U.S.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd blamed the United States over the leaked diplomatic cables and maintained that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange 'is not himself responsible for the unauthorized release'.

Fundamentals for the commodity currency now back AUD/USD targeting 1.0006, as the 61.8 percent fibonacci from 1.0181 to 0.9723 projects.

Julian Assange appeared at UK's Westminster magistrates court a short while ago, where the charges were read out to him, setting off a judicial process leading to his possible extradition to Sweden. The Sky News said Assange had sought Australian consular assistance and that staff of the Australian High Commission were with him inside the court.

U.S. stocks advanced in early trade on Tuesday as sentiment was buoyed by President Barack Obama's announcement of an agreement with Republicans on a plan to extend income tax cuts for all Americans.

Global trade protectionism will accelerate in the years ahead and the tussle between the U.S. and China over trade and other issues will escalate to crisis levels as early as in 2012, according to an analyst.

In a rare show of collective security, the United States, South Korea and Japan held a trilateral meeting on Monday to send a strong message aimed at China, which is seen as shielding North Korea.

Crude production from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) dropped in November by around 70,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 29.1 million bpd, a Platts survey of oil industry officials and analysts showed on Monday.

S&P 500 Index slid 3.63 points, or 0.31 percent, to trade at 1,220.95 at 09:55 a.m. EST. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 30.08 points, or 0.26 percent, to trade at 11,352.01. The Nasdaq Composite Index fell 0.28 percent to trade at 2,584.64.

During the negotiations (with the U.S.), I did not think of Yeonpyeong Island or the USS George Washington. I have just mulled over the benefits and losses in terms of trade, South Korean trade minister Kim Jong-hoon said, apparently to refute criticism that Seoul gave away ground to the U.S. in the aftermath of the geopolitical crisis precipitated by last week’s shelling by North Korea on South’s islands.

Futures on the S&P 500 are down 0.30 percent to 1,219.80, futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average are down 0.21 percent to 11,340.00 and Nasdaq100 futures are down 0.19 percent to 2,183.00.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has told the Guardian newspaper that there are, indeed, some references to UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) that reamined a mystery.

Gold rose almost 2 percent on Friday, ending the week on $1,414 an ounce just a few dollars below the all-time record, as the dollar tumbled after disappointing jobs data cast doubt on the strength of the U.S. economic recovery.

The US Air Force's secret unmanned space shuttle X-37B landed at 1:16 a.m. Pacific time on Friday, concluding its more than 220-day experimental test mission. It was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on April 22.

The unemployment rate in the U.S. surprisingly edged up in November after remaining constant for three months, the U.S. Labor Department reported on Friday.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to lower on Friday after a government report showed that the unemployment rate unexpectedly increased in November.

Upset by night raids, tribal elders in Afghanistan threatened to fight the NATO forces like they fought the Soviets, US diplomatic cables suggest.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices remained range-bound on Friday as investors await for key U.S. monthly non-farm payrolls and unemployment data from the government.

FIFA takes the Football World Cup 2018 and 2022 to new territories of Russia and Qatar, raising concerns over risks involved in the selection of venue.

USD/CAD is technically poised for a bounce back from current levels just above parity, but given the uncertainty about key data due later in the day, one should also be prepared for a move on the other side, which could easily take the pair to 0.9976 (S1) support.

Once yuan becomes fully convertible, countries importing Chinese goods will invariably have to have a reserve of yuan. And they will have to build up a yuan reserve by offloading their dollar reserves. If a major chunk of ASEAN and Latin American countries take this path, it will seriously dent the greenback's status as the global reserve currency.

Futures on major U.S. stock indices point to modestly lower opening on Friday ahead of key U.S. monthly non-farm payrolls and unemployment data from the government.