IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a solidly lower open on Thursday, as a stronger dollar pressured commodities and investors awaited weekly jobless claims data.

Japan's Sony Corp pushed back an elusive target of an operating profit margin of 5 percent to March 2013, as it heads for its second straight loss and loses ground to overseas competitors.

U.S. stock index futures were down on Thursday, as a stronger dollar pressured commodities and ahead of the release of weekly jobless claims data.

The U.S. economic recovery will be weaker than after previous deep recessions, and the high jobless rate will decline only slowly, the OECD said on Thursday.

Asia is leading the global economy out of the deepest downturn in decades but the recovery will be marred by high unemployment and huge government debt across the industrialized countries, the OECD said on Thursday.

European shares were down on Thursday, set to fall for a third consecutive session, as banking stocks weighed, while food producers also fell after Danone (DANO.PA) cut its sales growth target.

The world's key central banks will not need to start raising policy interest rates until late 2010 due to low inflation and economic slack, and can then proceed gradually, the OECD said in a report published on Thursday.

The Japanese yen rises broadly in Asia today on risk aversion as Japanese Nikkei led Asian stocks lower in general. Nikkei dropped another -1.32% today to close at 9549 and is now farther away from previously mentioned head and shoulder top neckline.

The dollar and the yen rose on Thursday as equity and commodity markets fell, encouraging investors to pare back exposure to risk and buy back the two low-yielders against perceived riskier currencies.

Australia's resurgent economy has lured a string of offshore commercial property investors to its shores, many betting the rebound will underpin market competitiveness in the face of a soaring local currency.

News, details on corporate bond issues in the European markets on Thursday:

Top euro zone officials will urge China this month to move towards a more flexible exchange rate policy but it will not be easy to introduce change soon, EU Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Thursday.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a lower open on Wall Street on Thursday, with futures for the S&P 500 down 0.61 percent, Dow Jones futures down 0.51 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures down 0.44 percent at 1030 GMT (5:30 a.m. EST).

A website set up by China's Defense Ministry said it was hit by 2.3 million hacker attacks in its first month of operation, but none of them were successful.

Sony Corp aims to earn a 5 percent operating profit margin in three years by turning its struggling LCD TV and game operations profitable next year and launching 3D TVs and lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

The number of U.S.-dollar millionaires in China is expected to nearly double in five years, luring private bankers eager to help them invest an expected combined wealth over $7.6 trillion by 2013, Boston Consulting Group said on Thursday.

China said it will tighten regulations in its rapidly growing online games sector, requiring game operators to enhance socialist values in their games and hire specialized staff to monitor content.

Blackstone Group's Pinnacle Brands Corp is likely to buy U.S. frozen vegetable company Birds Eye Foods for more than $1.3 billion, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people familiar with the matter.

The dollar pushed further away from 15-month lows on Thursday, forcing gold prices lower while global equities slipped from the top of their recent range.

A website set up by China's Ministry of Defence this summer was hit by more than 230 million hacker attacks in its first month of operation, but none of the attacks were successful, state media reported on Thursday.

Asian stocks eased on doubts about the pace of economic recovery, while the Indonesian rupiah and the Indian rupee fell on concerns over official steps to curb capital flows after Brazil's latest move to limit the rise of its currency.

Neemia Tialata and Cory Jane can expect a talking to from All Blacks coach Graham Henry after revealing on the social networking site Twitter they had been left out of the New Zealand to play England this weekend.

Gold demand fell 34 percent in the third quarter as high prices weighed on investment flows and led to a slump in jewelry buying in key markets like India and the Middle East, a World Gold Council report showed on Thursday.

Italy's Ferrero and U.S.-based Hershey Co are considering a bid for chocolatier Cadbury Plc , but Kraft Foods Inc is still seen as the front-runner with its $16.8 billion hostile offer.

Congress pushes for finance reform; Healthcare reform takes next step; Dell's public fortunes

On a cold wintry day in January 2009, US Airways flight 1549 taxied down the runway at New York's LaGuardia airport. The flight, bound for Charlotte, N.C., was a familiar flight for Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger.

Sony Corp said on Wednesday that early demand for its latest electronic reader was higher than expected in advance of the holidays and shipment delays could result.

Doubts about the pace of economic recovery hit Asian markets on Thursday, with Japanese stocks falling to a four-month low and the Australian dollar down for a third day as a December interest rate hike no longer looked like a sure thing.

The U.S. Congress edged closer on Wednesday to creating new government powers to break up giant financial firms, which Europe is already doing, while a U.S. derivatives market crackdown got more complicated.