IBT Staff Reporter

Nomura Holdings cemented its position at the top of the M&A league tables in Japan by bagging a mandate to advise Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma on its $2.6 billion acquisition of U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday, ready to snap a four-day losing streak as retailers posted better-than-expected August sales and as investors wait for weekly jobless claims data.

The next few months could see more mergers and acquisitions in the U.S. manufacturing sector as memories of recent market highs fade and some smaller companies find they need financial backing.

U.S. retailers reported August sales that showed some signs that the economic downturn was easing, but a late Labor Day holiday and muted consumer enthusiasm weighed on the key back-to-school season.

China plans new rules to allow foreign companies to set up local units in the form of a locally registered partnership, in a landmark move to attract investment, a draft proposal seen by Reuters showed on Thursday.

Costco Wholesale Corp on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected 2 percent fall in August same-store sales, in a sign that the impact of the financial crisis is waning on U.S. consumer spending.

Cisco Systems Inc and EMC Corp are in talks to create a new joint venture to provide technology services, the Wall Street Journal said, citing people briefed on the plan.

A Faster Recovery?; Airlines' Reality Sinks In; Facing the Music

Thursday, the European Central Bank held its key interest rate at a record low level of 1%. The decision was in line with economists' expectations.

A monthly gauge of U.S. online labor demand soared in August at its fastest pace in four years, indicating steadier footing for nationwide labor demand, a private research group said on Thursday.

Gamers competing against rivals around the globe in online multiplayer games have a new force protecting them -- teams of virtual detectives.

U.S. retailers reported August sales that showed some signs that the economic downturn was easing, but a late Labor Day holiday and muted consumer enthusiasm weighed on results in the key back-to-school season.

AIG's new CEO, Robert Benmosche, has sparked just about as many headlines as one executive can in the past few weeks -- and all while on holiday at his villa in Croatia looking over the Adriatic.

During your job search, do you sometimes assume that nobody ever succeeded in life when he or she was facing odds as bad as yours are now?

Oil prices rose above $69 a barrel on Thursday, drawing support from a sharp fall in U.S. gasoline inventories that revived hopes of a demand recovery in the world's largest fuel consumer.

The biggest U.S. Internet service providers urged regulators to adopt a conservative definition of broadband, arguing for minimum speeds that were substantially below many other nations.

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd agreed on Thursday to buy U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc for $2.6 billion, giving the Japanese firm a big, local sales force in the world's largest drugs market.

World stocks ticked higher on Thursday, bolstered by firmer Chinese shares, while the euro gained and the region's government bonds slipped ahead of a European Central Bank monetary policy decision.

Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd agreed on Thursday to buy U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc for $2.6 billion, giving the Japanese firm a big, local sales force in the world's largest drugs market.

U.S. stock index futures pointed to a higher open on Wall Street on Thursday, following a four-day losing streak.

Global airlines' losses this year could exceed industry body IATA's estimate of $9 billion as no improvement across the sector is in sight so far, Deutsche Lufthansa's management board member Stefan Lauer said.

Asian shares edged up on Thursday as a surge in the volatile Shanghai market helped underpin indexes around the region, offsetting a rocky start to the month on worries the global economic recovery is losing steam.

- The Euro has pulled back from intra-day high at 1.4348 to test support at 1.4285 on the back of Trichet call to patience and prudence, on his Press release after the Bank announced its decision to keep its benchmark interest rate at 1.0%.

LG Electronics Inc, the world's third-largest mobile phone maker, said on Thursday it would launch three new smartphones in the next few weeks that run on Windows software.

LG Electronics Inc, the world's third-largest mobile phone maker, said on Thursday it would launch three new smartphones in the next few weeks that run on Windows software.

Japan's Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co Ltd plans to offer about $2.7 billion to acquire U.S. drugmaker Sepracor Inc, a source said, in a move that it would give it a much needed U.S. sales force.

Pfizer Inc agreed on Wednesday to plead guilty to a U.S. criminal charge relating to promotion of its now-withdrawn Bextra pain medicine and will pay a record $2.3 billion to settle allegations it improperly marketed 13 medicines.

Federal Reserve policy-makers last month believed risks to the U.S. economy had eased considerably and discussed stretching out a program that has held down home loan rates.

Oil was steady above $68 on Thursday, after settling unchanged a day earlier, as a steep fall in U.S. gasoline inventories offset a smaller-than-expected drop in crude stocks in the world's top energy user.