IBT Staff Reporter

Retailers posted better-than-expected sales in August as consumers sought out bargains during the key back-to-school selling season.

With a diplomatic push from U.S. President Barack Obama, Israeli and the Palestinian leaders will start direct peace talks on Thursday shadowed by scepticism on all sides and fresh violence in the volatile West Bank.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates on hold at a record low on Thursday, as expected, amid a lopsided economic recovery and continued worries about the banking sector.

U.S. communications regulators on Wednesday put off a controversial decision on Internet traffic rules, giving industry and consumer groups a chance to forge a compromise while avoiding a politically sensitive issue ahead of the November elections.

Oil steadied near $74 a barrel on Thursday, weighed by record high inventories in top consumer the United States and investor caution ahead of U.S. employment reports.

Stock index futures pointed to a mostly lower open for U.S. shares on Thursday, giving back a little of the strong gains from the previous session, when they were boosted by strong manufacturing data from China and the United States.

The European Central Bank is expected to extend its liquidity safety-net on Thursday, delaying its exit from crisis support as policymakers confront a lopsided euro zone recovery and vulnerable banks in perimeter countries.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard came within grasp of a return to power on Thursday after one of four kingmaker MPs backed her Labor Party's bid to form a minority government following last month's dead-heat elections.

Asian stocks hit a two-week high, with Japan's Nikkei briefly rising more than 2 percent, as strong U.S. manufacturing data further soothed worries about the global economy.

DSG International , Europe's No. 2 electricals retailer, met forecasts for first-quarter sales with trade boosted by strong demand for TVs to watch the soccer World Cup and for Apple iPads.

Baidu Inc, operator of China's dominant search engine, said on Thursday that it will focus its future mobile Internet investments on its core search business as it takes aim at the next big Internet space.

Recruiter Hays Plc posted an 80 percent drop in full year pretax profit, hit by tough trading conditions in the first half.

Two struggling units of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc , the bankrupt U.S. investment bank, need hundreds of millions of dollars in capital to stave off failure that could cost Lehman billions, court documents show.

A booming market of tweens is changing the landscape of online games.

DSG International , Europe's No. 2 electricals retailer, met forecasts for first-quarter sales with trade boosted by shopper spend on TVs to watch the soccer World Cup and on Apple iPads.

Time Warner Cable and Walt Disney Co ensured millions of U.S. cable customers can still watch some of their favorite TV programs while the companies kept working on a new programing deal after a midnight deadline passed.

House prices fell much faster than expected last month but further declines are likely to be modest, mortgage lender Nationwide said on Thursday.

Stock index futures pointed to a mostly lower open for U.S. shares on Thursday, giving back a little of the strong gains from the previous session, when they were boosted by strong manufacturing data from China and the United States.

World stocks hit a two-week high on Thursday and oil prices rose as optimism from strong U.S. and Chinese manufacturing data extended into a second day ahead of a euro zone interest rate decision and key U.S. jobs data.

Oil dipped on Thursday as investors turned their attention to upcoming U.S. employment reports, following gains of almost 3 percent a day earlier after positive manufacturing data lifted spirits across markets.

China's Sinochem has hired HSBC bank to advise it on its options regarding Potash Corp , the target of a $38.6 billion (25 billion pound) hostile bid from BHP Billiton, the Wall Street Journal reported on its blog on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the situation.

Costco Wholesale Corp , the largest U.S. warehouse club operator, reported a 7 percent rise in August sales at stores open at least a year, aided by surge in gasoline prices and foreign currency gains.

U.S. automaker General Motors Co plans to begin courting investors for its initial public offering immediately after the November 2 U.S. midterm congressional elections, two sources familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.

The dollar and yen recovered losses on Thursday as risk-taking sentiment was tempered ahead of a European Central Bank policy meeting later in the day and key U.S. jobs data on Friday.

Gold prices were slightly firmer on Thursday, and could stay on the rise as global economic prospects remain shaky with investors watching for more jobs data out of the United States.

Japanese ruling party powerbroker Ichiro Ozawa, challenging Prime Minister Naoto Kan in a party leadership vote, said on Thursday that action was needed to stem rapid rises in the yen that are threatening the economy.

Asian stocks hit a two-week high, with Japan's Nikkei briefly rising more than 2 percent, as strong U.S. manufacturing data further soothed worries about the global economy.

Bankruptcies filings by consumers fell 8 percent in August but still remained on track to top 1.6 million filings in 2010, according to a report by the American Bankruptcy Institute .

The dollar was on the defensive on Thursday, retaining most of the losses sustained the previous day when upbeat data helped lure investors away from safe-haven currencies and assets. Figures released on Wednesday showed the U.S. manufacturing sector grew faster than expected and China's factory output regained momentum in August, while Australia's economy expanded at its fastest pace in three years in the second quarter.