MARKETS / FINANCE

HTC is hurrying with its smartphones—HTC Thunderbolt, HTC Sensation and EVO 3D, while iPhone 5 is stuck with the cacophony of rumors and Samsung Galaxy SII is yet to spread wild.

Apple’s iPhone5 is expected to be released around September, while Samsung’s Hercules is rumored to make its first appearance in August.

The U.S. dollar rose from the day's lows on a broad bout of short covering on Tuesday while Asian stocks pulled back slightly from a one-month high as some investors took profits from their recent rally.

The accounting troubles and short-seller attacks plaguing Chinese companies have spared few industries, though one sector appears to be a common target.

Asian stocks were steady near one-month highs on Tuesday as market players took a breather after five consecutive days of gains while the Australian dollar slipped ahead of a policy meeting of the country's central bank.

Tokyo Stock Exchange has proposed a tender offer for Osaka Securities Exchange Co <8697.OS>, Japan's Asahi newspaper reported on Tuesday, as the two bourses proceed in merger talks aimed at surviving a wave of industry consolidation.

Hackers took control of a FoxNews.com Twitter account on Monday and sent six false tweets saying that U.S. President Barack Obama had been shot dead, prompting an investigation by the Secret Service.

Bailouts of Europe's debt-stricken countries face a legal challenge on Tuesday as Germany's top court begins hearing a lawsuit against German contributions to the rescues of Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

Greece would likely be in default if it follows a debt rollover plan pushed by French banks, S&P warned on Monday, deepening the pain of a bailout that one European official said will cost Athens sovereignty and jobs.

Ireland's finance minister signaled on Monday that the government would make a larger budgetary adjustment of 4 billion euros ($5.8 billion) in 2012 despite being confident of meeting this year's fiscal goals under an EU-IMF bailout.

Over the past two years, Ford Motor Co has roared back from the brink of failure, won accolades for its gains in quality, posted its highest profits in a decade and rewarded patient investors with a 14-fold increase in its share price.

Moody's is not involved in talks on a Greek debt rollover plan and will only make its views known once there is a final decision on it, the ratings firm said on Monday after Standard and Poor's warned about the plan.

European Union rules to tighten derivatives rules won't be agreed until at least the early autumn, as a global crackdown on the opaque sector faces delays on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Google+ app for iOS is set for release later this year.

World stocks hit a 4-1/2 week high on Monday as investors grew confident over global economic prospects after Greece avoided an early debt default and data pointed to a moderate slowdown in China's growth.

- Hundreds of bankers will lose their jobs over coming weeks, victims of what senior bosses say is likely to be an industry-wide culling of staff in response to a sharp downturn in demand for trading and investment banking services.

World stocks hit a 4-1/2 week high on Monday as investors grew confident over global economic prospects after Greece avoided an early debt default and data pointed to a moderate slowdown in China's growth.

Private equity real estate funds focused on the North American property market hogged the lion's share of the $11.2 billion raised by those with a final close in the second quarter of 2011, research firm Preqin said.

Nearly 10 percent of European insurers would need to raise fresh capital in the event of a severe economic shock accompanied by a plunge in share prices, tumbling interest rates, and a property market crash, European insurance regulator EIOPA said on Monday.

Bank of America Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co have started modifying tens of thousands of mortgages where the banks deem the loans especially risky, even if the borrowers have not asked, the New York Times reported on Sunday.

World stocks hit a 4-1/2 week high Monday as investors grew confident over global economic prospects after Greece avoided an early debt default and data pointed to a moderate slowdown in China's growth.

Reserve-rich Asia can afford to turn on the government spending taps should a recent bout of sluggish economic growth deteriorate into a deeper downturn.

The London Stock Exchange should consider a tie-up with Nasdaq OMX to secure its place as a global competitor, after its failed bid for Canadian group TMX made it vulnerable as a takeover target, investors and market participants said.

Apple’s anticipated smartphone is expected sometime in October but nothing is certain for now.

Shares in Australia's Treasury Wine Estates Ltd surged 11 percent to a record on Monday, valuing the world's second-largest winemaker at $2.6 billion, following a report that China's Bright Food Group was considering a bid for the company.

Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa said the world economy continues to recover albeit at a slower pace, taking a slightly more cautious view on global growth as signs of a slowdown spread to emerging economies.

China's central bank pledged on Monday to keep its prudent policy to wrestle inflation under control, but signaled some concerns over slowing growth by stressing policy stability.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have designed a new procedure to correctly predict the behavior of players in online role-playing games.

Asian equities climbed a fifth consecutive session on Monday, led by Chinese stocks, though the euro turned lower after ratings agency S&P warned that any rollover of Greek's debt would constitute a default.