MARKETS / FINANCE

Wall Street was poised to open lower on Friday, weighed by worries about the impact of heavy euro-zone debt loads on the global recovery.

The euro zone deficit crisis will prompt fiscal cuts that will hit demand for exports from central and Eastern Europe and undermine the region's recovery, the EBRD said on Friday.

Britain's Prudential Plc is expected to outline divestments of some Asian assets in its upcoming rights offering prospectus in an effort to appease shareholder concerns about its planned AIA acquisition, a source familiar with the process told Reuters on Friday.

Stock index futures fell on Friday on worries about the impact of heavy euro-zone debt loads on the global recovery, while investors were cautious ahead of retail sales data.

Stock index futures were lower on Friday as investors awaited a round of data, including consumer sentiment, that will provide a picture on the strength the economic recovery.

Wild roller coaster rides tend to leave people unsteady on their feet, uncertain which way is up and unsure as to the precise location of their stomachs.

The global advertising industry is eager to capitalize on booming use of mobile phones for Internet access as more enhanced devices are coming to the market to get more consumers reachable online.

A lot of people sit quietly and say nothing to avoid rocking the boat, and they have the mindset that a pay rise will eventually happen on its own. Don't let this happen to you. You deserve to get paid as much as you can.

The beleaguered euro hovered just above a major support level of $1.25 on Friday as worries about Europe's debt problems plagued markets, pressuring stocks and pushing safe-haven gold to near record highs.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 fell 0.2 to 0.3 percent at 4:54 a.m. ET, pointing to a weaker start on Wall Street on Friday.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether Wall Street banks used their own money to bet in financial markets against municipal bonds that they had sold, the Wall Street Journal said.

World oil prices continued its southern journey and dropped below $74 in Asian trade Friday mainly on demand concerns linked to European debt crisis. Light sweet crude for June delivery was seen trading at $ 73.75 a barrel at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while Brent crude was at $ 79.77 a barrel in London.

World's first Gold ATM started functioning at Abu Dhabi's Emirates Palace Hotel. The gold to go machine, developed by Germany's TG-Gold-Super-Markt, dispenses 24 carat one gram, five gram and 10 gram pieces of gold as well as coins bearing designs such as the Krugerrand, Maple Lea and Kangaroo.

Gold prices recovered from overnight slump in Asian trade Friday but remained highly volatile as the dollar gained momentum. Spot gold was seen trading at $1235.54 an ounce at 11.30 a.m Singapore time while U.S. gold futures for June delivery was at $1,235.8 an ounce at the same time.

Prosecutors are conducting a broad criminal investigation of six major Wall Street banks, including JPMorgan Chase & Co and Citigroup Inc, to determine if they misled investors, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The Senate on Thursday voted to limit fees charged on credit and debit card transactions, and separately moved to overhaul the credit-rating business as part of a widening Wall Street reform bill.

The Australian dollar has opened lower this morning as investors moved away from risk assets, leading to falls in equities and commodity prices.

The Federal Reserve's promise to hold interest rates ultra low for an extended period depends on economic conditions and could change if the recovery picks up, central bankers said on Thursday.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives will meet with employees to discuss privacy practices of the world's largest social networking website on Thursday, as criticism grows about the way it treats its 400 million users' personal information.

The Senate on Thursday took steps to overhaul the credit-rating agency business, widely maligned for its role in the 2007-2009 financial crisis, and opening it up to greater competition.

Home loan figures in Australia fell -3.4% in March exceeding expectations as signs the Reserve Bank of Australia's rate hikes are starting to have an impact.

Stocks fell on Thursday as downbeat comments on the economy from tech company Cisco Systems Inc and retail chain Kohl's Corp cast doubt on the strength of the U.S. recovery.

California is so not Greece.That's the broadly held view in the $2.8 trillion municipal bond market, which is puzzled by analysts, columnists, cartoonists and bearish investors comparing Greece's fiscal floundering and $1 trillion bailout to hard-pressed states such as California and Illinois.

The number of workers filing for jobless benefits fell only slightly last week, suggesting the unemployment rate will remain elevated even as recovery in the labor market builds steam.

Stocks fell on Thursday as downbeat comments on the economy from tech company Cisco Systems Inc and retail chain Kohl's Corp cast doubt on the strength of the recovery.

Stocks slid on Thursday, extending losses after executives with Cisco Systems Inc and Kohl's Corp made cautious comments about the strength of the economic recovery.

Federal prosecutors in New York are conducting a broad criminal investigation into whether major Wall Street financial firms misled investors, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The Senate approved two amendments to a landmark Wall Street reform bill on Thursday that would shake-up the credit rating agency business, widely maligned for its role in the 2007-2009 financial crisis.

The Senate on Thursday voted to impose tighter regulations on credit-rating agencies, which have been criticized for misjudging the risks of debt instruments at the core of the 2008-2009 financial crisis.