GLOBAL MARKETS

Brent crude neared $109 Tuesday as fighting in Libya continued and in anticipation of a fall in U.S. crude stockpiles.

Hong Kong shares had edged lower by midday on Monday, giving up earlier gains, as investors sold shares of companies that reported weak or even forecast-meeting half-year results, underscoring weak risk appetite, with more volatility expected.

China shares in Shanghai and Hong Kong fell on Monday as investors hammered companies reporting weak or forecast-meeting results, while a late jump in HSBC helped the Hang Seng index offset some of those losses and end higher.

China's crude imports from Russia in July plunged 45 percent from a year earlier to 615,193 tonnes, or 144,870 barrels per day (bpd), the lowest level in several years, customs data showed on Monday.

Shares of Macau casino operators slumped on Monday on worries of weakening demand from wealthy Chinese consumers, the main players in the world's largest gambling market, leading investors to sell stocks that have hit record highs in the past few months.

Stocks closed moderately higher today. Compared to the past week, we won’t complain about any advance in the market – however small.

Economist Kevin Depew lists five important things to look for leading up to this week’s Fed conference.

Peter E. Greulich documents Thomas J. Watson, Sr.’s founding leadership that enabled IBM to grow for a century in ‘The World’s Greatest Salesman: An IBM Caretaker’s Perspective, Looking Back’

She can show the president how to make $17.5 million in one weekend.

The Nigerian naira fell to its weakest in almost two months against the U.S. dollar on the interbank market on Monday after the central bank removed restrictions on the amount of dollars lenders could sell to bureaux de change.

South Africa's government bonds took a breather on Monday, with yields coming off record lows as some dealers cashed in their holdings after a strong rally last week.

Bachmann continues to pound away at Obama’s weak handling of the economy.

Car dealers in the United Arab Emirates are trying to get around strict new regulations created by the Gulf nation’s Central Bank that require car buyers to put 20 percent down on every purchase.

The stock market inched back up this morning as bargain hunters scoured the Big Board for victims of last week’s crash.

With the U.S. recovery having slowed considerably, and Europe debt woes persisting, investors will look to Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's Jackson Hole, Wyo. speech later this week to provide clues regarding the central bank's evaluation of the economy, and at what point it thinks additional stimulus would be needed.

Sales of the Chevrolet Suburban in the Middle East and North Africa have increased by 34 percent in the first seven months of 2011 compared to the same period in 2010.

The Cadillac Converj Concept, a luxury coupe with extended-range electric vehicle technology, is moving forward as a production car that will be called the Cadillac ELR.

Hurricane Irene hits Puerto Rico and approaches Florida, rebels take over Libya's capital, charges may be dropped against Dominique Strauss-Kahn and more in Monday's daily scoop.

Now that her wedding is over, Kim Kardashian might do the nation a favor and advise Obama on how to get the country out of its economic slump.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.61 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.55 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.73 percent at 3:44 a.m. EDT.

The top after-market NYSE gainers on Friday are: Frontline, Weatherford International, CBL & Associates Properties, iSoftStone Holdings and Strategic Hotels & Resorts. The top after-market NYSE losers are: Royal Bank Scotland Group, Accretive Health, Yanzhou Coal Mining Co, Clean Harbors and Liz Claiborne.

Brent crude dropped more than $3 on Monday to below $106 a barrel, while U.S. oil fell more than a dollar to below $82, on the potential for a resumption of exports from OPEC-member Libya as a six-month civil war there appeared close to an end.

European stocks extended four weeks of losses on Monday, tracking jittery Asian shares lower, while gold shot to new highs as investors worried about the sluggish U.S. economic outlook and Europe's festering debt crisis.

Brent crude dropped by more than $2 on Monday to around $106 a barrel on the potential for a resumption of exports from OPEC member Libya as a six-month civil war there appeared close to an end.

Asian stocks turned positive on Monday, recovering a small portion of last week's steep losses, while gold shot to new highs as investors worried about the sluggish U.S. economic outlook and Europe's debt crisis.

In early summer, before layoffs began sweeping across Wall Street, billboard-sized photos of employees were plastered on the walls, pillars and elevator banks of Credit Suisse Group AG's offices in the United States and abroad.

To say it's been a discomforting summer for U.S. stock investors would be an understatement. The Dow has been on a wild ride, with large market drops followed by sudden reversals. Look for market choppiness to continue until investors determine whether the Fed's latest monetary policy decision will be enough to rev-up U.S. GDP growth.

Large banks in the U.S. and Europe are undergoing a massive and painful re-organization in order to confront the gloomy new realities of the global economic landscape.

Shares of business development companies have plummeted during the stock market crash and currently trade at 80 percent of their net asset value.