EQUITIES

Stock index futures rose on Friday with markets hopeful that debt-laden Italy will implement tough austerity measures crucial to avoid a euro zone meltdown.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Friday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.6 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.4 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.7 percent at 0924 GMT (4:24 a.m ET).

Lenders plan to meet Japan's scandal-hit Olympus Corp as early as next week to negotiate more security over their loans as the company moves to the brink of delisting from the stock market, the Nikkei newspaper said Friday.

Stocks bounced back on Thursday from the previous session's steep losses as investors latched onto positive corporate and economic news, in the absence of a clear worsening in Europe's debt crisis.

Viacom Inc's quarterly revenue and profit rose, beating estimates, due mainly to the success of the Paramount film Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

U.S. stocks rose on Thursday, rebounding from the previous day's steep losses on positive corporate news, but trading was choppy as nervous investors reacted to headlines painting a mixed picture of Europe's debt crisis.

Stocks edged up on Thursday, rebounding from Wednesday's steep losses, but trading was choppy as nervous investors reacted to headlines painting a mixed picture of Europe's debt crisis.

Stocks steadied on Thursday as the European Central Bank's purchase of Italian bonds helped calm markets queasy over the euro zone debt crisis.

Stocks rebounded on Thursday, a day after the S&P 500 suffered its worst day since mid-August as Italian bond yields eased.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday, indicating the S&P 500 may bounce back from its worst day since mid-August as Italian bond yields eased.

Stocks were poised for a higher open on Thursday, indicating the S&P 500 will bounce back from its worst day since mid-August as Italian bond yields eased.

World stocks hit a three-week low and the euro tumbled across the board while top-rated government bonds rallied on Thursday as fears of a break-up of the euro zone gathered pace ahead of a key debt sale in Italy.

Stocks tumbled 3 percent on Wednesday in the market's worst day since mid-August as a spike in Italian bond yields signaled the European debt crisis had worsened.

Stocks tumbled 3 percent on Wednesday in the market's worst day since mid-August as a spike in Italian bond yields signaled the European debt crisis had worsened.

Stocks tumbled 3 percent on Wednesday in the market's worst day since mid-August as a spike in Italian bond yields signaled the European debt crisis had worsened.

Stocks tumbled 3 percent on Wednesday in the market's worst day since mid-August as a spike in Italian bond yields signaled the European debt crisis had worsened.

Cisco Systems Inc is normally a turbulent stock after earnings, but the options market is not expecting a wild ride following its results after the close on Wednesday.

Stocks tumbled 3 percent on Wednesday, erasing gains for the week so far, as a spike in Italian bond yields fanned worries about contagion in the European debt crisis.

Stocks fell about 2 percent on Wednesday as a spike in Italian bond yields heightened fears the debt crisis in Europe was spreading.

The New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Amex Cash Markets on Wednesday invoked a rule to smooth trading at the market open as futures tumbled following a spike in Italian bond yields.

Stock index futures tumbled on Wednesday as a spike in Italian bond yields fueled fears the country will need a bailout, ratcheting up the region's debt crisis to another level.

Stock futures pointed to a weaker open for equities on Wall Street on Wednesday, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 down 0.5 to 0.6 percent.

Political changes at the top of two of the euro zone's most troublesome economies boosted world stocks on Wednesday as investors bet that new brooms may help ease the currency bloc's debt crisis.

Digital entertainment technology firm Rovi Corp reported fourth-quarter revenue that missed market expectations as sales at its consumer software business fell 16 percent, sending its shares down by more than a fifth in extended trade.

Stocks closed higher on Tuesday for a second day in a row as late-day news about Europe sparked an afternoon rally that erased early weakness.

Stocks rose on Tuesday on news that Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi would resign.

Stocks were little changed in choppy trade on Tuesday after a key vote in Italy's parliament clouded the political future of Prime Minster Silvio Berlusconi and raised the stakes in the European debt crisis.

The average Wall Street bonus will decline by 20 percent to 30 percent this year, according to a closely watched compensation report, as banks cut costs and lay off workers in a weak environment for trading and deal-making.

Stocks were set for a higher open on Tuesday as Italian lawmakers prepared for a crucial vote on public finances that marks the latest turn in the long-simmering euro zone debt crisis.