GLOBAL MARKETS

Italy's technocratic government approved ?4.5 billion ($5.58 billion) in spending cuts for this year aimed at slashing the size of Italy's bloated public sector and delaying a new tax increase until after the first half of 2013.

Golar LNG, Xyratex Ltd, Silvercorp Metals, Silver Wheaton, Seagate Technology, Western Digital Corp, Banco Santander SA and eBay Inc. are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Friday.

U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly lower open Friday as the interest rate cuts announced by central banks in Europe and China on Thursday failed to convince investors that the measures will be sufficient to rejuvenate the struggling global economy.

Asian stock markets declined Friday as investors remained cautious ahead of U.S. employment data due later in the day while major central bank?s actions to stimulate the global economy failed to calm market jitters.

European markets fell Friday as investors were not encouraged by the rate cuts announced by central banks.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Thursday were: Vanceinfo Technologies, Denbury Resources, Patriot Coal, McMoRan Exploration and First Tennessee National Corp. The top after-market NYSE losers were: iSoftStone Holdings, Teradata Corp, Leapfrog Enterprises, Hexcel Corp and Kronos Worldwide Inc.

Asian markets fell Friday as central bank measures in Europe and China could not allay investor concerns about the intensifying debt crisis looming over the euro zone and the worsening global economic downturn.

Elan Corp, SXC Health Solutions, Micron Technology, Thompson Creek Metals, Alcoa, Veolia Environnement and Nokia and Logitech International are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Thursday.

U.S. stock index futures point to a slightly lower opening Thursday ahead of a crucial European Central Bank meeting in Frankfurt where a cut in interest rates is likely to be announced.

Asian stock markets declined Thursday as market participants remained cautious ahead of the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England's (BOE) policy decision meetings later in the day.

European markets fell Thursday as investors remained watchful ahead of a meeting of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt where the bank will take a decision on interest rates.

Oil prices remained near $87 a barrel during Asian trading hours Thursday as investors were awaiting the key monetary decisions from the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England.

Asian markets fell Thursday with the revival of investor concerns about the euro zone?s debt crisis intensifying and the economic downturn deepening.

Asian stock markets mostly advanced Wednesday on hopes that major central banks around the world would act to tackle the deteriorating global economic conditions.

Indian stock markets were trading slightly lower Wednesday as declines from oil & gas and IT sector shares outweighed the gains in metal and realty sectors.

European markets fell Wednesday, but investors continued to expect that the central banks would coordinate to announce stimulus measures to regain the growth momentum.

Crude oil futures declined during Asian trading hours Wednesday after surging in the previous session on renewed tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

Though China's services activity grew in June, it declined to a ten-month low, according to the HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) released Wednesday.

Asian markets rose Wednesday as investors continued to be hopeful that central banks all over the world would soon announce stimulus measures to tackle the weakening global economy.

Asian stock markets advanced Tuesday as weak economic reports from around the world boosted hopes for stimulus measures from major central banks globally.

Crude oil futures advanced Tuesday on fears that growing tensions between Iran and the West may threaten crude supplies from the Middle East.

European markets rose Tuesday amid expectation that central banks around the world would coordinate to announce stimulus measures to rejuvenate the global economic growth.

The top after-market NYSE gainers Monday were: BPZ Resources, Endeavor International, InvenSense, Radian Group and Synovus Financial. The top after-market NYSE losers were: Overseas Shipholding Group, Mueller Water Products, Capital Senior Living, Boise Inc and Phillips 66.

Asian markets rose Tuesday as investor confidence was boosted by expectation for stimulus measures from central banks globally.

Brightpoint, Lincare Holdings, Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Barclays, Nokia Corp, Verizon Communications, Tata Motors and Dollar Tree are among the companies whose shares are moving in pre-market trading Monday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open Monday as investor sentiment turned positive with indications of improvement in business conditions in Asia and also continued optimism on the measures taken at the EU summit.

Asian Stock markets ended flat Monday as the optimism over Europe's moves to tackle the region's debt crisis faded and lackluster data from China also weighed.

Most European markets rose Monday as investors were encouraged by the hopeful economic indications from Asia and also the measures taken at the EU summit last week.

Crude oil futures declined during Asian trading hours Monday after reporting their biggest one-day price surge in three years in the previous session as a breakthrough in the European Union summit in Brussels boosted sentiment.