ECONOMY & MARKETS

I have never been certain if tipping was simply a 'courtesy' or the 'law.'

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Friday ahead of the Bureau of Labor Statistics' nonfarm payrolls and unemployment reports.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were Cooper Companies, Sturm, Ruger & Co, Cedar Realty Trust, Lloyds Banking Group and Barnes & Noble, Inc. The top after-market NYSE losers were Infoblox Inc, Pandora Media, Resource Capital Corp, ExactTarget and Calpine Corp.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Thursday were Smith & Wesson Holding Corp, Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance Inc, Vical Inc, Bazaarvoice and MAP Pharmaceuticals. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Audience Inc, Mattress Firm Holding Corp, Accuray Inc, Envivio Inc and Aceto Corp.

Asian stock markets rallied Friday after the European Central Bank (ECB) announced the widely anticipated bond-buying program aimed at lowering the struggling euro zone countries' borrowing costs.

The 2012 campaign has focused on a myriad of social and ideological issues, with some smatterings of tax policy and truckloads of mudslinging. A new book argues voters should look past the obfuscation and consider what is best for their wallet. Its authors claim history has proven one thing: when it comes to economic success, the left has had the upper hand.

Asian shares rose and the euro steadied Friday after the European Central Bank outlined its bond-buying scheme to help calm the euro zone's debt crisis, while firm U.S. data fed speculation of a strong jobs report later in the day.

In the wake of a strike that left 34 platinum miners dead after clashes with police, South African unions continued to refuse to work, disrupting production of the metal in the country that accounts for 75 percent of global exports and spilling over to impact gold miners.

China has unveiled plans to build dozens of new subway and inner-city rail transit links, data from the country's top economic planning agency show, in a new move to stimulate its slowing economy.

Emirates, the world’s largest airline by international passenger traffic, has agreed to a revenue-sharing pact with Qantas Airways Ltd. (Sydney: QAN), Australia's largest airline and the oldest continually operated airline in the world, leaving Emirates' former partner British Airways out in the cold.

An ADP report that private sector job creation topped analyst expectations by nearly a third has economists taking a second look at their, perhaps too negative, predictions, about what Friday's U.S. jobs report from the Labor Department will show.

Surprisingly strong U.S. job creation last month is forcing some, though not all, analysts to adopt a more upbeat outlook for growth prospects in the world's largest economy.

On-duty Greek riot police clashed with a small contingent of colleagues on strike Thursday in an event that put an emotional climax to a week of protest in Greece.

Gold futures blew past the $1700-per-ounce mark early Thursday morning ahead of a widely-anticipated appearance by European Central Bank president Mario Draghi where the central bank head was expected to announce further monetary accommodation in the eurozone.

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi said Thursday the “euro is irreversible” and announced a new bond-buying plan “Outright Monetary Transactions,” or OMTs, aimed at lowering the struggling euro zone countries’ borrowing costs which would serve as a “fully effective backstop.”

The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week to its lowest level in a month, an upbeat signal for a labor market that has struggled to create enough jobs.

Nokia Corp, Telefonica, ABB Ltd, Procter & Gamble, ArcelorMittal, Facebook, Abercrombie & Fitch, Citigroup and Groupon Inc are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Thursday.

The stakes are high. Friday's August jobs report will be the last major data point for the Federal Reserve to consider ahead of the Sept. 12-13 FOMC meeting.

Asian stock markets advanced Thursday as market participants awaited the European Central Bank (ECB) policy decision meeting later in the day.

The U.S. stock index futures point to a higher open Thursday as investor sentiment was underpinned by the expectation that the European Central Bank would announce stimulus measures to ease the euro zone debt burden.

European markets rose Thursday on hopes ahead of the European Central Bank meeting where the bank is expected to announce policy measures to boost the euro zone economy and revive growth momentum.

The top after-market Nasdaq gainers Wednesday were Amyris Inc, Theravance Inc, KiOR Inc, Mitcham Industries Inc and TechTarget Inc. The top after-market Nasdaq losers were Cross Country Healthcare Inc, Warner Chilcott plc, SeaChange International Inc, Conn's and ZAGG Inc.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Wednesday were AAR Corp, Men's Wearhouse, Heckmann Corp, OM Group and Aeroflex Holding Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were VeriFone Systems, First Bancorp, Sealed Air Corp, Cooper Tire & Rubber and Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P.

South Korea's economic growth slowed down to 0.3 percent in the second quarter this year compared to previous three months, weighed down by the faltering global economy and the intensifying debt crisis in the euro zone, revised data released by the Bank of Korea Thursday showed.

The finance and oil ministries are lobbying for an increase in prices of diesel, kerosene and LPG, warning cabinet colleagues that time is running out to avert a fiscal disaster and a sovereign credit downgrade to junk by global ratings agencies.

Most of the Asian markets rose Thursday as investors remained hopeful that the European Central Bank would announce stimulus measures soon to help boost the euro zone economic growth.

X-rays indicated that the diamond is trapped in his gullet and might be very difficult to extricate.

Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine, which now owns the Motorola brand, refreshed its product line with three new members of the Razr brand line in a bid to recapture past success. They’re the first major new lines since Google completed the $12.5 billion acquisition of the former Motorola Mobility in May.

Chile retained its top spot among Latin American economies as the most economically competitive nation, while its neighbor to the east continued falling, according to a report from the World Economic Forum, which hosts the annual economic summit in Davos, Switzerland.