeks to outmaneuver rivals in the race to provide federal and state agencies with new technology.

A potential multibillion-dollar judgment against Vivendi SA for misleading shareholders hung in the balance as a Manhattan judge weighed whether a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling limited damages.

AT&T Inc plans in the next two to three weeks to gradually fix a software defect that cut speeds for customers sending data from the Apple Inc iPhone 4 and from laptop modems.

U.S. stocks rose on Monday after an upbeat outlook from FedEx and solid home sales data cheered investors, helping the S&P 500 hold above a key resistance level.

AT&T Inc plans in the next two to three weeks to gradually fix a software defect that cut speeds for customers sending data from Apple Inc iPhone 4 and from laptop modems.

The trustee overseeing the liquidation of Bernard Madoff's investment firm might sue about 1,000 victims whom he believes profited improperly from doing business with the now-imprisoned Ponzi schemer.

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rebounded strongly in June from the prior month's record low, pushing the number of houses on the market to the lowest level in nearly 42 years.

United Technologies Corp plans to cut about 1,500 jobs over the rest of 2010 and 2011, the diversified U.S. manufacturer said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

Relief after European bank stress tests and a jump in U.S. new single-family home sales in June drew investors into riskier assets and depressed prices of safe-haven U.S. government debt on Monday

FedEx Corp raised its outlook on Monday due to a surge in the number of packages flowing through its air and ground networks, boosting its shares and the broader market.

Stocks advanced on Monday after a rosy outlook from FedEx and strong home sales data fueled optimism, helping the S&P 500 stay above a key resistance level that could confirm Wall Street may be back in bullish mode.

Of two potential suitors for biotech Genzyme , industry insiders say Sanofi-Aventis is a far more likely buyer than GlaxoSmithKline , which already has a presence in rare diseases.

Oil prices seesawed near unchanged levels on Monday as stronger-than-expected U.S. home sales data lifted prices even as energy companies restarted production after Tropical Storm Bonnie fizzled. U.S. crude for September delivery slipped 12 cents to $78.86 a barrel by 12:49 p.m. EDT, having seesawed between $78.06 and $79.33.

Sales of new U.S. single-family homes rebounded strongly in June from the prior month's record low, government data showed on Monday, driving the number of houses on the market to their lowest level in nearly 42 years.

Ford Motor Co chief executive Alan Mulally said on Monday the company was cautiously optimistic that it would continue to grow as the U.S. economy recovers.

Toyota Motor Corp is likely to have secured a group operating profit of about 100 billion yen ($1.1 billion) in April-June, thanks to solid sales and a sharp recovery from the previous year's loss

Daily foreign exchange trading turnover in London, Tokyo and New York soared in the latest year, bouncing back sharply from a crisis-induced decline, data released on Monday showed. Average daily volume in Britain jumped to $1.747 trillion in the year to April 2010, up 31 percent, the Bank of England said. It rose 15 percent compared with volume in October 2009.

Oil rose on Monday after a surge in new U.S. home sales cut the number of houses on the market to the lowest level in more than four decades, easing fears the post-crisis economy could slide into a second recession.

A brighter outlook from FedEx Corp and a pickup in sales of new homes sent U.S. stocks higher on Monday, building on the best three-week period for the S&P 500 Index in a year.

Average daily volume in the over-the-counter U.S. foreign exchange market rose to $754 billion in April, up 11.8 percent from six months earlier, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said on Monday. The total was just shy of record turnover of $762 billion seen in the six months to October 2008. The Fed said volume across all instrument types and execution methods and among most currency pairs rose in the latest reporting period.