IBT Staff Reporter

Stock index futures were slightly lower on Monday as investors awaited data on personal spending for a signal the economy can avoid a double-dip recession and after a fresh batch of merger-and-acquisition activity.

Canada's Agrium Inc said it would be interested in Potash Corp's nitrogen and phosphates business, worth an estimated $12 billion (7.7 billion pounds), if miner BHP Billiton secures its $39 billion Potash takeover and decides to sell the assets.

China's state media on Monday sang the praises of relations with North Korea, whose leader Kim Jong-il and youngest son have reportedly been on a visit to the ostracised country's only powerful ally.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hinted that he would return to the Kremlin in 2012 for another six years, saying in an interview published Monday he was more interested than everyone else in the election.

An Indonesian volcano, inactive for four centuries, erupted again on Monday, pitching ash two km (1.5 miles) into the air and sending nearby residents scurrying from their homes.

A former Taiwanese diplomat who says he wants to save American International Group's Taiwan unit from being bought by a Chinese firm is lining up a $2.5 billion bid with Japanese and Middle Eastern money.

The yen rose and Japanese shares gave up some of their strong early gains on Monday after the Bank of Japan made only minor tweaks in policy, disappointing markets looking for more aggressive action against deflation.

Global miner BHP Billiton could look to divest the nitrogen and phosphates business of fertilizer maker Potash Corp if its $39 billion bid goes through, the company has told analysts.

Platinum miners are on a song this year with their profits scaling new heights. This week, Impala Platinum announced that production of platinum, palladium, rhodium and other associated metals rose from 3.43 million ounces to 3.69 million ounces this year.

World oil prices continued to move upwards in Asian trade Monday as regional stocks also took advantage of US Fed chief Bernanke's speech last week. Light sweet crude for October delivery was seen trading at $75.37 a barrel at 12.00 noon Singapore time while Brent crude was at $76.83 a barrel in London.

Anticipating excessive palm oil production this year, Thailand is considering increasing palm oil use in fuel. According to Thai Oil Palm and Palm Oil Association, palm production in the country this year is forecast at 1.5 million tones, and the industry has an additional 200,000 tones in producers' stockpiles.

After last year's drought that led to fall in food production, India's kharif crop acreage has shown tremendous improvement in 2010 on the back of good monsoon rains. So far kharif sowing has taken place in 950.22 lakh ha area which is 78.93 lakh ha more than the acreage on this date last year (871.29 lakh ha).

Gold eased in Asian trade Monday as positive trends ignited by Fed moves were offset by speculation of profit selling. Gold for immediate delivery was seen trading at $1235.34 an ounce at 12.00 noon Singapore time while US gold futures for December delivery was at $1,237.40 an ounce.

The Bank of Japan bowed to government pressure and eased monetary policy after an emergency meeting on Monday to try to curb a rise in the yen that is threatening a fragile economic recovery.

Japan's Nikkei average pared gains to close near its day's lows on Monday after rising more than 3 percent at one point, with investors disappointed by a Bank of Japan decision that contained no surprises and was seen as lackluster at best.

Oil prices recovered some lost ground Friday after Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed stands ready to do whatever it takes to support economic recovery.

Indian officials meet on Monday to decide whether to ban some of Research In Motion's BlackBerry services, a day before the deadline runs out for the firm to give security agencies access to its secure data.

Japan's Nikkei average ended up but near its day's lows on Monday after rising over 3 percent at one point, with investors disappointed by a Bank of Japan decision that contained no surprises and was seen as lackluster at best.

The Bank of Japan expanded its fund supply tool at an emergency meeting, saving more aggressive steps for when there is clearer evidence of a slowdown in a fragile economy hit by a strong yen.

Most economists in a recent survey said they approved of the Federal Reserve's current course on monetary policy and see deflation as a risk for the short term.

France's Sanofi-Aventis on Sunday publicly disclosed its $18.5 billion (11.8 billion pounds), $69 (44.36 pounds)-per-share cash offer for Genzyme Corp in a bid to rouse shareholders after failing to engage the U.S. biotechnology company in merger talks.

The Bank of Japan began an emergency meeting on Monday to ease monetary policy, bowing to strong government pressure to try to curb a rise in the yen that is threatening a fragile economic recovery.

President Barack Obama said on Sunday the U.S. economy was expanding, but not quickly enough, and there was no magic bullet that will fix its problems.

The Bank of Japan expanded its fund supply tool at an emergency meeting on Monday, saving more aggressive steps for when there is clearer evidence of a slowdown in a fragile economy hit by a strong yen.

Global miner BHP Billiton could look to divest the nitrogen and phosphates business of fertiliser maker Potash Corp if its $39 billion (25 billion pounds) bid goes through, the Australian Financial Review reported on Monday.

U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Sunday to finish restoring the Gulf Coast area hit by Hurricane Katrina, five years after the storm ravaged the region and hurt the credibility of his Republican predecessor.

France's Sanofi-Aventis on Sunday publicly disclosed its $18.5 billion, $69-per-share cash offer for Genzyme Corp in a bid to rouse shareholders after failing to engage the U.S. biotechnology company in merger talks.

Google's YouTube video-sharing website is in talks with Hollywood movie studios over a global pay-as-you-go video service that could be launched by the end of the year, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

The Bank of Japan will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to ease monetary policy in the face of strong government pressure as the yen's strength threatens a fragile economic recovery.