MARKETS / FINANCE

The Bank of Japan eased monetary policy by boosting asset purchases on Thursday at a rate review that was cut short by a day, signaling its determination to support Tokyo's solo currency intervention to weaken the yen.

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

The yen tumbled on Thursday as Japanese authorities intervened to curb its recent gains, though gold stayed near a record high on uncertainty over whether the European Central Bank would join the fray by resuming bond purchases to fight a crisis of confidence.

Web.com, an online provider of Internet services for small and medium-sized businesses, has agreed to pay about $560 million for privately held marketing and domain company Network Solutions.

Corporate America is not likely to punish Republicans who ignored their pleas and voted against a bill to raise the U.S. debt ceiling, looking to court them for bigger fights ahead, according to business lobbyists.

The U.S. Postal Service, like much of the U.S. Government these days, is in belt-tightening mode. What's that mean for your local post office?

Google Inc, fresh off losing a bid to buy thousands of valuable patents from bankrupt Nortel, accused its biggest rivals on Wednesday of banding together to block the Internet giant in the red-hot smartphone arena.

Is there oil statistic that can provide a rough "report card" on the U.S. economy and its outlook? Indeed there is.

The Swiss franc fell from record highs on Wednesday after the Swiss National Bank shocked the market with an interest rate cut, but the retreat should prove fleeting given mounting concerns about global growth.

Activision Blizzard, the biggest U.S. video game publisher, raised its earnings outlook as a strategy of focusing on a few key titles seemed to be paying off, boosting its shares more than 2 percent.

Stocks bounced from earlier losses on Wednesday, looking to break a seven-day run of declines as technology shares gained ground .

Former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Donald Kohn said on Wednesday the Fed might need to give serious consideration to further easing if the economy weakens more than expected and underlying inflation comes down.

Is there one statistic that can provide a quick-read on the U.S. economy's health and outlook? Indeed there is: it's the price of oil.

Avista Capital Partners and Cinven are among four private equity firms bidding for Thomson Reuters Corp's trade and risk management software business, Kondor, people close to the matter said.

The United States has a jobs problem and there's not a lot President Barack Obama or Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke can do about it.

The S&P 500 index rose on Wednesday, snapping a seven-day losing streak, but worries about the economy kept investors jittery and trading volatile.

Garmin Ltd's efforts to revive waning sales of its once popular personal navigation devices will only bear fruit in the second half of next year, as many consumers have turned to free navigation apps on their smartphones and tablets.

Big media companies reported strong results but a bleak economic outlook has investors worried over whether they can deliver again in the face of high unemployment and slumping U.S. consumer spending.

A downgrade to the U.S. sovereign credit rating could open up a new world of pain for the dollar.

Two former top officials at the Federal Reserve conditionally endorsed a further round of bond buying by the U.S. central bank to spur a flagging economic recovery, the Wall Street Journal said on Wednesday.

As Brazil watches much of the so-called rich world struggle with debt crises, it can take some solace in the likelihood that its growing ties with China should shield it from the worst aftershocks.

MasterCard Inc said second-quarter profit jumped 33 percent, as inflation in the United States lifted spending volume and more international consumers used debit and credit cards.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin did not mince words describing the United States' conduct during the debt deal crisis. Putin did, however, recognize that the United States, in the end, had the common sense to do the right end.

The pace of growth in the services sector ticked down unexpectedly in July to the lowest level since February 2010 and the number of jobs created by the private sector also slowed, reports showed on Wednesday.

Private equity firm KKR & Co reported lower-than-expected second-quarter earnings on Wednesday as investment income declined and the value of its investments rose less than the previous year, sending its shares lower.

Britain's electronic spy agency told Reuters on Wednesday a report disclosing unprecedented cyber raids demonstrated the need for an international shared understanding of acceptable online activity that could boost trade and social development.

Moody's Investors Service said it may cut its ratings on Bank of New York Mellon Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co over the next 18 months, saying the banks might get less U.S. government support in the future.

Service sector growth slowed in July but stayed above a level indicative of growth, the Institute for Supply Management said on Wednesday.

With financial markets in turmoil and economic growth slowing, policymakers around the world may once again be forced to cooperate to try to head off a crisis, as they did successfully in 2008-2009. But this time, they have fewer good options.