MARKETS / FINANCE

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has subpoenaed six more insurers as the state widens a probe into whether life insurance companies have defrauded families of deceased members of the military.

Social networking website Facebook Inc may postpone its initial public offering until 2012, Bloomberg said, citing three people familiar with the matter.

Aon Corp , the world's largest insurance brokerage, reported a market-beating quarterly profit, driven by recent acquisitions that offset a drop in commissions.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc is the bank many Americans love to hate, but one group just plain loves it: its employees.

The international community is pressuring the Juba and Khartoum governments to speed up preparation for a vote on South Sudan's future - a decision that will be dominated by the fate of coveted oil resources -- but an expert on the African country criticizes the lack of understanding about Sudan.

Fannie Mae expanded its mortgage portfolio in June, while the rate of late payments on loans it guarantees fell in May to the lowest level this year, the largest U.S. home loan purchaser said on Friday.

Stocks eased slightly on Friday, but for the second day in a row major indexes bounced off session lows, this time on a positive report on Midwest manufacturing activity.

Consumer sentiment plunged in July to its lowest level in 9 months on bleak prospects for jobs and income a year since the economic recovery began, a private survey released on Friday showed.

Aon Corp , the world's largest insurance brokerage, reported a larger-than-expected quarterly profit as contributions from recent acquisitions helped offset a decline in commissions.

Wall Street stocks fell on Friday after weak economic growth figures for the second quarter and disappointing earnings from Merck painted an uncertain outlook for the rest of the year.

The dollar hit a multi-month lows against the yen and Swiss franc on Friday as U.S. economic growth data showed growth in the world's largest economy is slowing and reinforced the view interest rates will remain low well into the next year.

Gold & silver thronged the counters on the Indian commodity exchanges during the first half of the current month as the latest data issued by the commodity markets regulator, Forward Markets Commission (FMC) revealed a staggering over 138% rise in the value of trades in bullions during the first fortnight of July over last year.

Indians are slowly learning to live with the high prices of gold. The signals to this effect are visible in the bullion market now. According to reports, India's gold imports showed a gain of 7.79 per cent in seven months to July this year on improved festival demand and occasional buying from retail consumers.

Aon Corp , the world's largest insurance brokerage, reported a larger-than-expected quarterly profit as contributions from recent acquisitions helped offset decline in commissions.

China has overtaken Japan to become the world's second-largest economy, the fruit of three decades of rapid growth that has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.

Wall Street was set for a one percent drop at the open on Friday after data showed the U.S. economy grew less than expected last quarter, heightening fears about the uncertain outlook for the rest of the year.

Gold edged above $1,170 an ounce in Europe on Friday, supported by uncertainty ahead of U.S. economic growth data later in the session but with a dearth of safe-haven buying dampening further price rises.

Oil slipped on Friday, heading for a fourth consecutive weekly settlement within the $75-$80 range, as investors focused on a slowing economy and rising inventories in top consumer the United States. European stocks traded lower and Asian equities declined ahead of data expected to show U.S. economic growth slowed to 2.5 percent in the second quarter from 2.7 percent in the first quarter.

The dollar fell to an eight-month low against the yen on Friday while global shares slipped on worries U.S. growth data due later in the day may show the world's biggest economy is losing steam. The retreat in stocks and other riskier assets fed a rally in theoretically safer euro zone and U.S. government bond prices, with comments from a Federal Reserve official that adding to fears about the economy.

Stock index futures slipped on Friday as investors turned cautious ahead of a report expected to show slowing growth in the U.S. economy in the second quarter.

St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank President James Bullard on Friday said there is unanimity among officials on the central bank's policy-setting panel over providing more support to the economy if the recovery suffers a serious setback.

Stock index futures fell on Friday as investors turned cautious ahead of a report expected to show slower growth of the U.S. economy in the second quarter.

Japan's Ministry of Finance said on Friday it did not intervene in the foreign exchange market from June 29 to July 28, when the yen touched its highest level against the dollar since December.

Merck & Co reported higher-than-expected second-quarter earnings on Friday, helped by strong sales of its treatments for diabetes, arthritis and HIV.

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Economic growth likely slowed in the second quarter as a capital investment drive by businesses was sated by imports and consumer spending tapered off, a government report is expected to show on Friday.

Walt Disney Co has sold film studio Miramax for more than $660 million to Filmyard Holdings LLC, ending months of talks between the media group and various bidders.

ad news emanating from the US may impact copper prices and demand in the coming months even though China's still hungry for the metal. US durable goods order was dismal after witnessing the decline in consumer confidence earlier this week. The negative impact of the news is expected to soften copper.

Global oil prices eased in Asian trade Friday, tracking weak stocks in the region as investors looking for second-quarter U.S. economic growth report, scheduled for later in the day. Light sweet crude for September delivery was seen trading at $78.11 a barrel at 12.00 noon Singapore time while Brent crude was at $ 77.41 a barrel in London.