MARKETS / FINANCE

Brisk agricultural, plastic and electronic sales helped Dow Chemical Co, post a better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit, with earnings from joint ventures in the glass and energy sectors particularly strong.

Major U.S. retailers shrugged off the snowiest January in six years to post sales that blew past analyst expectations, easing concerns that consumers were all spent out after the holidays.

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Wall Street tumbled on Thursday as concerns over increasing disorder in Egypt and signs of exhaustion in the recent market rally weighed on investor sentiment.

New U.S. claims for unemployment benefits dropped more than expected last week, a government report showed on Thursday, pointing to continued gradual improvement in the labor market.

Growth in the U.S. services sector in January was the fastest in more than five years, another sign the economy started the new year on a solid footing, with measures of employment showing some strength.

BJ's Wholesale Club Inc said it may put itself up for sale, under pressure from a private equity firm that may make a hostile bid.

MasterCard Inc's fourth-quarter profit soared 41 percent, beating expectations, as consumers around the world spent more money using credit and debit cards.

Spot gold was bid at $1,328.05 an ounce at 1300 GMT, against $1,336.00 late in New York on Wednesday. U.S. gold futures for April delivery fell $3.90 to $1,328.20. Concerns over the fallout from unrest in Egypt, where six people were killed after supporters of president Hosni Mubarak opened fire on protestors overnight, have underpinned prices, but have not sparked fresh investment, analysts said.

U.S. stocks opened slightly lower on Thursday as investors weighed hints of an improving economy against increasing disorder in Egypt and signs pointing to an end to the recent rally.

Bond rating company Moody's Corp posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and gave a favorable outlook for 2011 as its ratings business benefited from the uptick in debt issuance.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates at 1 percent as forecast on Thursday, ahead of its policy statement where it is expected to repeat its recent inflation warning but signal that a rate rise is not imminent.

MasterCard Inc's fourth-quarter profit soared 41 percent, beating expectations, as consumers around the world spent more money using credit and debit cards.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc , operator of the W and Sheraton hotels, posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit, helped by increased revenue per available room in North America and Asia Pacific.

U.S. stock index futures edged lower on Thursday as investors weighed the prospects of some solid U.S. economic data against increasing discord in Egypt and worries that a rally that may be losing steam.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Thursday as investors weighed the prospects of some solid U.S. economic data against increasing discord in Egypt and worries that a rally that may be losing steam.

Ratings agency Standard & Poor's does not have any plans to downgrade the U.S. sovereign debt rating, but it believes credit risk may increase in the long term, a senior official at the agency said on Thursday.

Deutsche Bank rejoined on Thursday the uphill battle to convince analysts it can reach its ambitious 2011 targets, even after packing a raft of restructuring charges into its 2010 figures.

Shell disappointed investors on Thursday with below-forecast fourth-quarter profit, with concerns over its refining business overshadowing a sharp rise driven by higher oil prices.

Deutsche Bank said it remained confident it would meet 2011 targets after packing a raft of restructuring charges into fourth-quarter earnings.

The European Central Bank is expected to send a strong signal on Thursday that it is ready to tackle building euro zone inflation pressures but refrain from indicating interest rate increases are imminent.

Deutsche Bank said it remained confident it would meet 2011 targets after packing a raft of restructuring charges into fourth-quarter earnings.

Stock index futures pointed to a quiet open for Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones up 0.1 percent, and Nasdaq futures down 0.1 percent at 4:34 a.m. ET.

World stocks fell and oil surged above $103 a barrel on Thursday as violence in Egypt escalated, adding to concerns about inflationary pressures which could threaten the global economic recovery.

Deutsche Bank said it remained confident it would meet 2011 targets after packing a raft of restructuring charges into fourth-quarter earnings.

Oil prices surged past $103 on Thursday as pro-democracy protests in Egypt turned violent, while commodities markets raced even higher, adding to worries of mounting inflationary pressures could threaten the global economic recovery.

Prosecutors assisted by whistleblowers are widening an investigation into whether banks overcharged public pension funds in the United States by tens of millions of dollars for foreign-exchange transactions, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Japanese stocks eased on Thursday as escalating violence in Egypt prompted investors to move to safer assets, while commodities extended their recent gains, underscoring growing inflationary pressures that could threaten the global economic recovery.

Private equity-backed pipeline company Kinder Morgan is expected to file terms for its initial public offering before U.S. markets open on Thursday, a source familiar with the situation said.