ECONOMY & MARKETS

Asian markets declined this week on increasing concerns about China's economic slowdown and Greece possibly exiting the euro zone.

Spain's Bankia S.A. requested the country's government provide it with a bailout worth ?19 billion ($24 billion) on Friday, the same day Standard & Poor's Ratings Services said it lowered its ratings on five financial institutions based in the Iberian nation.

You can't blame investors for feeling a bit squeamish regarding deploying new money in the U.S. stock market these days, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average?s (DJIA) recent slide from 13,300 to 12,450 unnerving even the most experienced institutional investors. Where?s the market headed in the next six months?

Sam Zell, the Chicago real-estate mogul, has become so well-known for feasting on distressed assets that he's been called the grave dancer. This week, Zell took the nickname to the next level: He's about to receive $70 million from a ghost.

Investing in Brazil's booming economy has turned another page as foreign companies, especially Japanese firms, move from putting money into the nation's financial industry to putting it into the real economy of South America's largest nation.

Renesas Electronics (Tokyo: 6723), one of Japan's biggest chip-makers, could fire as many as 30 percent of those on its payroll, or 14,000 workers.

U.S. equities closed a moderately green week with a moderately red day on Friday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 74.92 points, or 0.60 percent, to 12,454.83, the S&P 500 index dropped 2.86 points, or 0.22 percent, to 1,317.82, and the Nasdaq Composite index dipped 1.85 points, or 0.07 percent, to 2,837.53.

French and German consumer confidence showed unexpected strength, reports showed Friday. While the market is cheering about the good news, some economists view this as a warning sign of a euro zone crisis fatigue - something that is as dangerous, if not more so than the crisis itself.

However, it remains far from certain that the Scottish public even wants independence.

Consumer sentiment rose to its highest level in more than four years in May as Americans stayed optimistic about the job market, while higher income households expected to see bigger wage increases, a survey released on Friday showed.

The CEO of a New York commercial mortgage company sold his personal condo at 15 Central Park West, one of the most expensive buildings in the world, for $23.3 million, according to city records filed Friday.

Bankia, Spain's fourth largest bank, reportedly asked for the suspension ahead of a board meeting on Friday afternoon aimed at redrawing its accounts for 2011 and submitting a plan to bolster its finances.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trade Friday are: Frontline Ltd, EMC Corporation, Deutsche Bank AG, SAP AG, Carnival Corporation, Wells Fargo & Company and BHP Billiton Limited.

U.S. mortgages rates have dropped to record lows for four consecutive weeks, but that doesn't mean more homes will be sold. In fact, at least one housing expert argues that extremely low rates are causing banks to be even more stringent with underwriting approvals, turning away more prospective buyers and hurting the national housing market.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a higher opening Friday ahead of the Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index and Inflation Expectation survey.

Bombay Stock Exchange Sensex started on a negative note Friday and was trading in the red in the morning session.

Asian markets fell Friday on increasing concerns about China?s economic slowdown and Greece exiting the euro zone.

Global stocks eked out gains on Thursday while the euro fell as data suggested Europe's debt woes were spreading and worsening a global economic slowdown.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City said Thursday that manufacturing growth in the Midwest and part of the Rocky Mountain region rebounded in May and that firms were more optimistic than in previous months.

GPEI warned that failure to eradicate polio could lead to as many as 200,000 paralyzed children a year across the globe.

U.S. 30-year fixed mortgage rates dropped to 3.78 percent in the week ending May 24, down slightly from 3.79 percent in the previous week, mortgage financier Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Anti-tobacco advocates in Indonesia plan to file a class action lawsuit this month using cases of child addicts in the hope of forcing tougher regulations on a society where one in three people smokes.

The number of Americans lining up for new jobless benefits fell slightly last week to 370,000, but remained above levels posted earlier this year, the Labor Department said Thursday. While matching economists' forecasts, the figure suggests improvement in the labor market is stalling.

Asian stocks closed mixed Thursday on weak Chinese manufacturing data, while European shares rose and U.S. futures pointed to a higher opening on hope that a U.S. durables goods report for April will be strong.

The companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Thursday are: Hewlett-Packard Company, Activision Blizzard Inc, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., Arch Coal Inc., Aviva Plc, Siemens AG and China Telecom Corporation Limited.

Futures on major U.S. indices point to a lower opening Thursday ahead of initial jobless claims and durable orders data.

Asian markets fell Thursday on increasing concerns about the debt crisis looming over the euro zone as national leaders were unable to present specific steps to overcome the situation in Europe.

U.S. stocks cut losses late in Wednesday's trading session, with two key indexes barely squeaking into positive territory on the strength of surging commodities prices and the shares of companies that produce them.

As soils, freshwater, oceans, forests and biodiversity are being rapidly degraded and climate change puts more pressure on the resources, it is time to rethink how we grow, share and consume our food.