IBT Staff Reporter

Every 13 seconds in America, there is another foreclosure filing.

Home buyers in much of the United States paid thousands of dollars below the asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August than in July, real estate website Zillow.com said on Thursday.

Britain's top share index rose on Thursday, helped by gains in mining stocks on firmer metals prices and a surprise quarterly profit from U.S. aluminium producer Alcoa (AA.N).

Stock futures rose on Thursday as the latest earnings season got off to a positive start after Alcoa posted a surprise profit and as surging commodity prices underpinned a global equity advance.

Higher credit costs are likely to weigh on earnings for the U.S. mid-cap banks in the third quarter, but expectations appear fairly realistic going into the period, Morgan Stanley said.

PepsiCo Inc reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, helped by increased sales volumes of snacks and beverages.

Canada's dollar rose against theU.S. currency early on Thursday on the backdrop of highercommodity prices and growing expectations that domestic jobsdata due later this week could be better than expected.

Every 13 seconds in America, there is another foreclosure filing. That's the rhythm of a crisis that threatens to choke off hopes for a recovery in the U.S. housing market as it destroys hundreds of billions of dollars in property values a year.

Akbank (AKBNK.IS) General Manager Ziya Akkurt said on Thursday the Turkish lender would target 15-16 percent loan growth in 2010, outstripping banking sector growth as a whole, which he forecast at 12-13 percent.

Deutsche Bank began coverage of Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N) with buy, and said the two U.S. banks will stay well capitalized even under the likely increased regulatory capital requirements.

Stock futures rose on Thursday as the latest earnings season got off to a positive start after Alcoa posted a surprise profit and as surging commodity prices underpinned a global equity advance.

U.S. retailers, including Limited Brands Inc and Children's Place , surprised Wall Street with small increases in September sales, suggesting that shoppers could be heading back for the crucial holiday season.

Stock futures rose on Thursday as the latest earnings season got off to a positive start after Alcoa posted a surprise profit and as surging commodity prices underpinned a global equity advance.

Hong Kong stocks rose for a fourth day on Thursday, with HSBC (0005.HK) advancing after itresumed talks with Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS.L) over thepurchase of RBS units in Asia.

European shares were higher in early trade on Thursday as a surprise quarterly profit from U.S. aluminium group Alcoa (AA.N) boosted market sentiment, with banks and mining stocks the biggest gainers.

A group of creditors led by Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS.TO) will run the daily newspapers owned by Canwest Global Communications Corp (CGS.TO), which announced a long-awaited recapitalization plan this week, the Globe and Mail reported on its website.

Investors eager to cash in on the prospect of a revival of merger & acquisition (M&A) activity could see their efforts go to waste as access to financing remains a major obstacle hampering bids.

A review of Citigroup Inc's management team, demanded by U.S. regulators in the aftermath of the financial crisis, gave it satisfactory marks, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Doctors should pay more attention to the link between common mental illness and obesity in patients because the two health problems are closely linked, according to researchers at the University of Adelaide.

The University of Queensland has advanced two places to be named 41st in the world in the UK's Times Higher Education-QS World University Rankings, released today.

Gold prices rallied to record highs for a third successive session in Europe on Thursday, as persistent weakness in the dollar fueled fund buying of the metal as an alternative to the U.S. unit.

The University of Sydney has improved its position in the prestigious Times Higher Education world rankings.

Methods used for analysing a person's risk of cardiovascular diseases are shedding new light on assessing and modifying a person's risk of depression, according to a study from The Australian National University.

Griffith University has leapt 34 places to be ranked 291st in the world by the prestigious Times Higher Education - QS World University Rankings announced today (October 8).

The University of Melbourne has jumped two places to No 36 - and again is the only Australian university to have all surveyed disciplines in the Top 30 in the world - in the Times Higher Education-QS (THE-QS) 2009 World University Rankings, released toda

There are some valuable lessons Americans can learn from Australia's health care system and vice versa, according to a Macquarie University academic and expert in the field.

Deaths from lung cancer are higher than for any other form of cancer, with more than 8,000 Australians diagnosed each year - but the latest technology being demonstrated at The University of Western Australia offers new hope to sufferers.

The composition of an Aussie loaf of bread will change forever this week, thanks to a new mandatory food standard - backed by University of Sydney research - which demands bakers replace salt they now use with iodised salt.

Futures for the Dow Jones industrial average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 rise 0.9 to 1 percent, pointing to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday.