IBT Staff Reporter

For years, low prices on China-sourced goods helped dampen inflation in the United States. Now China's efforts to boost domestic consumer spending, reducing reliance on exports, are leading to higher costs for multinationals that manufacture goods there.

LONDON/NEW YORK - An anorexic under doctor's orders to put on weight might fret unnecessarily about getting fat one day.

Retail sales in July posted their biggest gain since March, tempering fears that the world's largest economy might be slipping back into recession.

Retail sales in July posted their biggest gain since March, tempering fears that the world's largest economy might be slipping back into recession.

Housing bonds that are backed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, or Ginnie Mae will all be adjusted.

Google Inc.?s Android powered tablets have collectively taken 20 percent of the market share away from iPad in the last 12 months.

J.C. Penney Co Inc reported a flat quarterly profit on Friday as sales were dampened by its exit from its catalog business, and the retailer became the latest department store chain to forecast continued sales gains in the current quarter.

U.S. futures were higher on Friday, signaling stocks would extend the previous day's big gains, after a rally in Europe and another strong outlook from a technology company.

A piecemeal ban on short-selling of financial stocks highlighted flaws in euro zone policy and investors said relief for bank stocks would be temporary in the absence of co-ordinated action by Europe's governments.

LONDON, Aug 12 - Options are rapidly running out for Europe's ailing mid-tier banks as nervous creditors pull the plug on once vital sources of funding in response to growing sovereign contagion worries, sowing the seeds of an imminent liquidity crisis at the heart of the eurozone.

The days when a mesh of wires and electrodes used to monitor patients are passé, as a group of researchers have designed a hair-thin wireless electronic film which can be patched on the skin directly for monitoring purposes.

U.S. stock index futures were little changed on Friday as investors took a step back from the massive volatility that has shaken markets recently.

China's bank lending slowed more than expected in July to seven-month lows as Beijing kept a tight grip on monetary policy to quell near three-year-high inflation.

French economic growth ground to a halt as household spending shrank in the second quarter, raising pressure on the government to announce cutbacks to convince turbulent markets it will deliver on debt reduction targets.

Facebook hit the limelight of the new social gaming launch of Google+ by upgrading its own gaming system, making it easier to find and play.

The latest buzz around the next rendition of Android comes via leaked screenshots of the upcoming Android OS, the Ice Cream Sandwich.

French Finance Minister Francois Baroin said on Friday the government's targets for growth and deficit reduction were not being altered after data showed growth ground to a halt in the second quarter of 2011.

Korean company Samsung Electronics will go to a German court on August 25 to try to overturn a ban on it selling flagship Galaxy tablets in most of the European Union.

China is worried about challenges that the European Union faces in the next two months and urged the bloc as well as the United States to hold down government debt, its trade minister said on Friday.

Japan may lack the implicit approval of G7 nations to spend big in any future efforts to stem sharp yen rises and will have to rely on limited opportunistic strikes to prevent a build-up of aggressive bets on its currency.

Korean company Samsung Electronics will go to a German court on August 25 to try to overturn a ban on it selling flagship Galaxy tablets in most of the European Union.

European stock markets struggled early on Friday as a ban on short-selling of financial sector shares failed to put a lid on concerns over banks and the spread of the euro zone's debt crisis to France.

PARIS/MADRID - A ban on short-selling financial stocks in four European countries including France takes effect on Friday, a coordinated attempt to restore confidence in markets hit by rumors and higher borrowing costs.

U.S. stock futures slid 1 percent on Friday, pulling Asian shares off early highs, as sentiment remained cautious on concerns over the European debt crisis, which will probably keep supporting safe havens like gold and Swiss franc.

China is worried about challenges that the Europe Union faces in the next two months and urged the bloc as well as the United States to hold down government debt, its trade minister said on Friday.

French economic growth ground to a halt in the second quarter of 2011, raising pressure on President Nicolas Sarkozy to cut spending and abolish tax breaks ahead of elections as he tries to convince nervous financial markets that he will deliver on debt reduction targets.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has asked rating agency Standard & Poor's (S&P) to disclose which employees knew of its decision to downgrade U.S. debt before it was announced last week, the Financial Times said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Syrian forces killed at least 19 people in raids near the Lebanon border and in the country's Sunni tribal heartland, activists said, pursuing a military campaign to crush street protests against President Bashar al-Assad.

President Barack Obama distanced himself from a deeply divided U.S. Congress on Thursday, pledging to deliver fresh ideas to create jobs and slamming lawmakers for "bickering" that gets in the way of recovery.