IBT Staff Reporter

Stock index futures fell on Monday, indicating the benchmark S&P 500 index could pull back after a five-week rally on concerns Greece will be unable to avoid a chaotic default as it tries to work out a new bailout package.

China's annual economic growth could be cut nearly in half this year if Europe's debt crisis tips the world economy into a recession, putting pressure on Beijing to unveil significant fiscal stimulus, the International Monetary Fund said.

The enthusiasm surrounding Mario Monti is excessive. He has not had time to address Italy's problems seriously, never mind fix them.

The China unit of Citigroup Inc said on Monday that it has received regulatory approval to issue credit cards in China, the first non-Asian bank to receive permission.

Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union on Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal to avoid a messy default that could threaten the country's future in the euro zone.

The European Union's total government debt rose slightly to 82.2 percent of economic output in the third quarter of 2011, the EU's statistics agency said on Monday, lower than the United States but still a burden that could take decades to pay down.

Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp expects to post much lower-than-expected revenue in the first quarter, underscoring analyst views that it will face another weak quarter and an uphill struggle to prove to investors it still retains its innovative touch.

To get an idea of the economic mountain euro zone strugglers Greece and Portugal have to climb, consider this: per million inhabitants, they each filed fewer than eight applications with the European Patent Office in 2010.

General Motors aims to raise its profit margin to 10 percent over the next several years, up from the current margin of about 6 percent, Daniel Ammann, chief financial officer, told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.

The euro and European shares retreated on Monday on nerves Greek would fail to come up with the political commitments needed to avoid a potential sovereign debt default, taking the shine off a U.S. jobs report that had brightened the global economic outlook.

Japan's Mitsubishi Motors Corp <7211.T> said it will end production at its only western European plant, in the Netherlands, at the end of this year, a move that was expected as its sales in Europe have dropped to a third of their peak.

General Motors scored with an Armageddon-proof Chevy truck while a Clint Eastwood pep talk for America won notice for rival Chrysler during the high-stakes brand battle at Sunday's Super Bowl.

The mad rush to move client money out of MF Global Inc. after its collapse left two firms with the bulk of customer accounts, while other brokerages emerged with only minor gains from the chaos of carving up a multibillion-dollar business.

Asian shares rose on Monday as surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data bolstered investors' risk appetite, but the euro sagged on worries over a lack of progress in Greek debt restructuring talks which are vital to containing the euro zone crisis.

Asian shares rose on Monday as surprisingly robust U.S. jobs data bolstered investor risk appetite, overshadowing worries about a lack of progress in Greek debt restructuring talks that are vital to containing the euro zone crisis.

Commodities trader Glencore International is set to offer a bigger-than-expected premium to seal its proposed $88 billion merger with global miner Xstrata Plc , the Financial Times reported on Monday.

HTC was once the standard bearer of the Android phone but that was 2010 -- a long time ago in mobile terms. Now analysts say it faces another weak quarter and an uphill struggle to prove to investors it still retains its innovative touch.

The stunningly innovative designs, which NASA calls greener flying machines for the year 2025, are being developed by three firms, all based in California.

Facebook, the social network giant, is set to begin showing advertisements to users on mobile devices before its $5 billion initial public offering, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

CommVault Systems Inc has managed to skirt rampant consolidation in the fast-growing storage software market, and CEO Bob Hammer is planning to keep it that way.

CommVault Systems Inc has managed to skirt rampant consolidation in the fast-growing storage software market, and CEO Bob Hammer is planning to keep it that way.

The 38-second clip shows the kitten walking away aimlessly from the side of the dog. But the Husky can't simply let the cat go away. Hearing the kitten's cries, the dog assumes the role of a caring mother, goes after the little animal, picks it up and brings it into safety.

Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union on Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal as EU patience wears thin with political dithering in Athens over implementing reforms.

A simmering feud between General Motors Co and Ford Motor Co heated up on Sunday as Ford objected to GM's Super Bowl advertisement for its Chevy Silverado pickup truck.

Official investigations into a massive fraud at Japan's Olympus Corp are highly likely to lead to further revelations on the scandal soon, according to the firm's former chief executive, Michael Woodford, who blew the whistle on the affair.

TiVo Inc is trading at a compelling discount and could be a possible acquisition target by Microsoft or Google, Barron's financial newspaper reported on Sunday.

D.Boerse CEO eyes new allies as NYSE deal crumbles Deutsche Boerse does not believe it can survive in the long term without a new partner despite the collapse of its proposed $7.4 billion merger with NYSE Euronext , its chief executive told a German newspaper.

Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union by Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal as EU patience wears thin with political dithering in Athens over implementing reforms.

Greece's coalition parties must tell the European Union by Monday whether they accept the painful terms of a new bailout deal as EU patience wears thin with political dithering in Athens over implementing reforms.