GLOBAL MARKETS

Stock index futures rose on Monday, boosted by takeover news in the telecommunications sector and before a report on manufacturing activity that could give clues on the outlook for profits.

Risks for the already sluggish performance of emerging debt markets this year are on the rise as liquidity starts to dry up this week, leaving investors warier of risky assets, which have already been shaken up by the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis.

Japanese government bond futures rose to a three-week high on Monday after the Bank of Japan's June tankan survey generally matched forecasts, reinforcing market views that a rate hike could come as early as August.

Euroyen futures gave up early gains on Monday after the Bank of Japan's June tankan survey generally matched forecasts, reinforcing market views that the central bank may raise interest rates as early as August.

Shares of Research in Motion surged to a 3 ½ year high on Friday, a day after the Blackberry maker posted a quarterly profit that beat Wall Street expectations.

Investors are hoping the coming week brings some answers to the question of whether an improving U.S. economy unleashes inflationary forces, and one place to look will be in the June payrolls data.

U.S. stocks fell on Friday as banks and brokers retreated on concerns about the impact of tightening credit on takeovers and the subprime mortgage industry.

Central bank holdings of U.S. dollars continue to mount, despite talk of diversification into other currencies, but questions remain about the sustainability of the rise in dollar reserves.

Shares of NewWest Gold Corp. soared more than 30 percent on Friday, after NewWest and Fronteer Development Group said late on Thursday that Fronteer may buy the Nevada-focused gold explorer in a share swap.

Scared by losses at two hedge funds that invested in securities backed by home loans, investors in securities backed by mortgages, junk bonds, and other assets are demanding more protection for the first time in years.

Shares of Office Depot Inc. fell nearly 5 percent on Friday, a day after the office supplies retailer said a soft U.S. economy will hurt its domestic sales and quarterly earnings.

In a sign of the growing influence that restaurants have on how and where consumers spend their money, a major retail trade group has included for the first time six restaurant companies on its list of the top 100 retailers, released on Friday.

Shares of Apple Inc. and AT&T Inc. firmed more than 1 percent on Friday ahead of the release of the iPhone, amid expectations of growing demand for advanced, multi-feature wireless devices.

The yen faced fresh losses on Friday, while bonds were flat as investors put this week's wave of risk aversion behind them, comforted by a relatively neutral statement from the Federal Reserve.

Stock futures eased on Friday suggesting a fall on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Thursday but flagged persistent price pressures, reducing the chances of a rate cut.

The dollar strengthened against the low-yielding yen on Friday after the Federal Reserve reiterated its concern over persistent price pressures, suggesting little chance of an interest rate cut soon.

Stock index futures pointed to a flat to slightly higher market open on Thursday ahead of a packed agenda that includes the latest interest-rate decision from the Federal Reserve.

The yen's three-day rally fizzled out on Thursday as a rebound in stocks eased concerns about the U.S. high-risk mortgage market and prompted investors to borrow the Japanese currency again to fund carry trades.

World stocks regained composure on Thursday after an almost week-long sell-off and the yen's rally fizzled out as investors dipped their toe back into risky assets, encouraged by a rebound on Wall Street.

Shares in Swiss-based food group Nestle surged on Thursday following a broker upgrade and after L'Oreal, the French cosmetics firm in which Nestle owns 21 percent, said it would pursue a share buyback plan.

Stocks rose on Wednesday as investors snapped up beaten-down shares after a three-day slide and a nearly 2 percent jump in oil prices boosted demand for energy companies.

The commodity market bubble could burst at some stage and prices will tumble if the dollar stabilizes and China's banking system hits trouble, a fund manager told a conference on Wednesday.

Risk aversion triggered by troubles with U.S. mortgage securities rippled across financial markets on Wednesday, depressing European and Asian stocks and boosting safe haven government bonds.

Stock index futures indicated a lower open on Wednesday on concern over a rising Japanese yen, a signal that free-flowing liquidity that has fueled gains in global equity markets could dry up.

Spanish utility Iberdrola said on Wednesday it will raise about 3.4 billion euros ($4.6 billion) in a share issue to fund its $4.5 billion cash purchase of U.S. power supply company Energy East.

China's parliament began reviewing the proposed issuance of 1.55 trillion yuan in bonds to buy about $200 billion in foreign exchange that would fund the start-up of the country's new sovereign wealth management fund, Xinhua news agency reported on Wednesday.

Blackstone Group LP units slid 5.2 percent on Tuesday, closing below the $31 price the private equity giant fetched in its initial public offering last week, as investors fretted the private equity boom may have peaked.

Stocks closed down for a third session on Tuesday as higher bond yields raised concerns about borrowing costs and more fallout from the subprime mortgage market kept investors on edge.

Stocks closed down for a third session on Tuesday as higher bond yields raised concerns about borrowing costs and more fallout from the subprime mortgage market kept investors on edge.