IBT Staff Reporter

Cadbury's shares edged up by early afternoon on Monday as the clock ticked toward a 1700 GMT deadline for Kraft Foods to either make a formal takeover bid for the British confectionery group or walk away.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of housing starts reached 157,300 units in October. This is an increase from 149,300 units started in September, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

Targets and trust. These are at the heart of a tougher new global climate pact possibly just weeks away.

French insurer AXA sought full control of its majority-owned Asian arm to get a tighter grip on the region's booming markets, and stuck with plans to grow in China in spite of regulatory obstacles there.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a 1 percent gain at the open on Monday as investors took comfort from a pledge by the Group of 20 to keep economic stimulus in place until a recovery was reassured.

Looking at Holiday Sales; Traders Go Higher on Aid Pledge; Advanta's Bankruptcy

French insurer AXA bid for full control of its majority-owned Asian arm on Monday, seeking a tighter grip on the region's strong growth potential.

The dollar weakened broadly on Monday, pushing the euro above $1.50, after a weekend G20 meeting and U.S. jobs data last week did little to alter the view that U.S. interest rates will stay low for some time.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.9 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.8 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.8 percent at 5:10 a.m. EST.

U.S. stock index futures rose on Monday as investors took comfort from a pledge by the Group of 20 to keep economic stimulus in place until a recovery was reassured.

Oil rose more than $1 toward $79 a barrel on Monday after Hurricane Ida forced the shut in of U.S. oil and gas facilities, and on the outcome of Group of 20 talks sent equities up and the dollar down.

Stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Monday, with futures for the S&P 500 up 0.9 percent, Dow Jones futures up 0.8 percent and Nasdaq 100 futures up 0.8 percent at 5:10 a.m. EST.

Oil rose more than $1 to above $78 a barrel on Monday after Hurricane Ida forced the shut in of U.S. oil and gas facilities and the outcome of Group of 20 talks sent equities up and the dollar down.

Luxury goods group Burberry has hooked up with social networking company Facebook to launch a Web site celebrating its trench coat, becoming the latest retailer to use social media in a bid to boost its brand.

Global stocks rose and the dollar fell on Monday after the Group of 20 pledged to keep stimulus in place until recovery was assured, following data on Friday showing the U.S. unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high.

Asian stocks and currencies rose on Monday on bets a surge in the U.S. unemployment rate to a 26-1/2-year high would force policymakers to keep many stimulus measures in place until an economic recovery spread further.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview airing Monday he is taking steps to root out corruption in his government, but he also said foreign money was making the problem worse.

Asian stocks and currencies rose on Monday as investors bet that a surge in the U.S. unemployment rate to a 26-1/2-year high would force policymakers to keep many stimulus measures in place until an economic recovery was on more solid footing.

Advanta Corp , a small business credit card lender in the United States, said on Sunday it filed for bankruptcy protection after the economic crisis over the last two years devastated its small business customers.

Oil rose more than $1 to above $78 a barrel on Monday, recouping some of the previous session's near 3 percent loss, on fears a powerful hurricane would cut U.S. oil and gas supplies and also lifted by the falling dollar.

Kraft Foods Inc is expected to formalize on Monday a hostile takeover bid for Britain's Cadbury Plc valued at roughly 10.2 billion pounds ($16.7 billion), sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

Kraft Foods Inc is expected to formalize on Monday a hostile takeover bid for Britain's Cadbury Plc valued at roughly 10.2 billion pounds ($16.7 billion), sources familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

General Electric Co. and Comcast Corp have agreed on a valuation of around $30 billion for a joint venture between NBC Universal and Comcast, ironing out what has been a key obstacle in talks so far, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday.

Defense contractor Northrop Grumman has agreed to sell its TASC consulting unit to two buyout firms, General Atlantic and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co , for $1.65 billion, the companies said on Sunday.

Intel Corp, the world's biggest electronic chip maker, said on Sunday it would open its new die preparation plant in Jerusalem next week.

A Las Vegas casino company and a Chinese bank have set the price range for their upcoming Hong Kong stock offerings, hoping to raise up to $7.35 billion combined in what would be the world's fourth- and fifth-largest IPOs of the year.

Dollar May Be Under Pressure; Investors Eye Retail Sales; NBC Universal's Valuation

The U.S. dollar may come under renewed pressure from emerging market currencies and the euro after a meeting of the world's top finance officials failed to take concrete action on rebalancing global money flows

The International Monetary Fund is exploring the idea of making banks pay insurance fees to fund any future rescues in the sector, IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Sunday.