UNITED STATES

The U.S. economy resumed growing in the third quarter after a year of decline as consumers spent more and investment in home-building bounced back to end the worst recession in 70 years, a Reuters survey of economists predicts.

A federal judge ordered State Street Corp (STT.N) to pay $89.75 million to settle a lawsuit over mortgage losses, rejecting the bank's argument that the accord may prove unfair depending on how a related regulatory probe is resolved.

Wall Street was set to rise on Thursday after four days of losses in the S&P 500 as reassuring corporate profits spurred optimism ahead of data expected to show the U.S. economy resumed growing in the third quarter.

Wall Street was set to rise on Thursday after four days of losses in the S&P 500 as reassuring corporate profits spurred optimism ahead of data expected to show the U.S. economy resumed growing in the third quarter.

The U.S. economy resumed growing in the third quarter after a year of decline as consumers spent more and investment in home-building bounced back to end the worst recession in 70 years, a Reuters survey of economists predicted.

* U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher opening on Wall Street on Thursday as investors take a breather following the previous session's sharp selloff ahead of key GDP figures and a flurry of corporate earnings.

Oil majors Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni dashed hopes of an imminent turnaround for the industry, as sluggish economic recovery weighs on energy demand and prices, contributing to a big drop in profits.

Oil majors Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni dashed hopes of an imminent turnaround for the industry, as sluggish economic recovery weighs on energy demand and prices, contributing to a big drop in profits.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Thursday ahead of data expected to show the economy grew in the third quarter, while jobless numbers and a round of corporate earnings were also on tap.

Oil rose toward $78 on Thursday as the United States, the world's biggest energy consumer, was expected to return to economic growth, but gains were limited by the weakness of prompt fuel demand.

The U.S. economy resumed growing in the third quarter after a year of decline as consumers spent more and investment in home-building bounced back to end the worst recession in 70 years, a Reuters survey of economists predicts.

World stocks hit a three-week low on Thursday, following a sharp fall on Wall Street, as disappointing European corporate results and weak U.S. data fanned concerns about the strength of the economic recovery.

National Mediation Board, a U.S. federal labor-management relations agency, is considering a proposal to allow airline workers to form unions with the majority approval of those voting, Bloomberg news agency said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Oil prices steadied at above $77 a barrel on Thursday, pausing from the previous session's decline of 2.6 percent, as investors waited for more economic data to gauge the pace of economic recovery in the United States.

Asian shares fell sharply on Thursday after weak U.S. economic data rekindled investor worries about growth, while hedge funds sold risky assets, lifting the yen and supporting the dollar.

Google Inc on Wednesday partnered with Web services Lala and MySpace's iLike to give music fans an easier way to find, sample and buy songs on the Internet, expanding its music industry footprint.

Asian shares fell on Thursday after a set of weak U.S. data rekindled worries about global growth and prompted a shift away from riskier assets, lifting the yen and underpinning the dollar.

Amazon.com Inc on Wednesday announced the launch of PayPhrase, a shortcut for making purchases on the Web, as the online retailer prepares for a rush of holiday season shopping.

U.S. regulators are searching for ways to peer into the activities of high-frequency trading, which has blossomed in recent years and now accounts for at least 50 percent of all equity trading in the United States.

McKinsey & Co and Akamai Technologies Inc launched investigations on Wednesday into accusations by the U.S. government that some of their employees were linked to the Galleon Group insider-trading scandal.

Google Inc said on Wednesday it restricts calls to less than 100 U.S. telephone numbers with its Google Voice service, responding to a query from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission.