IBT Staff Reporter

Stocks fell on Thursday as an unexpected rise in initial jobless claims and July retail sales that were mostly weaker than expected underscored persistent concerns about unemployment and consumer spending.

Mortgage rates fell in the past week to the latest in a series of record lows amid concerns about the state of the economy, according to a survey released on Thursday by Freddie Mac.

Retailers posted July sales below analysts' expectations after cutting prices to attract shoppers worried about high unemployment, a strategy that bodes ill for the back-to-school season.

With most of a once-massive Gulf of Mexico oil slick no longer a threat, environmental experts say the Gulf coast may have dodged the worst nightmare of a massive catastrophe.

Want to maximize the placebo effect? A good way to do this, according to a new study, is to tell someone they have a decent chance of getting the real treatment instead of a fake pill, but keep them guessing.

Stocks fell on Thursday as persistent concerns about unemployment and consumer spending were underscored by an unexpected rise in initial jobless claims and July retail sales that were mostly weaker than expected.

Gold retreated on Thursday, easing from earlier highs near $1,200 an ounce, as the dollar pared losses against the euro after Wall Street equities opened lower in jittery trade ahead of Friday's U.S. payrolls data.

A group of investors including the two largest U.S. public pension funds asked 27 top oil and gas companies on Thursday to disclose what they have done to make their offshore drilling safer in the wake of the BP oil spill.

Oil prices slipped again on Thursday as doubts about the energy demand outlook grew after a jump in U.S. jobless claims and U.S. government data showing rising stockpiles of refined products. The dollar was stronger after midday in a seesaw session, but the greenback's early weakness helped limit losses for crude futures, as did expectations of technical support for crude above $81 a barrel.

The dollar was little changed against the euro on Thursday, as investors squared positions ahead of a U.S. payrolls report that markets hope will offer fresh insight on the state of the U.S. economy. Strong German industrial data and signs that Spain and Greece were making progress in trimming budget deficits earlier lifted the euro, as did data showing U.S. initial jobless claims unexpectedly rose in the latest week.

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd on Thursday faced more demands to open its smartphones to government scrutiny as Lebanon joined India, Saudi Arabia and the UAE in raising concerns over security.

New claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week to the highest level since early April, highlighting a weak labor market and the fragile economic recovery.

All eight men who had unprotected anal sex with a HIV-positive man, Stuart James McDonald, 43 tested positive for HIV in 2005, the South Australian Supreme Court led by justice Margaret Nyland has heard.

Those of us who grew up camping have rosy memories of running barefoot through pebbled streams, sleeping in tents beneath a canopy of stars and roasting marshmallows by moonlight.

A team of scientists from the Children's Medical Research Institute are working hard to unravel the structure of a protein present in 85 per cent of all cancers, in order to design a breakthrough drug to destroy cancer cells.

According to Dietitians Association of Australia, majority of new mothers are unaware of the health benefits of breastfeeding - not only does it improve health and IQ of their babies, it also reduces their own risk of developing cancer and heart disease.

A recent survey reveals Australians experience a great fear of losing mental independence as they get older.

The research from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) reveals 59 new regions on the DNA that affect levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood -important indicators of heart disease risk.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc is planning to shift its principal strategies business into a fund that raises outside money, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the plan.

Stocks slipped on Thursday after an unexpected rise in first-time claims for jobless benefits underscored concerns that the recovery in the labor market will be slow.

Retailers posted July sales below analysts' expectations after cutting prices to attract shoppers worried about high unemployment, a strategy that bodes ill for the back-to-school season.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank said on Thursday it approved a loan guarantee for Ford Motor Co to finance $3.1 billion in exports of cars and trucks to customers in Canada and Mexico.

Germany's luxury carmaker BMW expects its China car sales to rise more than 30 percent this year, boosted by the country's robust economic growth

India's Mahindra & Mahindra is planning bid up to $400 million for troubled South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor, sources said, as it seeks to become a major global utility vehicles maker.

The announcement that a search for a successor to Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group, has begun was every bit as understated as the man who has steered India's second-biggest conglomerate for nearly two decades.

India's top car maker Maruti Suzuki may manufacture cars for German auto firm Volkswagen's global market on a contract basis, three newspapers said on Thursday, citing Maruti's managing director.

It is too early to declare victory over the financial crisis despite stronger than expected data suggesting the euro zone recovery is outstripping expectations, the European Central Bank said on Thursday.

BP started pumping cement on Thursday into its blown-out Gulf of Mexico well as it moved to permanently kill the source of the world's worst marine oil spill.

Lebanon will assess security concerns relating to the use of BlackBerry phones, the telecom regulator said on Thursday, making it the latest country to raise worries over the smartphone devices.