IBT Staff Reporter

When Sean McGowan signed a contract to buy a New Jersey home in November, he didn't expect he'd still be living with his parents nearly a year later.

With just a week remaining before the transfer window closes, Chelsea are busily monitoring targets after spending the early days of the summer in recruiting youngsters.

As gold prices near $2,000 an ounce, some bulls say it's time to take money off the table after the safe-haven rally extended too far, too fast in recent weeks.

Heineken NV , the world's third largest brewer, warned weak consumer sentiment and a damp European summer would depress 2011 earnings after the first half missed expectations, driving its shares to a 21-month low.

German business morale dropped to its lowest in 14 months in August, its steepest decline since late 2008 that signals Europe's bulwark economy is losing the momentum that has kept some of its euro zone peers going.

BHP Billiton delivered a record second-half profit driven largely by soaring prices for iron ore, allowing it to award investors a big hike in dividends on top of its hefty expansion plans.

Taiwanese PC maker Acer Inc reported a worse-than-expected quarterly loss, the first in company history, as it took charges to reorganize in a troubled first half, and said it would be impossible to break even for the full year.

Heineken NV , the world's third largest brewer, forecast depressed consumer confidence and poor summer weather would hit second-half figures after first-half profit fell short of expectations.

China vowed on Wednesday to appeal a recent World Trade Organization ruling against its raw materials export policy, a case that could threaten Beijing's stance on rare earths, which it contends is in line with the trade body's rules.

Banks must report a minimum set of data on their derivatives trades from the end of next year to help regulators monitor financial stability and spot abuses, a draft plan from market supervisors and central bankers said on Wednesday.

Fifteen years ago, a growing sense of isolation due to old age prompted Kayoko Okawa, then 66, to knock on the door of a local volunteer center and timidly ask if it was possible for someone her age to start an online community for seniors.

Fifteen years ago, a growing sense of isolation due to old age prompted Kayoko Okawa, then 66, to knock on the door of a local volunteer center and timidly ask if it was possible for someone her age to start an online community for seniors.

Hewlett-Packard Co has filed a case in a U.S. court against AU Optronics, saying the Taiwanese company conspired to fix the prices of thin film liquid crystal display panels, court documents showed.

U.S. East Coast was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 5.8 on Tuesday that some in New York and Washington briefly mistook for a terrorist attack.

Moody's Investors Service cut its rating on Japan's government debt by one notch to Aa3 on Wednesday, blaming a build-up of debt since the 2009 global recession and revolving-door political leadership that has hampered effective economic strategies.

U.S. shares were set to fall Wednesday, giving up some of the hefty gains of the previous session, which were based on hopes that Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will announce measures to stimulate the economy

China COSCO Holdings <1919.HK> <601919.SS>, the country's top shipping company, sought to reassure investors on Wednesday that negotiations with shipowners over unpaid bills would be resolved and its business remained strong.

Taiwan's Acer Inc reported a worse-than-expected quarterly loss, the first in company history, hurt by charges for an inventory write-off and reorganization, and said it would be impossible to break even for the full year.

NASA's human-like 300-pound robot, Robonaut 2 or R2, which reached the International Space Station six months ago to act as an astronaut's assistant, has been powered up for the first time.

WPP, the world's largest advertising group, expects to feel the impact of the economic slowdown in 2012, it warned on Wednesday, as it reported strong first half results bolstered by emerging markets and digital.

A California woman tossed her 7-month-old baby from the fourth floor of a hospital parking garage, police say.

Taiwan's Acer Inc reported a worse-than-expected quarterly loss, the first in its company history, hurt by one off charges.

Like the concept of circles in Google+, users in Facebook can choose who can see their posts and what part of their profile they want to make visible to their friends and to the broader web.

World stocks fell on Wednesday as European investors shuffled positions ahead of a Jackson Hole speech by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Japanese shares sold off following a Moody's downgrade.

WPP Plc, the world's largest advertising group, said it would plan for 2012 on a conservative basis, although strength in emerging markets has so far helped it to post 7-month growth broadly in line with its annual forecast.

BHP Billiton reported a record second-half profit driven largely by iron ore, but just missed market forecasts and sounded a warning over costs and longer-term demand.

China's Commerce Ministry said it had not received an application for regulatory approval from Google Inc on its planned $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility Holdings.

The Group of 20 leading and emerging nations has not done enough to correct global imbalances, and this could provoke more financial instability, a top Bank of Canada official said Wednesday.

The Group of 20 leading and emerging nations has not done enough to correct global imbalances and this could provoke more financial instability, a top Bank of Canada official said on Wednesday.