MARKETS / FINANCE

Stocks resumed their downward march on Thursday after a one-day reprieve with all three major indexes down more than 1 percent as a labor market report added to recent evidence the economy has lost momentum.

Investors fled stocks on Thursday, putting the S&P 500 into correction territory, on escalating worries about the U.S. economy and Europe.

NEW YORK, Aug 4 - Since spinning off from Man Group plc in 2007, MF Global has had a tough time of it. But after reporting its first profitable quarter in a year and pricing a difficult bond offering, the broker-dealer looks on its way to better days, thanks in part to one key appointment last year.

Mobile data revenue is expected to jump 23 percent this year thanks to increased usage of smartphones and tablets, as the number of global mobile connections passes 5 billion.

Italian prosecutors have seized documents at the offices of rating agencies Moody's and Standard & Poor's in a probe over suspected anomalous fluctuations in Italian share prices, a prosecutor said on Thursday.

Healthcare IT provider Emdeon Inc said it agreed to be taken private for $3 billion by private equity firm Blackstone.

A major new hacking attack underscores that governments and companies are losing the war against cyber thieves, but it's unclear if the disclosure will prompt quicker global action against online break-ins.

French online daily deals company Deal du Jour has complained about Google's business practices to EU antitrust regulators, the latest company to take its grievances about the web search giant to the European Commission.

New laims for unemployment benefits were little changed last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to a marginal improvement in the labor market.

The U.S. debt deal means that federal spending will now generate even less demand in the quarters ahead, in an economy that?s already weak, and with an unemployment rate at 9.2 percent. To say the Fed has been monitoring the situation would be an understatement.

Exchange operator NYSE Euronext on Thursday was hit by another glitch as it said the publication of all indexes based on European share markets was momentarily suspended.

Stocks dropped on Thursday, taking the S&P 500 down 10 percent from its May high, on escalating worries about the economy.

The European Central Bank resumed buying government bonds from the market and offered a new round of funding to commercial banks on Thursday in response to a worsening euro zone debt crisis.

The European Central Bank acted on Thursday to calm euro zone markets and throw a lifeline to Italy and Spain by announcing new steps to keep banks supplied with unlimited, longer-term funds and signaling it was buying government bonds.

Major stock indexes tumbled more than 1 percent at the open on Thursday, resuming their downturn after a labor market report became the latest datapoint to show the economy has stalled.

The U.S. Debt Deal crisis has claimed another casualty: the U.S. air transportation system -- Congress has left town without funding a key Federal Aviation Administration budget: as a result, 70,000 construction and related workers have been idled, and 4,000 furloughed, work on projects valued at $11 billion has been delayed.

The European Central Bank signaled on Thursday that it was buying government bonds in response to a deepening debt crisis as it also offered a new round of liquidity to banks.

Major stock indexes tumbled more than 1 percent at the open on Thursday, resuming their downturn after a labor market report became the latest datapoint to show the economy has stalled.

Wall Street equity futures pointed to a lower open on Thursday, indicating a resumption of its downturn after a labor market report became the latest datapoint to show the economy has stalled.

Japanese Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano pressed on Thursday for the Group of Seven or Group of 20 to hold talks on managing currency moves as Japan launched intervention to weaken the yen.

New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is not waiting for Congress to address long-standing social concerns: he's donating $30 million of his money to launch a new $127 million program to improve the lives of thousands of young black and Latino men, who are cut off from New York City's civic, educational, and economic life.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on the economy's health.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates at 1.5 percent as expected on Thursday, but may signal it is back in crisis mode at its upcoming news conference as the euro zone debt crisis continues to roil the bloc.

A stuttering economy and anemic profit growth means company bosses' pay is unlikely to rise as fast this year as in 2010, but complaints from politicians and disgruntled shareholders over executive rewards are not going away.

Wall Street equity futures fell on Thursday, indicating the market may resume its downturn after snapping a seven-day losing streak ahead of a report on the labor market that will give clues on economic health.

Japan intervened in the currency market and the central bank eased monetary policy on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the health of the global economy.

Japan sold one trillion yen ($12.5 billion) and loosened its monetary reins on Thursday, joining Switzerland in efforts to tame currencies buoyed by safe-haven demand from investors fretting about the deteriorating health of the global economy.

An economic slowdown and debt market turmoil mean the European Central Bank will probably hit 'pause' on its interest rate raising cycle for several months and may even signal on Thursday a readiness to buy bonds again.

Stock index futures pointed to a slightly weaker open on Wall Street on Thursday after a late recovery in the previous session, with futures for the S&P 500, for the Dow Jones and for the Nasdaq 100 all down 0.1 percent.