IBT Staff Reporter

Japan's Nikkei average inched down 0.1 percent on Monday, with investors cautious ahead of more corporate earnings reports, but banks rose after Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group posted its first profit in three quarters.

Investment bank Goldman Sachs' reputation among both the general public and financially sophisticated Americans has been damaged by the events of the past year, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing research conducted for the paper.

Andrew Hall, the trader behind Phibro LLC, the energy trading arm of beleaguered bank Citigroup , is quietly pushing for a quiet divorce from his parent company and has had preliminary talks with one possible suitor, The New York Times reported on Sunday.

The records fell like dominoes at the swimming championships in Rome this year, as Michael Phelps of the U.S. added to his already gilded career with five gold medals, the most at the competition.

The results of Mexico's July elections, where President Felipe Calderon lost support in Congress, don't bode well for taking steps that will fix Mexico's economy, according to economist Rogelio Ramirez de la O.

'Clunkers' Hope, Housing's Double Dip? Stocks Watch

Scottish & Southern Energy will miss out on renewable energy subsidies worth more than half a billion pounds because it put in an order for equipment too early, according to a report in the Times.

A Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco joint venture said on Sunday that gas from two zones under exploration in the kingdom's Empty Quarter flowed at a combined rate of 90 million cubic feet per day.

Following are the top 10 films at the North American box office for the three-day weekend beginning on July 31, led by the new comedy Funny People, according to studio estimates compiled on Sunday by Reuters.

Ricoh Co Ltd (7752.T) shares could be undervalued as investors overlook the benefits of two healthy acquisitions that could help the stock rise 30 percent over the next year, Barron's reported.

French media and telecoms giant Vivendi (VIV.PA) is an inexpensive bet for investors looking for steady growth and a healthy dividend, Barron's reported.

The punishing four-year decline in U.S. auto sales may have reached a turning point this week -- just as Michael Papa handed over the keys to his 1996 Ford Explorer for a government-sponsored trade-in.

Ford Motor Co will report its U.S. sales for July rose from a year ago on a late-month surge under the federal government's Cash for Clunkers incentive program, senior U.S. executives said on Sunday.

Top U.S. officials said on Sunday it may be necessary to extend jobless benefits to firm up an economic recovery unlikely to create jobs until next year and declined to rule out future tax increases to tame massive budget deficits.

The head of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is concerned that excessive use of emails and mobile phone text messaging is creating shallow friendships and undermining community life, according to an interview published on Sunday.

The youngest daughter of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino said on Sunday her family had differences with the government, one reason why they had decided against a state funeral for the former leader.

A plane with 16 people on board went missing in Indonesia's eastern region of Papua, an official said on Sunday, just weeks after the European Commission lifted a ban on four Indonesian airlines.

More than 700 people were killed during a five-day uprising by a radical Islamic sect in northern Nigeria and the search for bodies is continuing, Red Cross and defense officials said on Sunday.

Corrects newspaper in paragraph 3 to Sunday Telegraph from Sunday Times

Israel's gay community was rocked on Sunday by the killing of two people in a homosexual and lesbian youth center and the possibility they fell victim to a hate crime in the Jewish state's most freewheeling city.

Iranian authorities have tightened pressure on their opponents by staging what former President Mohammad Khatami derided Sunday as a show trial of 100 reformists accused of trying to instigate a velvet revolution.

White House economic adviser Larry Summers on Sunday declined to rule out future tax increases to reduce deficits but said the Obama administration would not increase burdens on the middle class.

The remains of a U.S. Navy pilot have been found and positively identified, more than 18 years after he was shot down over Iraq and became the first U.S. casualty of the first Gulf War, the U.S. Defense Department said on Sunday.

Moderate former president Mohammad Khatami rejected as a show the trial of 100 prominent reformers who were arrested after Iran's disputed June presidential poll set off unrest, his website said on Sunday.

It's as certain as death and taxes. Presidents have periods of popularity and then periods of not so much.

Wall Street may have momentum on its side this week as the S&P 500 tries to puncture the 1,000 level, but the rally's staying power will depend on whether U.S. data and corporate earnings provide more signs of economic stabilization.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Sunday more actions may be necessary to firm up economic recovery, including extended unemployment aid, and declined to rule out future tax hikes to reduce massive budget deficits.

A Turkish hacker has defaced dozens of Dutch websites with pro-Islamic slogans and pictures of right-wing politician Geert Wilders edited to make him look like a monkey, a website that tracks hackers said.

Switzerland's UBS will not have to pay a fine as part of the settlement of a tax evasion dispute with the United States, two Swiss newspapers reported on Sunday.