IBT Staff Reporter

U.S. stock index futures gained on Monday, taking a cue from rising global markets, as a weaker dollar lifted commodities prices in a potential boost to natural resource stocks.

General Motors Co. will announce on Monday it plans to start repaying a $6.7 billion loan to the U.S. Treasury by year-end due to modest operating improvements, a source knowledgeable about the situation said.

Lowe's Cos Inc , the second-largest U.S. home improvement chain, posted a 30 percent decline in quarterly profit as consumers put off big renovations and a U.S. housing market recovery takes longer to materialize.

Interbank lending rates remained pinned on Monday by the abundance of excess cash in the system but comments from a host of central bankers are likely to be closely scrutinised for further clues on exit strategies.

The dollar slipped on Monday as traders took a lack of agreement on currencies among Asian and U.S. leaders as a cue to sell the greenback, even as speculation of a near-term yuan appreciation cooled.

South Korea's central bank has asked the U.S. Federal Reserve to extend a $30 billion swap agreement for a safety net, as the existing credit line is due to expire on Feb. 1, 2010, a local newspaper reported.

The European Union hopes the United States and China will act according to pledges to address global foreign exchange rates, the EU's Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said on Monday.

The likely $15.5 billion share issuance by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Hitachi Ltd is the latest blow to Japan's long-suffering investors, but it won't be the last.

World stocks rose on Monday while gold, oil and other commodities rallied as upbeat economic data and a weakening dollar underpinned raw material prices and related shares.

EADS unveiled a 77 percent drop in third-quarter core earnings on Monday, as it battled a downturn in civil aviation and the damaging effect of the weak dollar along with delays to its A400M program.

Japan's Canon plans to buy Dutch copier and printer maker Oce for 730 million euros ($1.09 billion) as it tries to return to growth after the global downturn and fight rival Ricoh.

Japan's government inched toward agreeing new stimulus measures that could be worth $30 billion on Monday as economic growth is likely to slow next year due to sluggish personal spending and rising inventories.

U.S. President Barack Obama's call on Monday for Internet freedom in China met with wariness and cynicism from many Chinese Internet users, suggesting his effort to win over the country's youth has some way to go.

Japan's Canon said it would buy Dutch copier and printer maker Oce in a deal worth $2.2 billion, as it tries to return to growth after the global downturn crippled demand for office equipment.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.84 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.57 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.55 percent at 0925 GMT (4:25 a.m. EST).

Mired with losses, Japan's biggest electronics group by sales, Hitachi Ltd , is raising up to $4.6 billion to cut debt as it seeks to turnaround its sprawling businesses and also invest in new growth drivers.

EADS unveiled a 77 percent drop in third-quarter core earnings on Monday, as it battled a downturn in civil aviation and damaging delays to its A400M program.

China's Commerce Ministry on Monday rebuffed calls for the yuan to appreciate, signaling resistance to change in a controversial foreign exchange policy that loomed over U.S. President Barack Obama's first visit to the Asian giant.

Gold hit a fresh record high on Monday as investors hedged against a weak dollar, while Asian shares gained ground after upbeat reports from U.S. retailers underpinned confidence the global economy is recovering.

Champion Enterprises Inc said on Sunday the company and its domestic operating subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy, and that it hopes to go through a court-supervised sale of its U.S. operations.

Citigroup Inc recently rejected a proposal from Guy Hands' private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners to restructure the debt of music group EMI, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday.

Gold hit a record high on Monday as investors hedged against a weak dollar while Asian shares edged higher after upbeat reports from U.S. retailers underpinned confidence the global economy is recovering.

IBM launched a new cloud computing service on Monday, aiming to take on companies such as Amazon.com Inc, Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Salesforce.com Inc.

General Motors Co. will announce on Monday it plans to start repaying a $6.7 billion loan to the U.S. Treasury by year-end due to modest operating improvements, a source knowledgeable about the situation said.

Citigroup Inc said on Sunday it has agreed to sell its stake in Japanese telemarketer Bellsystem24 to U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital for 93.5 billion yen ($1 billion).

Oil prices clawed back some of last week's 1.4 percent losses on Monday and rose a dollar to above $77 a barrel, as a weaker U.S. dollar and improved sentiments over the economic outlook encouraged traders to push up crude prices.

Central banks will be net buyers of gold this year as they diversify away from the U.S. dollar, marking a reversal of a decades-old trend, global commodities investment fund BlackRock said on Monday in comments that helped drive bullion to fresh record highs.

China should keep the yuan stable, in part because that is beneficial for a global economic recovery, a Commerce Ministry spokesman said on Monday.

Hitachi Ltd, Japan's biggest electronics firm by sales, will raise up to $4.6 billion to shore up its capital, joining a scrum of Japanese firms tapping equity markets before a possible economic slowdown.