IBT Staff Reporter

Consumers spent $30.9 billion toward online purchases during the current holiday season, a 15 percent increase from the year-ago period, as shoppers took advantage of free shipping and other online deals, according to comScore.

European Goldfields Ltd said on Sunday that it had agreed to be bought by Eldorado Gold Corp for about C$2.5 billion ($2.4 billion).

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron Corp reported a small explosion at a subsidiary's plant in Shanghai over the weekend that it said had injured 61 workers, the latest in a series of incidents that have spotlighted safety concerns at factories in China.

Sino-Forest , a China-focused forestry company accused of fraud, said on Sunday it has received notices of default from its noteholders, due to the company's failure to file its financial results in a timely manner.

Samsung Electronics has filed new claims in its patent war with Apple Inc over alleged patent infringements in Germany, a spokesman for the company said on Monday.

Samsung Electronics has filed new claims in its patent war with Apple Inc over alleged patent infringements in Germany, a spokesman for the company said on Monday.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Apple Inc supplier Pegatron said a small explosion at its subsidiary in Shanghai, China had injured some workers but would not have a big impact on production.

Gold prices will fall below $1,500 an ounce over the next three months and are unlikely to retest September's all-time highs until later 2012 at the earliest, according to a Reuters poll of 20 hedge fund managers, economists and traders.

Australia's Qantas Airways has agreed a pay deal with its engineers, one of three unions that the airline has had a stand off with for more than a year, a union representative said.

Hedge funds that have been in discussions with Eastman Kodak Co to help shore up the company's cash position, have cut the amount they are willing to finance, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The euro zone will tackle its debt crisis this week by offering more cash to the IMF and long-term liquidity to banks, while moving toward tighter fiscal rules, after ratings agency Fitch cast doubt on its capacity to respond decisively.

Talks over potential asset sales as part of AT&T Inc's efforts to get approval of its $39 billion purchase of T-Mobile USA have gone cold, according to The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

Commodities trader Trafigura's profits soared nearly two-thirds to a record over $1 billion this year, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing a note to bondholders.

Germany's Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the country may pay its full contribution to the euro zone's permanent rescue fund in 2012, a regional German paper wrote.

For the week ending Dec. 16, more than $6.3 billion was spent on online shopping, according to digital analytics firm comScore. This figure is 15 percent higher than last year.

The drama over the meltdown of the brokerage firm MF Global pivots around a clash between two veteran traders who rose from relatively humble roots to the very top of the futures-trading business.

It might seem like corporate heresy but an increasing number of technology investors and experts are asking whether Research in Motion needs to ditch its BlackBerry handset business to survive.

Action adventure film Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows led a trio of sequels at the box office over another underwhelming weekend that saw ticket sales fall from last year.

Nothing sharpened Christopher Hitchens' mind like cancer.

Tiger Woods, you're finally off the hook.

The finale of Survivor: South Pacific is just hours away. From the personalities of Cochran and Brandon to the dominance of Coach and Ozzy, it has been a pretty good season so far (beats Survivor Nicaragua). But six competitors are still grinding it out, and it is anyone's game at this point (ehh...kind of).

Morgan will face questions via video link Tuesday before the Leveson Inquiry about the News of the World hacking scandal.

The U.S. housing market, once the epicenter of the global financial collapse that spawned today's European debt crisis, is on the verge of delivering some positive news.

Stephen Elop, the first non-Finn to run Nokia, on Sunday quashed rumors the cellphone maker could move its headquarters to the United States from Espoo, a suburb of the Finnish capital Helsinki.

CME Group Inc, which has given $22 million to Chicago-area schools and charities over the past five years, has stopped making grants through its main foundation, citing the collapse of MF Global Holdings Inc.

The euro zone will pursue measures to tackle its sovereign debt crisis this week by offering more cash to the IMF and long-term liquidity to banks, while moving towards tighter fiscal rules, after ratings agency Fitch cast doubt on it ability to forge a decisive response.

European champions Barcelona cruised to win their second FIFA Club World Cup with a 4-0 hammering of Brazilian side Santos in Yokohama, Japan.

CME Group Inc, which has given $22 million to Chicago-area schools and charities over the past five years, has stopped making grants through its main foundation, citing the collapse of MF Global Holdings Inc.