NEWS

The Group of 20 will become the forum for global economic management, giving rising powers such as China more clout, and will roll out tougher rules for banks by the end of 2012, a draft communique said on Friday.

The Group of 20 will become the forum for global economic management, giving rising powers such as China more clout, and roll out tougher rules on bank capital by the end of 2012, a draft communique said on Friday.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday that a U.S. drive to rebalance the global economy risked distracting the Group of 20 from a more urgent need for market regulation at their Pittsburgh summit.

A U.S. drive to build a more balanced global economy gained the qualified support of China on Wednesday in a sign that Group of 20 leaders may be ready to take joint action to prevent future economic crises.

General Mills Inc posted a higher-than-expected quarterly profit and raised its full-year earnings forecast, helped by strong sales of products like its breakfast cereals in the United States, sending its shares up 4.3 percent.

The U.S. securities regulator warned Congress on Tuesday that parts of the $450 trillion private swaps market could still fall through regulatory cracks under the Obama administration's financial reform plan.

Asian shares inched up on Tuesday with softer commodity prices weighing on Australian stocks, while the New Zealand dollar hit a 13-month high on signs of a recovery in prices for the country's key dairy exports.

The United States will urge world leaders this week to launch a new push in November to rebalance the world economy, but there are doubts national governments will bow to external advice.

Caterpillar Inc said on Monday that dealer sales of its heavy equipment, diesel engines and gas turbines continued to be weak in August though many markets showed signs of stabilization.

Caterpillar Inc said on Monday that dealer sales of its heavy equipment fell 48 percent in August, with the sharpest declines in the U.S. blue-chip industrial's truck and bus and industrial segments.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Zaragoza north east Spain on Saturday to protest Canada's Magna's acquisition of 55 percent of General Motors' Opel, Spanish media reported.

Thousands of people marched through the streets of Zaragoza in northeast Spain on Saturday to protest against Canada's Magna acquiring 55 percent of General Motors' Opel, Spanish media reported.

Asian stocks retreated from 13-month highs on Friday as a conflicting picture about the strength of U.S. economic recovery stopped investors from extending this week's rally but gave some respite to a battered U.S. dollar.

Asian stocks retreated from 13-month highs on Friday and commodity prices dipped after data giving a conflicting picture about the strength of the U.S. recovery stopped investors from extending this week's rally.

The U.S. federal government will keep about $1.2 billion in payments collected to backstop money market funds even after its insurance program ends on Friday, a U.S. Treasury official said.

Web start-up companies at this year's Tech Crunch conference face a financial climate that has dried up venture capital, forcing them to turn to friends, family and foundations.

Private equity firms Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, Thomas H. Lee Partners, and Providence Equity have submitted bids for Cox Enterprises' Travel Channel, a source familiar with the matter said.

Asian stocks hit their highest level in 13 months on Thursday on signs the global economic recovery could be strengthening, while the dollar slid to a fresh one-year low as investor optimism eroded its safe haven appeal.

Asian stocks edged up on Tuesday, with markets in South Korea and Taiwan closing at 14-month highs, as investors put their faith in the global economic recovery and looked past a trade spat between the United States and China.

A U.S. decision to impose added duty on Chinese-made tires is an abuse of World Trade Organization safeguard measures, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Tuesday.

A U.S. decision to impose special duties on Chinese tires could trigger a host of trade complaints against Chinese products and a backlash from Beijing, creating tensions as Western nations seek China's support at a G20 meeting.

Chinese media and officials have heaped scorn on a U.S. decision to impose special duties on Chinese-made tires, extending Beijing's warnings that the move may fuel trade friction as global growth struggles to revive.

The dollar crawled up on Monday from a one-year low against other currencies as speculators booked profits on bets against the greenback, while the yen's surge threatened Japanese exporters and drove Tokyo shares down.

Asian shares rose on Friday, buoyed by strong Chinese economic data which also boosted commodity prices and sent the dollar to its lowest in a year against a basket of currencies.

Asian shares edged up on Friday as strong Chinese economic data supported regional recovery hopes, but Japanese exporters were hurt by a stronger yen as the dollar fell to its lowest in a year against a basket of currencies.

Deere & Co , the world's largest farm equipment maker, said on Thursday it would lay off 367 workers at its primary harvester factory in East Moline, Illinois, and idle most of the plant's other employees for a month because of reduced demand for combines.

Asian stocks rose on Thursday as investors continued to switch into riskier assets amid growing confidence the global economy is recovering, keeping the dollar on the defensive.

Kraft is the most logical buyer for British chocolate firm Cadbury , but the U.S. rival will remain financially disciplined, one of the company's executives said on Tuesday.

Asian shares touched a one-year high on Tuesday, while gold prices hit $1,000 an ounce for the first time in six months in a sign of investor concerns about the sustainability of the global economic recovery.